A wind farm, street lighting, improvements in the airport's cargo terminal, a technology park and improvements in customs offices, are the five proposals which have been passed on for a further stage of analysis.
The five projects will be evaluated in a second instance to determine whether they are viable for development via public-private partnerships using funding from the Fomilenio II program.
The amendments made to the law on the trust to finance the expansion of the road from San Ramon to San Jose, limit sthe interest of potential trustees.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport argues that the changes made to the original text raise questions for potential banks interested in setting up the trust, particularly because it does not include, among other things, the information necessary to determine the financial feasibility of the project. "...The practical effect of this gap in the law is that there is not the desired and necessary security required in the case that there is a need to go to the market to raise funds to finance the work. "
In Costa Rica four private banks and two state banks have expressed interest in becoming trustees of the $436 million trust fund for expanding the road from San Ramon to San Jose.
Public banks interested in becoming trustees of the project are the Bank of Costa Rica and Bancrédito, and the private banks are Scotiabank, Lafise, BCT and Improsa. Representatives from the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT) announced that the next phase will establish the conditions and timetable for the tender to select the trustee.
The Minister of Public Works and Transport is asking for an amendment to the existing legislation to allow a common trust to be structured to finance all road infrastructure works.
The minister of transport and public works intends for the bill being studied in the assembly, and which would fund the road from San Ramon to San Jose through the figure of trust, to be extended to all types of road works and not only that road, so that a single financing option would be used for the construction of all roads in the future.
The delay in the approval of the Chinese loan for the construction of the road to Limón suggests the need to consider other options.
The Government of China has set December 31 as the deadline to maintain the conditions of $395 million loan offered to build the road to Limon, but the Legislature could take up to April 30, 2014 to discuss it.
Although the Executive Branch will ask the Chinese government for an extension, the need has arisen to evaluate alternatives so as not to delay one of the most important routes for the country's economic activity.