Squire Patton Boggs is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Wright and Rinku Bhadoria as partners in the global Energy & Natural Resources Practice Group in London. Mr. Wright was previously a partner at Simmons & Simmons, in its London and Singapore offices. Ms. Bhadoria was formerly a partner in the Global Energy and Resources Group at King & Wood Mallesons in London.
Mr. Wright’s practice is focused broadly on power generation, including both thermal and renewable energy technologies, as well as on gas and LNG (liquefied natural gas) projects. He has advised governments, developers, lenders and investors on international energy and infrastructure transactions for nearly 20 years. His practice covers transactions in Asia, the Middle East, the UK and Europe, the US, Canada and Mexico. Over the past decade, Mr. Wright has developed a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, having worked on projects in over a dozen African countries, including South Africa, Swaziland, Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi and Djibouti.
Mr. Wright’s recent work highlights include advising the government of Swaziland and the African Legal Support Facility (a division of the African Development Bank) on the introduction of PPPs into the Swazi energy sector; advising the Swaziland Electricity Company on the procurement of a new hydro-power project; acting for Mitsubishi Corporation and TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) on the development of the Facility D project in Qatar, the largest independent power project in the Gulf to date; and advising ABSA Capital on the financing of a number of wind and solar projects under the South African Renewable Energy IPP Procurement Process.
In the gas and LNG sectors, Mr. Wright has advised Iberdrola Generación for several years on issues relating to its Western European LNG business, including in relation to its regasification terminal capacity in the UK. He has also gained valuable in-house experience through secondments with two international oil and gas supermajors.
Ms. Bhadoria has over 15 years’ experience advising sponsors, funds, governments, export credit agencies and commercial lenders on the development and financing of international energy and infrastructure projects. With a deep technical knowledge of complex financing arrangements, Ms. Bhadoria has advised on the funding and commercial aspects of power generation projects, oil and gas pipelines, and refineries and storage facilities, as well as a wide range of related infrastructure.
Recent examples of the projects Ms. Bhadoria has handled include advising a consortium led by Macquarie on the acquisition and financing of Baglan Bay, Sutton Bridge and Severn gas-fired power stations in the UK and their subsequent refinancing as a consolidated portfolio; advising the Green Investment Bank and Gravis Capital Partners on biomass projects in Widnes and Birmingham in the UK; and advising on the development of a suite of contracts, including an energy management services agreement to meet the gas, coal, co2, FX and commodity trading requirements, of a group of power stations in Spain and Portugal. Ms. Bhadoria also acted for three export credit agencies and a syndicate of 27 lenders on the €6.4 billion financing of the Nord Stream pipeline project.
“Both Peter and Rinku, who are already well known to our team in London, have superb track-records of delivering complex, cross-border deals across the energy spectrum,” commented Lisa Henneberry, partner and global head of the Energy & Natural Resources Practice Group.
“We have grown our global practice substantially in recent months, giving us an unparalleled range of expertise in and experience of successful projects in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in particular. Now, with Peter and Rinku, we are further strengthening the depth of our team and extending our market reach, making us one of the leading firms for energy deals and energy finance internationally.”
“Our energy and infrastructure capabilities globally are now second to none,” added London office managing partner, Robert Weekes. “In just over a year, we have significantly enhanced our energy team here in London with no fewer than five new partners and a senior consultant, along with an exceptional group of talented associates and business development personnel. They are already working on projects from the UK to the South Pacific, with a strong focus on Africa, covering every legal aspect – regulation, development and finance, mergers and acquisitions, and disputes.”
Source: www.squirepattonboggs.com
