34  Refinancing

34.1  The Contractor shall obtain the Authority's prior written consent to any Qualifying Refinancing and both the Authority and the Contractor shall at all times act in good faith with respect to any Refinancing. :

(a)  any Refinancing; or

(b)  any potential or proposed Refinancing under clause 34.9.

34.2  34.2 The Authority shall be entitled to receive a 50 per cent share of any Refinancing Gain arising from a Qualifying Refinancing.:

(a)  where there is a reduction in the Margin from the Margin as shown in the Senior Financing Agreements as at Financial Close arising from a Qualifying Refinancing (or, in the case of a second or subsequent Qualifying Refinancing, from the Margin as shown in the immediately preceding Qualifying Refinancing) a 90% share of the Margin Gain arising from the Qualifying Refinancing; and

(b)  a share of any further Refinancing Gain (arising otherwise than from a reduction in Margin) from a Qualifying Refinancing, in respect of any Refinancing Gain (when considered in aggregate with all previous Qualifying Refinancings) as follows:

(i)  for a Refinancing Gain from £1 to £1 million, a 50% share;

(ii)  for a Refinancing Gain of £1 million up to £3 million, a 60% share; and

(iii)  for a Refinancing Gain in excess of £3 million a 70% share.

34.3  The Authority shall not withhold or delay its consent to a Qualifying Refinancing to obtain a greater than 50 per cent share of the Refinancing Gain. than that specified in clause 34.2.

34.4  The Contractor shall promptly provide the Authority with full details of any proposed Qualifying Refinancing, including a copy of the proposed financial model relating to it (if any) and the basis for the assumptions used in the proposed financial model. The Authority shall (before, during and at any time after any Refinancing) have unrestricted rights of audit over any financial model and documentation (including any aspect of the calculation of the Refinancing Gain) used in connection with that Refinancing (whether that Refinancing is a Qualifying Refinancing or not).

34.5  34.5 The Authority shall have the right to elect to receive its share of any Refinancing Gain (including any Margin Gain) as:

(a)  a single payment in an amount less than or equal to any Distribution made on or about the date of the Refinancing;

(b)  a reduction in the Unitary Charge over the remaining term of the Contract; or

(c)  a combination of any of the above.

34.6  The Authority and the Contractor will negotiate in good faith to agree the basis and method of calculation of the Refinancing Gain (including any Margin Gain) and payment of the Authority's share of the Refinancing Gain (taking into account how the Authority has elected to receive its share of the Refinancing Gain under Clause 34.5 above). If the parties fail to agree the basis and method of calculation of the Refinancing Gain or the payment of the Authority's share, the dispute shall be determined in accordance with Clause 28 (Dispute Resolution).

34.7  The Refinancing Gain (including any Margin Gain) shall be calculated after taking into account any breakage costs necessary to facilitate the Qualifying Refinancing together with the reasonable and proper professional costs that each party directly incurs in relation to the Qualifying Refinancing and on the basis that all reasonable and proper professional costs incurred by the Authority will be paid to the Authority by the Contractor within 28 days of any Qualifying Refinancing. Such costs shall be allocated as between the Margin Gain (if any) and the remaining Refinancing Gain (if any) pro rata.

34.8  34.8 Without prejudice to the other provisions of this Clause 34, the Contractor shall (a) notify the Authority of all Notifiable Financings on becoming aware of the same and again when they are entered into and provide full details of the same and (b) include a provision in the Financing Agreements (other than the Subordinated Refinancing Agreements) whereby it is entitled to be informed of any proposals which the Senior Lenders may have to refinance the Financing Agreements (other than the Subordinated Refinancing Agreements).

34.9  [As per 29 April 2009 Addendum to SoPC 4].

Margin has the meaning given to it in the Senior Financing Agreements as at the date immediately prior to the relevant Qualifying Refinancing;

Margin Gain means an amount equal to the lower of:

(a)  the Refinancing Gain; and

(b)  the higher of:

i)  Zero; and 

ii)  D - E

Where:

D = the Net Present Value of the Distributions projected immediately prior to the Refinancing (taking into account the effect of the change to the Margin only in relation to the Refinancing and the senior debt repayment profile immediately prior to the Qualifying Refinancing and using the Base Case as updated (including as to the performance of the Project) so as to be current immediately prior to the Refinancing) to be made to each Relevant Person over the remaining term of the Contract following the Refinancing;1

E = the Net Present Value of the Distributions projected immediately prior to the Refinancing (but without taking into account the effect of the Refinancing and using the Base Case as updated (including as to the performance of the Project) so as to be current immediately prior to the Refinancing) to be made to each Relevant Person over the remaining term of the Contract following the Refinancing..




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1  There will not be a Margin where the replacement finance is a bond and in such a case ''D'' should be defined as ''the rate of interest on the face value of the bond less the yield on the relevant Reference Gilt in place on issuance of the bond''.