Matthew A. Stuart

Matt focuses on domestic and international energy and infrastructure projects. Matt focuses his practice on project finance and development transactions, including developing, privatizing, restructuring, and financing a wide range of projects throughout the world, with an emphasis on drafting project agreements and regulatory documents for energy and infrastructure projects, analyzing and advising on regulatory systems and energy laws and licenses, and assisting with cross-border transactions. He advises governments, utility companies, and developers and has experience negotiating and developing a variety of project documentation.

• Advising Royal Vopak and BlackRock’s Global Energy & Power Infrastructure Fund in the formation of a joint venture, Vopak Industrial Infrastructure Americas, LLC, and then in VIIA’s subsequent purchase of three of The Dow Chemical Company’s chemical storage terminals on the US Gulf Coast for $620 million.
• Advising the Government of Georgia and the International Finance Corporation on the development of the Nenskra Hydroelectric Power Project.
• Advising the US Energy Association and the Government of Kenya on a Steam Supply Agreement assessment.
• Advising the World Bank and the Government of Kenya on an evaluation of oil and gas legislation throughout Africa and the development of a modern and competitive legal, regulatory, and fiscal framework for Kenya based on international and regional best practices.
• Advising the Government of the Republic of Zambia in its effort to strengthen and improve the institutional and regulatory framework for the oil and gas sector in Zambia.
• Advising the Government of Kosovo on the development of the Kosovo e Re Project, an approximately 500 MW new power plant.
• Advising an international corporation on the development, financing, and operation of a subsea fiber optics network linking major cities in East Africa and other locations, including Mtunzini, South Africa to Mumbai, India and Marseille, France, via Mozambique, Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania, and Egypt. The state-of-the-art US$650 million fiber optic cable extends 15,000 km along the eastern coast of Africa, linking the continent to India and Europe. In 2008 the deal was awarded Project Finance magazine’s ‘African Telecoms Deal of the Year.’
• Advised with respect to loan guarantee applications to the US Department of Energy for new nuclear power plants.
• Advised utilities and suppliers concerning nuclear legal liability structures in the US and other countries.
• Advised suppliers with respect to spent nuclear fuel storage and decommissioning issues.
• Advising a government entity and an international finance institution in relation to upgrading the legal and regulatory framework governing the country’s water and sanitation sector, including the creation of regulatory institutions to oversee the sector.
• Advised a private sector client on a series of transportation sector design-build contracts, including for a US$150 million runway and a US$36 million runway at a major international airport, a US$58 million stretch of roads and bridges in Indiana, a US$43 million stretch of highway and an US$18 million road in Texas, a US$41 million stretch of interstate in Louisiana and US$19 million and US$10 million stretch of road in Louisiana, and a US$22 million stretch of highway in Arkansas.
• Involved in the representation of a major utility charged with administering a wholesale electricity market, regarding various settlements and tariff revisions for transmission congestion contracts.
• Advised the IFC and the Government of Montenegro in connection with the development of a 500 MW cascade of hydroelectric power plants on the River Morača.
• Advised the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company (EEHC) on the development of a 2,250 MW combined-cycle power plant in Dairut, Egypt. Assisted in drafting the Project Agreements (including the Power Purchase Agreement, Fuel Supply Agreement, Lease Agreement, and Government Guarantee), advising on the conduct of the tender to select the developers, and negotiating exceptions with the preferred bidder selected by EEHC.
• Advised the Government of Kosovo on matters relating to the privatization of Post and Telecom of Kosovo, Kosovo's largest mobile phone operator.
• Advised the Government of Tanzania and the Tanzania Electricity Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) on the expansion of the gas processing plant on Songo Songo Island. The gas processing plant was developed as part of an Independent Power Project known as the Songo Songo Gas-to-Electricity Project, which is an integrated infrastructure project that involves not only the traditional functions of an IPP, but also the production, processing, and transportation of natural gas. The gas processing plant is being expanded in order to process gas being sold by a company other than the IPP and therefore presents a number of unique issues. Matt has advised the Government and TANESCO on all aspects of the project, including allocation of the risk of an insufficiency of gas reserves, negotiation of a portfolio gas supply agreement, negotiation of changes to the Power Purchase Agreement, Implementation Agreement, Gas Agreement, and Gas Processing and Transportation Agreement, and development/approval of a multi-year tariff adjustment mechanism.
• Advised the Tanzania Electricity Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) on the conversion of a heavy oil fired IPP to natural gas, including providing advice on relevant arbitration associated with the project.
• Advised the Government of Tanzania on the development of the Mnazi Bay Gas-to-Electricity Project, which involves the development of a gas field at Mnazi Bay, the construction of a gas pipeline to new power generation facilities in Mtwara, and the rehabilitation of transmission and distribution facilities.
• Advised major project developers in connection with the development of relevant agreements associated with palm oil and other sustainable oil plantations in multiple jurisdictions in West Africa.

• Recipient, Hunton & Williams E. Randolph Williams Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service, 2009-2010, 2011-2012, and 2012-2013

• Member, Association of International Petroleum Negotiators