The first projects based on private-public partnerships (private partnership projects) were carried out in England in the early 1990s, when a special law was passed that allowed investors to build infrastructural facilities with joint financing from the State. Since then, similar laws have come into effect in 40 countries around the world, and public-private partnerships are now used not only to build roads, bridges, tunnels and power generation facilities, but also hospitals, schools and even prisons when national or local governments are unable to build using only their own resources.
In Russia, a Concessions Act was passed in 2005. The first business projects were launched the same year, with the largest in St. Petersburg. In June 2008, St Petersburg's Governor Valentina Matviyenko announced the winner of the tender to build the first concessionary project in Russia - the Western High Speed Diameter, a 46.6 km ring road around St. Petersburg. The winner, the Nevsky Meridian consortium, consists of six companies: Bouygues Travaux Publics, Hochtief, Egis and Strabag, as well as Basic Element and Mostotryad 19. The project will cost over 200 billion roubles.
St. Petersburg's municipal authorities are also conducting tenders for the construction of two more major projects in the city, the Orlovsky Tunnel and the Elevated Express. The winners are expected to be announced during the year.
Most other concessionary projects in Russia in the coming years will also be aimed at developing the country's transport infrastructure. According to plans developed by Russia's Ministry of Transport, in 2008 competitive procedures for carrying out planning and surveying works will be established, areas will be prepared for construction, and financing will be organised or concessionary agreements concluded for the construction of 13 projects.
Among other major concessions on which work is due to begin in the coming months is a project to build a new motorway from Moscow to St. Petersburg on the stretch between the 15th and 58th kilometres and the exit from the Moscow ring road at the Minsk-Moscow road around the town of Odintsovo.
In the longer term, it is also planned to conclude similar contracts to build roads on the North-South Transport Corridor, where the biggest project will be a 147-km toll road between Krasnodar-Abinsk-Kabardinka in Krasnodar Territory.
