In January 2011, Crédit Agricole CIB acted as mandated lead arranger, project documentation bank and hedge fronting bank to close the EUR 756 million A63 highway financing with Atlandes, a special purpose company incorporated by Colas Egis, NGE, Spie Batignolles, HSBC Infra Funds and DIF Infrastructure Fund.
The other mandated lead arrangers were BBVA, Société Générale, Natixis, CIC, IMI San Paolo, Mediobanca and Santander. The European Investment Bank provided an additional EUR 184 million loan.

Crédit Agricole group participated for a total amount of EUR 130 million with:

• a EUR 90 million participation of Crédit Agricole CIB,
• a EUR 40 million participation from Caisse Régionale d’Aquitaine and Caisse Régionale Pyrénées Gascogne.

It places the Group among the largest contributors to the project. LCL together with Crédit Agricole CIB also issued the performance bond of EUR 55 million.

“This financing, which closed in a relatively short timeframe, confirms the Bank’s leading role in the field of infrastructure projects and contributes further to our proximity with Bouygues group, in particular Colas”,  tells Frank Bervillé, Senior Banker.

Colas’ work on the A63 project will consist in transforming the at-present-free axis, which will be completely put toll from July 2014. The aim of this construction is to enhance the road up to motorway standards and to widen to 2x3 ways the 2x2 ways RN10 on 105 km, linking Salles in Gironde to Saint-Geours-de-Maremne in Landes, between the two existing sections of the A63.

The Colas group is a leader in the construction and maintenance of road, air, rail and maritime transport infrastructure, urban development projects and recreational facilities. With 70,000 employees in 40 countries on five continents, the group carries out 100,000 projects each year.