Virtually every country in the world faces the challenge of designing the regulatory and financial mechanisms that ensure cost-effective procurement of generation to supply electricity demand. Historically, procurement of generation has been particularly difficult in the emerging economies of Asia, Latin America and Africa. High and usually volatile load growth rates, limited access to financing and immature electricity markets have presented obstacles that have introduced challenges to the procurement process. More recently, environmental concerns regarding land use, impact on biodiversity, indigenous populations, and greenhouse gasses emissions have added layers of complexity.