Funding of mineral fertilizer plants is a generalized plan that reflects the expected costs and income of the project in a certain time horizon.

It is a critical element of any large investment project that is required not only by sponsors, but also by potential lenders, contractors and clients.

Funding for mineral fertilizer plants and The construction of a modern facility associated infrastructure typically requires tens of millions of euros, most of which must be raised in the early stages of the project.

Financing capital-intensive projects on the right terms is becoming increasingly challenging in this industry, requiring sponsors to have a perfect business plan, a flexible financial model and guarantees.

CP Finance UK Finance, with extensive international experience, offers a full range of professional services for funding a mineral fertilizer plants worldwide, including the following:

• Long-term loans.
• Project finance services.
• Credit guarantees.
• Project management.
• Financial modeling.
• Support and consulting.

Contact our representative for details.

Basics of financial modeling for funding the mineral fertilizer industry

In general, a financial model is a system of interrelated indicators that can be used to assess the health of a company or its projects.

It is aimed at forecasting revenue, cash flow, profit and other important parameters. But the main advantage of financial modeling is the flexibility of the finished product, including the ability of the user to calculate in two clicks how changes in the market or within the company will affect its financial condition.

A high-quality financial model shows all stakeholders how a particular business project works and justifies the level of its expected profitability. This gives confidence to partners, which is especially important in the early stages of cooperation. The financial model is included in the structure of the business plan of the mineral fertilizer plant, being a financial expression of all other elements of a particular investment project.

The financial model helps owners to control the development of the company, and also allows lenders to make a more informed decision on issuing a loan. The financial model is studied by both lenders and investors.

For the latter, not only the idea is important, but also real results and growth.

Since the mineral fertilizer industry is closely linked to agriculture and other sectors of the economy, as well as highly globalized and dependent on numerous factors, the requirements for such a model are very strict. For example, any change in the cost of gas, electricity and logistics immediately affects the operation of mineral fertilizer plants.

The principles of financial modeling applicable to funding the mineral fertilizer plants are listed below:

• Availability of a certain set of accurate and reliable initial data on the external and internal environment of the investment project.
• Comprehensive assessment of the entire range of available financial resources, taking into account the terms of their attraction and use.
• High-quality assessment of the efficiency of the project under different conditions.
• Sensitivity analysis of the financial plan.

The essence of the financial model can be considered in three aspects, including the feasibility of the project (viability), its overall economic efficiency and sensitivity.

For an ideal funding of a mineral fertilizer plants, the deterioration of any of its parameters should not have a significant negative impact on key performance indicators.

The model should include several scenarios, such as a baseline, an optimistic scenario, and a pessimistic scenario. For each of them, detailed calculations are made in a certain time horizon. Scenario settings should include all relevant parameters, including exchange rates, tax changes, changes in duties on chemical products and fertilizers, personnel salaries, equipment repair and modernization costs, and other direct and indirect costs.

The more parameters a financial model takes into account, the more accurate its results will be in different scenarios.

Typical sections of the financial model

Given the complexity of the modern mineral fertilizer industry, as well as the versatility of contractual relations between participants in project finance schemes, it is better to entrust the development of a financial model for a large project to a professional team.

Regardless of the approach chosen, any financial model should include the following sections:

• Initial data.
• Capital investments.
• Sources of project financing.
• Project cash flows.
• Investment efficiency.
• Sensitivity analysis.

The foundation of any investment project is the correct initial data on which subsequent forecasts and models are based.

This section should contain parameters that directly affect the activity of the project. This includes external factors, internal factors, operating costs, additional sources of income, obligatory payments on loans, as well as forecasts for KPIs based on this data.

With regard to capital investments, this section should reflect the costs of purchasing (creating) long-term assets such as land, premises, infrastructure, production equipment and transport.

For each item, it is important to calculate depreciation costs that will be deducted from revenue.

Since funding a mineral fertilizer plants and construction of its facility is a very complex engineering project, capital investment consists of many components. The more complex the project (for example, ammonia production or mining facilities), the more capital investment will be required and the more complex the structure of the financial model will be.

The selection of project finance sources is the next important step in model development once the capital costs have been determined and the overall scope of the investment project is understood. Since the cost of building a fertilizer plant from scratch is typically in the tens of millions of euros, project sponsors may need a long-term investment loan and other leverage mechanisms.

This includes the issuance of additional shares and bonds, as well as leasing instruments.

When describing the cash flows of a project, the finance team should systematize all the information from the previous sections and calculate the difference between income (positive cash flow) and expenses (negative cash flow) for the period for which specific model is being developed.

For investors and lenders, this parameter may be more important than profit, as it demonstrates the real financial health of an investment project.

But negative cash flow does not always mean that the company is incurring losses. This situation is normal during the period of business restructuring. In any case, it is important to add a rational explanation for potential providers of capital.

There are three key financial parameters that are important to consider:

1. NPV (Net Present Value) is the sum of cash inflows and outflows at the date the investor would like to make a profit. For example, a year after he invested money. By negative NPV, the investor will understand that the costs of the project exceeded the investments.

2. IRR (Internal Rate of Return) is the rate at which NPV is zero. It demonstrates the average profitability of a mineral fertilizer plant project over a certain period. In other words, IRR reflects the profit that an investor participating in the project will receive.

3. PP (payback period) is the minimum period for which the costs of the project will pay off. To correctly calculate this indicator, the team needs to predict how much profit the business will bring each year. The longer the investment pays off, the less attractive it is considered.

Finally, the last important part of the financial model is sensitivity analysis.

It shows how the profit of the enterprise will change under the influence of external factors, which are listed in the first section.

In particular, sensitivity analysis helps to understand how the cost of production will increase with an increase in the foreign exchange rate if the plant buys ammonia from abroad.

External factors in a globalized market cannot be underestimated, especially when it comes to the mineral fertilizer industry. The most recent example is the skyrocketing rise in natural gas prices in Europe, which led to a sharp increase in electricity prices in 2021 and reduced the activity of some plants producing ammonia, one of the main components of nitrogen fertilizers.

Main metrics in the financial model of a mineral fertilizer plants

The attractiveness and viability of any business project is measured by a standard set of parameters that must be reflected in financial model.

From the perspective of investors and lenders, key project performance indicators include the following:

• Net present value (NPV).
• Profitability index (PI).
• Internal rate of return (IRR).
• Modified Internal Rate of Return (MIRR).
• Payback period of initial costs (PP).
• PP calculated using discounted cash flows (DPP).
• Weighted average rate of return (ARR).

Importance of financial modeling services

Most often, the financial model is the basis for the financial forecast and evaluation of the profitability of investment projects in the mineral fertilizer industry and related areas.

Thanks to the financial forecast, stakeholders will receive concrete figures about the future financial results of a particular project.

The financial model and funding for mineral fertilizer plants is an effective motivational tool for constantly improving business engineering.

Liquidity risk is of considerable importance, which is minimized by calculating the projected net cash flows and funding requirements to obtain the most profitable source of project financing. In an increasing number of companies, forecasts are used to determine KPIs.

On the other hand, the assessment of the profitability of an investment is valuable information regarding the decision to participate in this investment project and the study of the financial benefits associated with its implementation.

The financial model and funding of a mineral fertilizer plant is used when attracting investors, applying for a loan, selling a business, or distributing shares between partners.

CP Finance UK Finance is ready to offer the development of a financial model, as well as a company’s cash flow forecast for banks and investors.

Our company can also conduct a break-even analysis of the project and a stress test that will show how the financial health of the company will change if key indicators deviate from the plan.

As part of the preparation of the financial model, our company can also carry out calculations of the economic efficiency of your investment project, which include NPV (net present value of the project) and IRR (internal rate of return), as well as building a DCF model of future cash flows from the funding of mineral fertilizer plants.

We don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach, but our team develops customized solutions for each client. If the financial model is needed only for internal purposes, we can prepare only a model and a short memorandum.

If the document is being prepared for investors or lenders, we can present your project by supplementing the financial model with the market analysis in which the company operates and a high-quality presentation of the project, highlighting its strengths and advantages.

We operate in many countries such as Spain, France, USA, Germany, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt and others.

For advice and possible financing, please contact CP Finance UK Finance at any time.

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