Financing Co-generation Projects

The 1980's will be a decade of intense adjustment by busine3s to the cost of money and energy. American Industry will require enormous amounts of capital for energy conservation to remain competitive. However, the average 3.8 percent after tax profit generated by energy intensive industries will not be sufficient to provide the capital required for both normal business expansion and energy conservation projects. Debt financing for energy saving equipment will adversely impact balance sheet figures and liquidity. It appears that only a few of the largest industrial firms have the cash flow to internally finance energy conserving cost reduction projects. These cost reduction projects will reinforce existing dominant cost advantages of industry leaders