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Rutas de Lima Default Raises Risk City Must Shoulder Concession’s Bond Debt

A contract clause could shift the concession’s bonded debt to the city after termination.

Overview

  • S&P Global Ratings said the toll-road concession is in default after it failed to meet about US$500 million in obligations and cut the rating to D, noting the company covered only a small share of what it owed.
  • Bondholders triggered an acceleration of payments and drew about S/110 million from the project’s trust, which S&P cited as part of the default event.
  • Cash generation collapsed after a court ordered tolls suspended during a dispute with the city, and the company later halted operations, entered liquidation, and saw the contract terminated by the municipality.
  • Clause 17.6 of the concession and a December municipal opinion state that, after termination, permitted lenders can seek the unpaid balance and the city replaces the operator for obligations tied to the guaranteed debt.
  • About S/203 million held by pension funds is now at risk, and the legal overhang includes two U.S. arbitration awards ordering roughly US$200 million to the operator that remain unpaid and an investor-state case at ICSID reported near US$2.7 billion.