Invest-NL report flags systematic underestimation of risks, lead times in FOAK industrial projects

• Invest-NL published research with AFRY on First-of-a-Kind industrial projects, flagging systematic underestimation of risk and lead times.
• Study reviewed 30 projects across 13 countries, supported by interviews with 16 developers, EPC contractors, legal experts.
• Execution risk emerged as the main value driver, with optimistic ramp-up, cost, commercialisation assumptions undermining returns despite technical performance.
• 48% of projects faced ramp-ups 12 to 36 months longer than planned, extending cash burn, delaying full-capacity revenue generation.
• Financing implications include larger contingency buffers, milestone-based structures, flexibility to reset plans, stronger in-house operational capability to manage scale-up.

Disclaimer: This news brief was created by Public Technologies (PUBT) using generative artificial intelligence. While PUBT strives to provide accurate and timely information, this AI-generated content is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial, investment, or legal advice. Invest-NL NV published the original content used to generate this news brief on September 08, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained therein.