(a) Only a Loan Guarantee Agreement executed by a duly authorized DOE Contracting Officer can contractually obligate DOE to guarantee loans or other debt obligations.
(b) DOE is not bound by oral representations made during the Pre-Application stage, if Pre-Applications were solicited, or Application stage, or during any negotiation process.
(c) Except if explicitly authorized by an Act of Congress, no funds obtained from the Federal Government, or from a loan or other instrument guaranteed by the Federal Government, may be used to pay for Credit Subsidy Costs, administrative fees, or other fees charged by or paid to DOE relating to the Title XVII program or any loan guarantee there under.
(d) Prior to the execution by DOE of a Loan Guarantee Agreement, DOE must ensure that the following requirements and conditions are satisfied:
(1) The project qualifies as an Eligible Project under the Act and is not a research, development, or demonstration project or a project that employs Commercial Technologies in service in the United States;
(2) The project will be constructed and operated in the United States, the employment of the new or significantly improved technology in the project has the potential to be replicated in other commercial projects in the United States, and this technology is or is likely to be available in the United States for further commercial application;
(3) The face value of the debt guaranteed by DOE is limited to no more than 80 percent of total Project Costs;
(4)(i) Where DOE guarantees 100 percent of the Guaranteed Obligation, the loan shall be funded by the Federal Financing Bank;
(i) Where DOE guarantees 100 percent of the Guaranteed Obligation, the loan shall be funded by the Federal Financing Bank;
(ii) Where DOE guarantees more than 90 percent of the Guaranteed Obligation, the guaranteed portion cannot be separated from or ``stripped'' from the non-guaranteed portion of the Guaranteed Obligation if the loan is participated, syndicated or otherwise resold in the secondary market;
(iii) Where DOE guarantees 90 percent or less of the Guaranteed Obligation, the guaranteed portion may be separated from or ``stripped'' from the non-guaranteed portion of the Guaranteed Obligation, if the loan is participated, syndicated or otherwise resold in the secondary debt market;
(5) The Borrower and other principals involved in the project have made or will make a significant equity investment in the project;
(6) The Borrower is obligated to make full repayment of the principal and interest on the Guaranteed Obligation and other project debt over a period of up to the lesser of 30 years or 90 percent of the projected useful life of the project's major physical assets, as calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and practices. The non-guaranteed portion (if any) of any Guaranteed Obligation must be repaid on a pro-rata basis, and may not be repaid on a shorter or faster amortization schedule than the guaranteed portion. Any project-related financing or credit arrangement (other than the Guaranteed Obligation) may have a shorter or faster amortization schedule than the Guaranteed Obligation if DOE determines that the resulting financing structure of the project--
(i) Allocates to DOE a reasonably proportionate share of the default risk, in light of--
(A) DOE's share of the total project financing,
(B) Risk allocation among the credit providers, and
(C) Internal and external credit enhancements; and
(ii) Is appropriate to assure reasonable prospect of repayment of the principal of and interest on the DOE Guaranteed Obligation and to protect the interests of the United States in the case of default;
(7) The loan guarantee does not finance, either directly or indirectly, tax-exempt debt obligations, consistent with the requirements of section 149(b) of the Internal Revenue Code;
(8) The amount of the loan guaranteed, when combined with other funds committed to the project, will be sufficient to carry out the project, including adequate contingency funds;
(9) There is a reasonable prospect of repayment by Borrower of the principal of and interest on the Guaranteed Obligations and other project debt;
(10) The Borrower has pledged project assets and other collateral or surety, including non project-related assets, determined by DOE to be necessary to secure the repayment of the Guaranteed Obligations;
(11) The Loan Guarantee Agreement and related documents include detailed terms and conditions necessary and appropriate to protect the interest of the United States in the case of default, including ensuring availability of all the intellectual property rights, technical data including software, and technology necessary for any person or entity selected, including DOE, to complete, operate, convey, and dispose of the defaulted project;
(12) The interest rate on any Guaranteed Obligation is determined by DOE, after consultation with the Treasury Department, to be reasonable, taking into account the range of interest rates prevailing in the private sector for similar obligations of comparable risk guaranteed by the Federal government;
(13) Any Guaranteed Obligation is not subordinate to any loan or other debt obligation;
(14) There is satisfactory evidence that Borrower and Eligible Lenders or other Holders are willing, competent, and capable of performing the terms and conditions of the Guaranteed Obligations and other debt obligation and the Loan Guarantee Agreement, and will diligently pursue the project;
(15) The Borrower has made the initial (or total) payment of fees for the Administrative Cost of Issuing a Loan Guarantee for the construction and operational phases of the project (Third Fee), as specified in the Conditional Commitment;
(16) The Eligible Lender, other Holder or servicer has taken and is obligated to continue to take those actions necessary to perfect and maintain liens on assets which are pledged as collateral for the Guaranteed Obligation;
(17) If Borrower is to make payment in full or in part for the Credit Subsidy Cost of the loan guarantee pursuant to section 1702(b)(2) of the Act, such payment must be received by DOE prior to, or at the time of, closing;
(18) DOE or its representatives have access to the project site at all reasonable times in order to monitor the performance of the project;
(19) DOE, the Eligible Lender, or other Holder and Borrower have reached an agreement as to the information that will be made available to DOE and the information that will be made publicly available;
(20) The prospective Borrower has filed applications for or obtained any required regulatory approvals for the project and is in compliance, or promptly will be in compliance, where appropriate, with all Federal, State, and local regulatory requirements;
(21) The Borrower has no delinquent Federal debt, including tax liabilities, unless the delinquency has been resolved with the appropriate Federal agency in accordance with the standards of the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996;
(22) The Loan Guarantee Agreement and related agreements contain such other terms and conditions as DOE deems reasonable and necessary to protect the interests of the United States, including without limitation provisions for (i) such collateral and other credit support for the Guaranteed Obligation, and (ii) such collateral sharing, priorities (subject always to Section 1702(d)(3) of Title XVII) and voting rights among creditors and other intercreditor arrangements as, in each case, DOE deems reasonable and necessary to protect the interests of the United States; and
(23)(i) The Lender is an Eligible Lender, as defined in Sec. 609.2 of this part, and meets DOE's lender eligibility and performance requirement contained in Secs. 609.11 (a) and (b) of this part; and
(i) The Lender is an Eligible Lender, as defined in Sec. 609.2 of this part, and meets DOE's lender eligibility and performance requirement contained in Secs. 609.11 (a) and (b) of this part; and
(ii) The servicer meets the servicing performance requirements of Sec. 609.11(c) of this part.
(e) The Loan Guarantee Agreement must provide that, in the event of a default by the Borrower:
(1) Interest accrues on the Guaranteed Obligations at the rate stated in the Loan Guarantee Agreement or Loan Agreement, until DOE makes full payment of the defaulted Guaranteed Obligations and, except when debt is funded through the Federal Financing Bank, DOE is not required to pay any premium, default penalties, or prepayment penalties;
(2) Upon payment of the Guaranteed Obligations by DOE, DOE is subrogated to the rights of the Holders of the debt, including all related liens, security, and collateral rights;
(3) The Eligible Lender or other servicer acting on DOE's behalf is obligated to take those actions necessary to perfect and maintain liens on assets which are pledged as collateral for the Guaranteed Obligations;
(4) The holder of pledged collateral is obligated to take such actions as DOE may reasonably require to provide for the care, preservation, protection, and maintenance of such collateral so as to enable the United States to achieve maximum recovery upon default by the Borrower on the Guaranteed Obligations;
(f) The Loan Guarantee Agreement must contain audit provisions which provide, in substance, as follows:
(1) The Eligible Lender or other Holder or other party servicing the Guaranteed Obligations, as applicable, and the Borrower, must keep such records concerning the project as are necessary to facilitate an effective and accurate audit and performance evaluation of the project as required in Sec. 609.17 of this part; and
(2) DOE and the Comptroller General, or their duly authorized representatives, must have access, for the purpose of audit and examination, to any pertinent books, documents, papers, and records of the Borrower, Eligible Lender or other Holder, or other party servicing the Guaranteed Obligations, as applicable. Examination of records may be made during the regular business hours of the Borrower, Eligible Lender or other Holder, or other party servicing the Guaranteed Obligations, or at any other time mutually convenient as required in Sec. 609.17 of this part.
(g)(1) An Eligible Lender or other Holder may sell, assign or transfer a Guaranteed Obligation to another Eligible Lender that meets the requirements of Sec. 609.11 of this part. Such Eligible Lender to which a Guaranteed Obligation is assigned or transferred, is required to fulfill all servicing, monitoring, and reporting requirements contained in the Loan Guarantee Agreement and these regulations if the transferring Eligible Lender was performing these functions and transfer such functions to the new Eligible Lender. Any assignment or transfer, however, of the servicing, monitoring, and reporting functions must be approved by DOE in writing in advance of such assignment.
(1) An Eligible Lender or other Holder may sell, assign or transfer a Guaranteed Obligation to another Eligible Lender that meets the requirements of Sec. 609.11 of this part. Such Eligible Lender to which a Guaranteed Obligation is assigned or transferred, is required to fulfill all servicing, monitoring, and reporting requirements contained in the Loan Guarantee Agreement and these regulations if the transferring Eligible Lender was performing these functions and transfer such functions to the new Eligible Lender. Any assignment or transfer, however, of the servicing, monitoring, and reporting functions must be approved by DOE in writing in advance of such assignment.
(2) The Secretary, or the Secretary's designee or contractual agent, for the purpose of identifying Holders with the right to receive payment under the guarantees shall include in the Loan Guarantee Agreement or related documents a procedure for tracking and identifying Holders of Guarantee Obligations. These duties usually will be performed by the servicer. Any contractual agent approved by the Secretary to perform this function cannot transfer or assign this responsibility without the prior written consent of the Secretary. [74 FR 63549, Dec. 4, 2009, as amended at 77 FR 29855, May 21, 2012]