Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank
Jeffrey R Diehl, Executive Director and CEO
About
Learn about Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank, including Featured News, Key Projects, and Our Team.
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- Total Financing
- Over $2.1 Billion
- Program Credit Ratings
- AAA/AA
Source
- Jobs Created and Supported Through Our Financing Programs
- 60,000+
About Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank
Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank is Rhode Island’s central hub for financing infrastructure improvements for municipalities, businesses, and homeowners. We efficiently leverage limited capital and offer below-market, innovative financing for an array of infrastructure-based projects including water and wastewater, transportation, energy efficiency and renewable energy, and brownfield remediation. These quality of life projects improve the State’s infrastructure, create jobs, promote economic development and enhance the environment.
Established by the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1989, the Bank’s mandate was significantly expanded in 2015 by adding energy and brownfield remediation initiatives to its existing water and transportation programs. The Bank’s expanded mandate has significantly enhanced its ability to provide competitive financing to a broader variety of infrastructure-based projects.
Featured News
News
Infrastructure Bank Funds First Local Project Following Its Inaugural Public Bond Issuance
Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank issued the first Efficient Building Fund (EBF) loan following its inaugural public bond issuance last month. A portion of the proceeds will provide below market financing to the Town of North Kingstown for its streetlight retrofit project. Recently, North Kingstown purchased their streetlights from National Grid to convert them to energy-saving LED lights.
“By taking advantage of the Bank’s Efficient Buildings Fund to upgrade their streetlights, North Kingstown will generate significant savings for the Town and make a positive impact on the environment,” said Jeffrey Diehl, CEO of the Infrastructure Bank. “The EBF program finances projects that reduce energy costs for municipalities, save tax payers money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the environment.”
News
Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank finances drinking-water improvements
Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank is providing $350,000 in financing for drinking-water system improvements at the Four Seasons Mobile Home Cooperative Association in Tiverton, the Providence-based bank announced.
The financing was made possible through the bank’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The principal “forgiveness” loan will allow Four Seasons to improve the safety and quality of residents’ drinking water without compromising the cooperative’s finances, the bank said.
News
Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank Signs the Green Bond Pledge
Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank is pleased to announce that it has become a signatory to the Green Bond Pledge. In doing so, the Bank is reinforcing its commitment toward financing projects that directly account for environmental impact and climate risk.
The Green Bond Pledge asserts that when applicable, bonds financing long-term infrastructure and capital projects will address environmental impacts and climate risk. The Pledge calls on signatories (cities, county and state governments, and corporations) to incorporate resilient and sustainable solutions when planning, designing and building/rehabilitating infrastructure assets. By adhering to the core tenets of the Pledge, signatories ensure that both communities and investors will be positioned to “withstand the 100-year storm”.
Key Projects
Town of Warren
The Town of Warren financed a $20 million upgrade to the Town's wastewater treatment facility through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund managed by Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank. The project will modernize the wastewater treatment facility by reducing nitrogen discharges into the Warren River, increasing energy efficiency, replacing obsolete equipment, improving safety for workers, and increasing the resiliency of the facility to storms, flooding, and the effects of climate change. The resilience components of the project make it the first wastewater treatment facility in Rhode Island to incorporate flood protection measures identified in the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management's 2017 climate change vulnerability assessment. Specific measures include relocating electrical equipment and motor drives above projected flood elevation and replacing pumps and mixers with submersible motors where raising pumps above flood level is not feasible. Green elements of the project also allowed Warren to receive approximately $450,000 of principal forgiveness that reduces the overall cost of the project.
Borrower - Town of Warren
Program(s) - Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)
Amount - $20,000,000
US Extruders
US Extruders, a small manufacturer of screws and extruders located in Westerly, financed the installation of a 210.4 kW rooftop solar installation using the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program. By financing the project through C-PACE, US Extruders was able to access 100% long-term financing that will cover the full cost of the project. Over the 20-year loan term, US Extruders is projected to save more than $1.1 million - funds that can be reinvested into core business activities. Additionally, the project will reduce carbon emissions by more than 2,300 tons over 20 years, an amount equivalent to the emissions produced by burning more than 3.4 million pounds of coal.
Borrower - US Extruders
Program(s) - Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE)
Amount - $503,953
City of Newport
The City of Newport is financing a series of improvements to the Newport Water Pollution Control Plant through RIIB’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund. These upgrades are intended to address wet weather flows and mitigate combined sewer overflows (CSOs), which are a substantial source of water pollution. Among the upgrades made to the facility are an increase in the capacity that it can treat to better handle wet weather events, chemically-enhanced primary treatment, biofilters and improved solids management to minimize odors and a UV disinfection system to protect against the escape of bacteria. Additionally, RIIB’s Efficient Buildings Fund provided financing for solar panels that will provide a portion of the facility’s electricity and energy efficiency measures will reduce the amount of energy that the facility requires to operate.
The project loan total was $49,227,000 which was a combination of $47,985,000 from CWSRF and $1,242,000 from EBF.
Borrower - City of Newport
Program(s) - Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Efficient Buildings Fund (EBF)
Amount - $49,227,000
Embrace Home Loans
Embrace Home Loans, a full-service direct mortgage lender operating nationally, used Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank’s Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program to finance the cost of two solar energy projects at Embrace’s corporate headquarters in Middletown. Through C-PACE, Embrace received 100% long-term financing that will cover the entire $1.2 million cost of the two solar installations. Over 20 years, the projects are expected to save Embrace more than $226,000 after debt service is accounted for. In addition to the cost savings, the projects will also have a substantial environmental impact by reducing annual emissions of CO2 by 188.6 tons, equivalent to the emissions produced from the average passenger vehicle travelling over 452,000 miles.
Borrower - Embrace Home Loans
Program(s) - Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE)
Amount - $1,213,000
Our Team
