Absent broader joint action, improved cost competitiveness and/or greater certainty of cost and delivery, most U.S. public power systems are unlikely to pursue new nuclear construction over the next few years, and those that do face the risk of weakened credit quality, Fitch Ratings says.

In the shipping industry, four key trends are shaping the landscape for 2024. Consumer spending caution is expected to persist; oversupply risks loom as deliveries surge; geopolitical uncertainties are affecting trade routes; and companies are diversifying away from China.

Kali Persall, editor of Institutional Investing in Infrastructure (i3), spoke with Fernando Zúñiga, managing director, Latin America & Caribbean at MPC Energy Solutions (MPCES), about the state of the renewables market in Panama and Latin America more broadly.

After nearly two decades of stagnation, U.S. electricity demand is surging. That has left power companies seeking new ways to balance supply and demand. One option they’re turning to is virtual power plants.

Across the globe, we have experienced unprecedented climate events in recent years — from heatwaves in Europe, to floods in Asia and the Pacific, rising temperatures in Africa, and wildfires across the Americas. Real estate and infrastructure have a critical role to play in our responses to these key challenges.

Infra-skeptics often express disbelief around infrastructure’s current valuations and performance and suggest that it is best to remain on the sidelines before the eventual correction. Other skeptics also point to sector-specific issues, including concerns about the notable secular tailwinds. Like any investment, clean energy is only as risky as the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the underlying underwriting assumptions, and it is up to managers to separate the good investments from the bad ones. 

2023 was an interesting year for private infrastructure. As in other private markets strategies, transactions became more difficult to complete as rising interest rates caused traditional credit markets to freeze and exacerbated a valuation gap between buyers and sellers. On the other hand, the volatile market environment reinforced the value of infrastructure as a potential hedge against both inflation and macroeconomic stress.