Private finance is a viable option for critical infrastructure as long as the implications of failure are considered

Failure can mean different things. It is rarely about the catastrophic collapse of the infrastructure but more about commercial failure, poor service, and unreliability. There are a number of factors that affect the financing choice and contractual obligations for such infrastructure, especially if it is to be privately financed. But the range of approaches taken across the world would indicate that infrastructure seen as too important to fail does not preclude the use of private finance. There are many examples where the private financing of critical infrastructure is very successful.