Method and cash trust for financing and operating a business project
First Claim
1. A method for financing and operating a power plant project with a cash trust comprising the steps of:
- obtaining funds for financing said power plant project;
allocating at least a portion of said funds in a pre-funded component of said cash trust;
maintaining reserves in an operating component of said cash trust;
allocating a portion of said reserves for meeting a portion of debt obligation incurred in connection with said step of obtaining funds for financing said power plant project; and
designating at least a portion of a remaining balance of said operating component as financial benefits to be provided to customers of said power plant project.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and financial arrangement for financing (or refinancing) and operating a business project are provided. They are designed to better allocate the risks inherent in setting up and operating the business project and optimize the benefits of the project for all of the involved parties—lenders, sponsors, investors, operators and consumers and/or end users of the project. This novel method and financial arrangement provide additional security for lenders and investors of the project, while, at the same time, providing benefits and incentives to consumers and/or end users of the project. As an illustrative example, an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a power plant project. Among many potential benefits, the present invention may provide a solution for overcoming the current disarray in the power industry.
25 Citations
102 Claims
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1. A method for financing and operating a power plant project with a cash trust comprising the steps of:
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obtaining funds for financing said power plant project;
allocating at least a portion of said funds in a pre-funded component of said cash trust;
maintaining reserves in an operating component of said cash trust;
allocating a portion of said reserves for meeting a portion of debt obligation incurred in connection with said step of obtaining funds for financing said power plant project; and
designating at least a portion of a remaining balance of said operating component as financial benefits to be provided to customers of said power plant project. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 91, 97)
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21. A cash trust for financing and operating a power plant project comprising:
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funds for financing said power plant project;
a pre-funded component financed by at least a portion of said funds; and
an operating component for maintaining reserves, wherein a portion of said reserves is allocated for meeting a portion of debt obligation incurred in connection with obtaining said funds for financing said power plant project and at least a portion of a remaining balance of said operating component is allocated as financial benefits to be provided to customers of said power plant project. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 92, 98)
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41. A financial instrument for financing a power plant project comprising:
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a contractual right to purchase a designated amount of electrical energy from said power plant project; and
a contractual right to obtain financial benefits associated with said designated amount of electrical energy from said power plant project, wherein said financial benefits vest when said power plant project satisfies a predetermined portion of its debt obligation. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 93, 99)
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49. A method for financing and operating a business project with a cash trust, comprising the steps of:
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obtaining funds for financing said business project;
allocating at least a portion of said funds in a pre-funded component of said cash trust;
maintaining reserves in an operating component of said cash trust;
allocating a portion of said reserves for meeting a portion of debt obligation incurred in connection with said step of obtaining funds for financing said business project; and
designating at least a portion of a remaining balance of said operating component as financial benefits to be provided to customers of said business project. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 94, 100)
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66. A cash trust for financing and operating a business project comprising:
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funds for financing said business project;
a pre-funded component financed by at least a portion of said funds; and
an operating component for maintaining reserves, wherein a portion of said reserves is allocated for meeting a portion of debt obligation incurred in connection with obtaining said funds for financing said business project and at least a portion of remaining balance of said operating component is allocated as financial benefits to be provided to customers of said business project. - View Dependent Claims (67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 95, 101)
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83. A financial instrument for financing a business project comprising:
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a contractual right to purchase a service or product from said business project; and
a contractual right to obtain financial benefits associated with said purchase, wherein said financial benefits vest when said business project satisfies a predetermined portion of its debt obligation. - View Dependent Claims (84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 96, 102)
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Specification