The THD Alsace public-private partnership (PPP) project, the largest PPP contract in the field of the optical fibre in France, has achieved financial close. Mott MacDonald acted as lenders’ technical advisor on the transaction.
Aimed at bringing high-speed, fibre internet connectivity, THD Alsace will connect a minimum of 370,000 households and businesses spread across more than 700 cities.
Mott MacDonald helped the scheme successfully reach financial close by establishing the project risk profile and advising the lenders on potential technical issues in the contract and design, as well as construction schedule and eventual operation. The consultancy will now monitor design and construction, verifying that drawdowns are made accordingly with the project’s progress and continuing to monitor for any unanticipated technical issues that could impact on the project.
Antoine Bonnafous, Mott MacDonald’s project director, said: “This commission has allowed Mott MacDonald’s PPP team in France to continue to broaden the sectors it works in, which already include buildings, transport, waste and maritime. We have collaborated closely with our digital infrastructure specialists in the UK on this project and will continue to do so as it progressed through design and construction.”
Construction of the project is due to be completed in 2022, which will be followed by a 30-year operation period.