Ivan Mattei

Ivan E. Mattei is a retired partner and is of counsel to the firm.. He has more than 25 years of experience in project finance, joint ventures and M&A, with a particular focus on infrastructure and energy projects and PPP transactions. Mr. Mattei is ranked as one of the country’s leading lawyers in project finance and public private partnerships by Chambers Global (2018). In addition, Mr. Mattei is recognized as a leading lawyer in projects in Chambers USA (2017), Chambers Latin America (2016), The Legal 500 US (2017), The Legal 500 Latin America (2016) and International Who’s Who of Project Finance Lawyers (2013). According to Chambers Global (2018) and Chambers USA (2018), Mr. Mattei is a “great lawyer,” recommended for his “excellent work across power project financing and PPP deals covering both the energy and infrastructure sectors” and is “a very clever guy who can reason his way through a problem very effectively.”

According to The Legal 500 US (2016), the “diligent” practice is commended for its “prompt, accurate and commercial” advice. In previous editions of the guide, the group is praised for having an “incomparable capacity to understand the business rationale and to advise on negotiations and structuring.” New York-based Ivan Mattei is “one of the best project finance lawyers on the market.” “Mattei has distinguished knowledge of the financial industry, tremendous experience and a unique mental agility. He is very precise and convincing in negotiations.”

Mr. Mattei received his B.S. from Georgetown University summa cum laude in 1979. He received an M.A. and a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University in 1983 and 1986, respectively, where his special fields were international finance and industrial organization. Mr. Mattei is a graduate of Harvard Law School, where he received his J.D. magna cum laude in 1985. He is fluent in Spanish.

From 1994 to 1997, Mr. Mattei served as an adjunct professor of law at Columbia Law School, where he taught international banking and financial law. He is a member of the International Bar Association (Committee on International Construction Projects), the New York City Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Mr. Mattei is also member of The Bretton Woods Committee.

Mr. Mattei is a contributing editor of the book “Public-Private Partnerships 2016,” (October, 2015). Mr. Mattei has also authored or co-authored numerous articles that have appeared in industry-leading project finance publications, including: “Convenient Realities,” Project Finance (January, 2014); “Key to the Highway: PPPs in US Transportation Infrastructure Projects,” 2013/14 Privatisation & Public Private Partnership Review (July, 2013);  “US Transportation Infrastructure: Opportunities for PPPs in a Challenging Economy,” Transportation Finance Review (2011/12); “Current Catalysts,” Project Finance Magazine (September, 2011); “Global Airport PPPs: Opportunities in a Challenging Environment,” 2010/11 Privatisation & Public Private Partnership Review (July, 2011); “Boiling Point,” Project Finance, North American Infrastructure Report (2010); “Slow But Steady: PPPs in US Transportation Infrastructure,” Transportation Finance Review (2010/11); “PPP in the US – Evolving Financing Structures,” Infrastructure Journal (December, 2005); “Maipo Finances Variable MDI,” Project Finance International Yearbook (2005); “Foreign Banks and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act,” The Review of Banking & Financial Services, Vol. 16, No. 9, page 153J (July, 2000); “Finding a Way Through the Maze,” Project Finance (1999); “Organizational Freedom for Banks: The Case in Support,” 97 Columbia Law Rev. 1895 (1997); “Current Proposals for Financial Services Modernization,” The Review of Banking & Financial Services (April, 1995); “U.S. Bank Reform: Getting Beyond the Oxymoron,” Annual Survey of American Law 683 (1991); “U.S. Fed Eases Regulations for Edge Corporations,” Trade Finance(July, 1991) and “Government Procurement Procedures of Japan,” 21 George Washington J. Int’l Law 91 (1987).

Experience:

• Solana Parabolic Trough Solar Power Plant, U.S.A. — acted for the senior lenders in a $1.5 billion project financing for a utility-scale solar power plant that will use a field of 800,000 parabolic trough mirrors and molten salt heat storage to permit power generation to continue at night.
• Mojave Parabolic Trough Solar Power Plant, U.S.A. — acted for the senior lenders in a $1.0 billion project financing for a utility-scale solar power plant in the Mojave Desert in California.
• Deepwater Container Port Facility, Canada — acting for the project sponsors in the development of an international container and cargo handling terminal and related intermodal rail facilities in eastern Canada.
• Purple Line Light Rail – acted for one of the short-listed consortia bidding for the “Purple Line” light rail project being developed in the Maryland suburbs of Washington D.C.
• Carlsbad Desalination Plant, California — acted for the lenders in connection with a long term financing of a 100 million gallon per day reverse osmosis desalination plant being constructed south of San Diego, California.
• Specialty Aluminum Sheet Facility, U.S.A. — acting for lenders in the construction and equipment financing for a manufacturing facility to produce specialized aluminum sheet for use in advanced technology vehicles.
• Footprint Power in the sale of Salem Harbor Energy Station Project to Highstar Fund IV and Toyota Tsusho, an EPC Contract with Iberdrola Energy Projects, to build a 700MW state-of-the-art combined-cycle gas electric generating facility and a $730 million construction financing, a transaction awarded the Project Finance International “2015 Power Deal of the Year of the Americas” award.
• Marquis Energy in securing a $228 million loan from AgCountry Farm Credit Services, including a construction loan, term loan, revolver and refinancing of existing indebtedness.
• Missouri “Safe and Sound” Bridge Project –acted for the lenders in the proposed DBFM “800 Bridges” project in Missouri, including in a proposed tax exempt bond financing.
  LaGuardia Airport – acting for a short listed consortium bidding for the Central Terminal Reconstruction Project at LaGuardia Airport.
• SH-121 Toll Road in Texas – acted for the bank syndicate and financial guarantor in the SH-121 toll road project in Texas, providing commitments for a multi-source financing that included bank, TIFIA and PAB funding to one of the short-listed consortia.
• SH-130 Toll Road in Texas – acted for a project sponsor group in the SH-130 toll road in Texas in all aspects of the transaction, including the bank and TIFIA financing.
• Alligator Alley Toll Road – acted for a short-listed sponsor group for the Alligator Alley toll road concession in Florida.
• Puerto Rican Toll Roads – acted for a short-listed sponsor group for the Alligator Alley toll road concession in Florida.
• Pennsylvania Turnpike – acted for the winning consortium in the Pennsylvania Turnpike concession, achieving a fully negotiated concession agreement and fully documented and binding financing commitments for a multisource financing including bank debt and PABs, although the transaction was ultimately not approved by the Pennsylvania state legislature.
• Chicago Skyway – acted for the lenders in the long term bond financing for the Chicago Skyway toll bridge system project. The project bond and accreting swap financing was awarded the “Americas Deal of the Year 2004” by the International Financial Law Review, “North American Project Bond of the Year” by Project Finance Magazine, and “North American Deal of the Year” by Project Finance International.
• Autopista de Nuevo Leon, Mexico – acted for the lenders in this inflation-indexed local currency bond financing for the state road between Monterrey and Cadereyta. This project was awarded the “2004 Infrastructure Deal of the Year in the Americas” by Project Finance International.
• Américo Vespucio Sur Toll Road, Chile – acted for the lenders in this inflation-indexed project bond financing that provided a portion of the financing of an electronically tolled urban toll road concession in Santiago. This project was awarded the “Latin American Transport Deal of the Year 2004” by Project Finance Magazine.

Education:

• Harvard University, 1986, Ph.D.
• Harvard Law School, 1985, J.D.
• Georgetown University, 1979, B.S.

Bar Admissions:

• New York