Overview

Regional Breadth

Adding to Hunton Andrews Kurth's long-standing involvement with the largest and most complex oil and gas projects worldwide, the firm’s Middle East presence enhances our service platform and enables us to better assist clients with projects and assignments in Egypt, United Arab Emirates (UAE)—including Abu Dhabi—Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq (including Kurdistan), Yemen, Turkey, Bahrain, Jordan and Libya. 

In addition to our core team of lawyers serving the Middle East, we have the capacity to serve clients using knowledgeable consultants and in-country law firms within the region. These combined capabilities support our cultural awareness and tradition of respectful business practices, reflecting our understanding of the nuances of local laws and customs.

Our Middle East practice group is further supported by a former general counsel of an Abu Dhabi-based international oil and gas company.

Our clients include national and international energy companies (the majors as well as large and small independents); refiners and petrochemical companies; oilfield service companies, project developers; utilities; and government authorities.

Focused Strengths

Hunton Andrews Kurth's recognized sector prominence is enhanced by the strengths of our Middle East team, who offer clients:

  • Decades of energy industry experience, and over 40 years on Middle East assignments;
  • Extensive connections with international oil and gas exploration and production industry participants; and
  • Full capabilities in English Law, US Law, UAE Law and other local laws.

Core Capabilities

Team members have extensive capabilities to handle:

  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Upstream & Midstream Energy
  • LNG
  • Renewable Energy
  • Infrastructure
  • Project Finance
  • Compliance
  • Technology

Mergers & Acquisitions

We advise companies, financial advisors and investors on both the sell side and the buy side of numerous complex M&A transactions. Whether an acquisition involves a single asset or an entire integrated oil and gas company, our firm offers complete and strategic representation. Our lawyers assist in all phases of the acquisitions process including deal structuring, negotiating transaction documents and due diligence. Our recent experience includes acquisitions involving high profile companies in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

M&A Experience Highlights

  • Acquisition of an infrastructure company with assets in the UAE and Qatar;
  • Acquisition of an Egyptian infrastructure company;
  • Acquisition of a group of Middle East engineering and construction entities;
  • Sale of a subsidiary with exploration assets in Yemen;
  • Acquisition by a UK oil and gas services company of a Dubai LLC, Abu Dhabi LLC and Freezone company;
  • A bidder in relation to the proposed acquisition of a UAE based oilfield services company; and
  • A UAE based oilfield services company on an aborted takeover bid for a European listed target.

Upstream & Midstream Energy

We counsel on both the investment and the industry side of sophisticated oil and gas transactions in the Middle East, during development as well as the operational phases of projects. We advise on host country requirements concerning direct investment and local content and provide guidance on the applicable local laws and regulatory environment. Our advice includes negotiating and drafting the full range of upstream, midstream and downstream agreements including concessions and production sharing agreements, seismic licenses, drilling contracts, joint operating agreements, farm-out agreements, and natural gas and crude oil sales agreements.

Upstream/Midstream Experience Highlights

  • An oil development and production service contract in Iraq;
  • Bid advice for EGPC and Ganope exploration and production licensing rounds in Egypt;
  • Agreements in connection with the expiry of the main Abu Dhabi onshore oil concession;
  • A joint operating agreement for the Saudi-Kuwait Neutral Zone;
  • A production sharing agreement for the North Gas Field, Qatar; and
  • An oil shale production sharing agreement in Jordan.

LNG

Our team benefits from experience in every phase of the LNG chain from initial gas production, gathering and processing to liquefaction, shipment, regasification, storage, transportation and marketing. We have provided counsel on various aspects of the LNG import and regasification terminals in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Egypt and Kuwait.

LNG Experience Highlights

  • FSRU vessel charter for Abu Dhabi’s first offshore LNG import and regasification project;
  • Project contracts for the largest planned onshore LNG import terminal in the United Arab Emirates, including the FSRU time charter party agreements and LNG purchase agreements;
  • Advice under a time charter party for an FSRU chartered to a Dubai based offtaker; and
  • Master LNG sales agreements and long-term LNG sale and purchase agreements for a UAE government offtaker.

Renewable Energy

With an increased focus on environmental concerns and rapidly reducing costs relating to alternative sources of energy, renewable energy is at the forefront of power generation. Our team members have been among the pioneers in advising sponsors and lenders on the development and financing of renewable power projects throughout Africa and the Middle East.

Renewable Energy Experience Highlights

  • A government body on its proposed solar power program, including development of the RFQ, regulatory framework guidelines and project documentation.

Infrastructure

We have a multi-disciplinary infrastructure practice advising governments, sponsors and construction companies in several sectors, including energy, power, water and transport. We support clients in project structuring, risk allocation and evaluating the bankability needed to bring a project to market. We are one of the leading firms in advising on major project contracts, including construction contracts, operation and maintenance agreements, major equipment procurement contracts and offtake agreements. Members of our team were involved in negotiating the EPC contracts for landmark infrastructure and energy projects including the LNG storage tanks for the UAE’s largest planned LNG import terminal and the $3 billion Dubai Metro Project.

Infrastructure Experience Highlights

  • EPC contracts for Abu Dhabi’s first offshore LNG import and regasification;
  • LNG terminal and LNG tank EPC contracts for a planned LNG import terminal in the UAE;
  • EPC contracts for a beach stabilization project in Dubai; and
  • EPC contracts for a hospital project in KSA.

Project Finance

We represent sponsors, developers and lenders in financing a wide range of projects. We provide the legal support needed to structure, document and implement financing for major projects in sectors such as power, water, energy and social infrastructure. In particular, we have acted on deals involving development finance institutions, export credit agencies as well as international commercial banks. Accordingly, our team members are familiar with a wide array of financing precedents including but not limited to those involving IFC, JBIC, KEXIM, EBRD, EIB, EKF, FMO and MIGA.

Compliance

Our white collar practice group counsels clients regarding Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and foreign anti-corruption laws; developing compliance programs and policies; conducting internal corporate investigations; and carrying out due diligence on target companies.

Technology

As energy technology continues to evolve and push the industry forward at record speed, we advise our clients on legal strategies to address new market dynamics and techniques for managing intellectual property, information, and technology assets. 

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