Services
LNG, Oil and Gas
The Projects Group has acted for Japanese buyers in numerous LNG contracts, including both long-term and master SPAs covering the Middle East and such countries as Indonesia, Australia, and Russia, as well as midstream tolling and offtake agreements in the US following the shale gas boom and other upstream projects in Canada and Australia.
In 2012, the team acted for the Queensland Curtis LNG Project and won Energy and Resources Deal of the Year honors at the ALB Japan Law Awards 2012. This transaction, which included an LNG purchase agreement and the acquisition of equity interest in the project, set a precedent as the first sales contract with Japan for LNG sourced from coal seam gas (CSG).
The Projects Group also acted for a Japanese/Egyptian JV against a state gas company in the construction, chartering and financing of two jackup rigs successfully deployed in Egypt.
Renewable Energy
The Projects Group advises Japanese sponsors and developers on the overseas implementation and acquisition of various renewable energy projects, including wind, solar, and biomass projects.
We also advise international solar power developers and investors in projects in Japan on the Japanese feed-in tariff policy, introduced by the Act on Special Measures Concerning Procurement of Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources by Electricity Utilities in July 2012.We have acted for a number of foreign investors in various power projects with capacities ranging from 1 to 60 MW.
Mining
The Projects Group has a long history of servicing mining projects related to various minerals, including coal, gold, copper, nickel, iron ore, chrome, lead, zinc, mineral sands, manganese, uranium and salt. We assist clients with documentation and advice at each stage of their mining and metals projects in key jurisdictions throughout the world.
Some international mining projects undertaken by the Projects Group:
- More than 10 coal projects in Australia – Queensland, NSW (with project financing)
- Nickel project in the Philippines
- Lithium project in Argentina
- Uranium projects in Kazakhstan, South Africa, the US and Australia
- Rare earth metal project in Canada
- Rare earth metal project in India
- Iodine project in Chile
- Tin project in Morocco
- Coal projects in Indonesia
- Copper project in Chile
- Copper project in Fiji
- Chrome project in South Africa
- Lead/zinc/magnesium/copper project in Northern Territory, Australia
- Coal project in Mozambique
- Nickel and cobalt project in Madagascar
- Reporting on the treatment of naturally occurring radioactive minerals produced from the mining of rare earth metals in Brazil, Malaysia, Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Indonesia
Power
Our expertise covers all electric power generation technologies, including coal, oil and gas-fired thermal plants, nuclear, hydroelectric and renewable energy projects.
International power acquisitions undertaken by the Projects Group:
- China – coal-fired power plants / coal mines
- Thailand – biomass and various SPPs
- Vietnam – captive coal-fired
- Singapore – cogeneration (with project financing)
- Australia – coal-fired (with project financing)
- Indonesia – gas-fired
- Taiwan – gas-fired
- US – gas-fired (with project financing)
- Philippines – coal-fired
- US – solar
- Spain – solar
Within Japan, we have acted for numerous solar power project developers in the acquisition and development of their projects, including the making of EPC and O&M arrangements. We have also acted for foreign electricity retailers entering the newly deregulated Japanese retail electricity market.
Infrastructure
We routinely advise companies on investments in infrastructure projects, including port projects in Brazil, Angola, Indonesia and Vietnam.
