The GDF has focused on solving a critical financing challenge of geothermal development. As a result of feedback derived from roughly 50 applications though 5 CFP rounds and in support of accelerating development efforts which are also challenged by complex policy and technical issues, the GDF has approved an increase in funding intensity for contingent drilling grants beginning with Call 6, which EOI opens on November 2, 2020. 

The GDF was founded by the German Development Bank KfW with funding from the European Union in 2016 with the first call for proposals beginning in 2017. Since then, there have been four completed calls, with a fifth pending.  53 projects have applied for GDF funding; 17 of those have been invited to grant negotiations. As a result of these efforts, eight grants have been executed, out of which two have started development to date. Due to this demonstrated interest and pent-up demand, policy support for geothermal energy is key to develop utility-scale geothermal energy in Latin America.

Chris McCormick, Interlink's Chief Investment Officer of the Geothermal Development Facility explores the LATAM policy support needed in this ThinkGeoEnergy interview based on the feedback of GDF applicants and experience running the fund. Click here to read the full interview. 

An internship at Interlink Capital Strategies provides invaluable experience in international finance and emerging markets and attracts high-performing and self-motivated candidates for full and part time internships. ​Former interns have leveraged their experience at Interlink to obtain remarkable positions globally: commercial real estate in Hong Kong, investment banking in Beijing, asset management at Morgan Stanley, management consultant at PWC, energy finance at The World Bank, and an energy advisor at an intelligence agency, to name a few. Several past interns are pursuing degrees at Columbia Law School and Johns Hopkins. ​

​Alan Beard and Ignacio de León of Interlink Capital Strategies were awarded two consultancies by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in connection with a $25 million loan to the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) to support and augment the innovation ecosystem in Jamaica. 

​On May 17th, Interlink Capital Strategies’ Julianne Dana was honored to award Matthew Giangiordano the Interlink Capital Strategies International Business Scholar Award at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business graduation ceremony. Interlink has been a proud sponsor of this achievement award for 15 years as part of its longstanding professional relationship with the University where managers have taught and mentored students. ​

As part of its efforts to build commercial ties between the United States and Hungary, ​Interlink Capital Strategies coordinated a series of meetings with the Hungarian Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. László Szabó and U.S. business leaders. The presentations centered on Hungary’s business friendly government with a focus on innovation, education and technology.

The Geothermal Development Facility for Latin America’s (GDF) second call has concluded this October with an announcement of grant awards. In conjunction with the awarding of successful grantees, the GDF also organized and participated in several conferences supporting energy reform, including a technical assistance forum in conjunction with the GEOLAC 2018 conference in Mexico City, where it was awarded the Best Financing Program award for the  second year in a row.

​At the 2018 GeoTHERM Exhibition and Congress, the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) recognized the Geothermal Development Facility for Latin America as the winner of this year’s annual European Geothermal Innovation Award. GDF Latin America was selected among endorsed nominations of outstanding contributors to the geothermal field, ranging in expertise from engineering companies to universities and research institutes.

​U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Wilber Ross appoints Alan Beard, Managing Director of Interlink Capital Strategies (Interlink), to the Trade Finance Advisory Council (TFAC) to provide him advice and counsel on trade finance issues. 

​The first call for Geothermal Development Facility (GDF) for Latin America has come to a close with an announcement of the grant awards for this unique Grant Facility established to be a catalyst to geothermal power development in Latin America. The GDF is pleased to announce 8 winners spanning across Central and South America. As a result of this initiative, surface studies in amounts up to €600,000 each will be funded in Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Guatemala while Exploratory Drilling will be funded up to €5.8 million each in Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras. 

Hacettepe University Technology Transfer Center ("HTTM") and AGM Strategic Solutions, Inc. ("AGM") signed a cooperation agreement on Monday 21, December 2017. Interlink and Yenigün's Tamer Altay, HTTM's Rector, President and Board Members, as well as the Director of Technology Center, Scholars and Yenigün Chairman Mithat Yenigün participated in the occasion.
HTTM is the Technology Transfer Office of Hacettepe University - one of the leading public universities in Turkey. HTTM is one of the first three Technology Transfer Offices established in Turkey. It has strong relationships with governmental bodies as well as research and innovation funding agencies in the country.
AGM is one of the companies of Yenigün Group, specializing in ​improving dual technology transfer between Turkish companies and foreign counterparts. AGM also provides healthcare consulting, and international trade solutions.

The German government’s KfW Development Bank in conjunction with the European Union has launched a €55 million geothermal power fund for Latin America to focus on early stage development managed by Washington, DC-based, IDA Fund Management, LLC.  Known as the Geothermal Development Facility (GDF), the goal is to be a catalyst to 350 MW of installed geothermal power capacity in Latin America over the next ten years.  GDF will achieve this by providing feasibility study funding of as much as €600,000 and exploratory drilling funding for up to €5.8 million per project to qualified applicants in Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala.  GDF expects to close a second round of significant funding from KfW and other Development Finance Institutions later this year.

Recent updates report that Interlink’s partnership with Power Africa (USAID) is yielding encouraging results in the effort to provide access to electricity to millions of under-served people on the African continent. Thus far, through the combined work of technical and legal experts, the private sector, and governments from around the world, Power Africa has financially closed projects worth an estimated $57 billion. These developments are not only bringing power to over 44 million people on Africa, but also strengthening the U.S. economy through exports and job creation. 
Read more about it here and visit Power Africa’s website

Alan Beard participated in the TFX Americas 2017 Conference: Project, Export, Commodity & Trade Finance on February 2, 2017, which attracted 200 leading trade figures to Miami for two days of networking, learning and debate. The focus of the conference was analyzing the present macroeconomic environment, and the aforementioned four areas of finance: Project, Export, Commodity and Trade. Alan moderated the “Saving Grace - Renewables Financing” Project Finance workshop, which discussed the financing of renewable projects in Latin America and the role green bonds can play in them. Also discussed were the interests capital markets could have in Latin American renewable projects, and what banks can do to ensure profitable involvement.

Alan Beard participates in the Panel: Bridging the SME Trade Finance Gap— Challenges and Solutions: The so called “Trade Finance Gap” continues to put a brake on economic growth and job creation, particularly in the small and medium-size enterprise (SME) segment. Banks are constrained by new regulatory capital requirements and the increased KYC/AML compliance burden associated with financing SME’s. In this session, we’ll discuss the state of financial and technological innovation that’s enabling non-banks to offer transactional, event driven, and corporate development finance in what has traditionally been a bank-dominated field. Each of the panelists brings a different perspective and insight into developments that promise to have a wideranging, long term impact.