Raj Pande

Raj Pande’s practice focuses on energy, project and infrastructure finance and development, and related mergers and acquisitions. Raj has more than 25 years of experience representing clients in energy, project and infrastructure development and finance, and related M&A transactions in the U.S., Latin America and Asia.

Raj is well recognized for his work on large, complex and innovative transactions, and over the past 14 years he has been the lead partner on seven projects that have received “Deal of the Year” award recognition from leading publications, including Project Finance International (Thomson Reuters) and Infrastructure Journal and Project Finance Magazine (IJGlobal/Euromoney).

His project experience includes, among others, conventional and renewable electric power generation facilities, upstream and downstream LNG facilities and LNG ships, oil and gas facilities, petrochemical refineries, and road, telecommunications and other infrastructure.

He has extensive experience with both the project development transactional and project lending sides representing sponsors, developers and investors, and commercial banks and multilateral development and export credit agencies.

In addition, Raj represents buyers, sellers and investors in acquisition, disposition, and investment transactions.

Raj has been recognized throughout his career as a “Leading Lawyer” for Project Finance by leading legal publications including: Chambers Global Experts; Chambers U.S.A.; Chambers Asia; International Financial Law Review (IFLR); Legal 500 USA; Euromoney Trading Ltd. Guide to the World’s Leading Energy and Environment Lawyers; The Latin America Legal 500 Project Finance Expert Guide; and the Institutional Investor, Inc.

Expert Guide to World’s Leading Energy Lawyers. Additionally, he has been named in Legal 500 USA: The Clients’ Guide to the US Legal Profession “Recommended Lawyer in Project Finance: Advice to Lender”, as “Deal Maker of the Year” by Finance Monthly, and a “Leading Lawyer for Telecommunications” by Euromoney’s Special Edition Guide to the World’s Leading Telecommunications Lawyers.

Prior to practicing law, Raj practiced as a professional consultant engineer with the global consultant engineering firm of SNC-Lavalin, designing petrochemical and oil refineries and electric power generation plants.

Experience:

• Represented Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Nippon Export and Investment Insurance and a group of commercial banks on the $4.4 billion senior secured project debt, letter of credit and working capital facilities for the development, construction and operation of Train 1 of a multi-train natural gas liquefaction, storage and export facilities project located on Quintana Island near Freeport, Texas.
• Represented Japan Bank for International Cooperation and the commercial lenders led by MUFG Bank Ltd. in their $1.5 billion project debt financing of Woodside Petroleum Limited’s Pluto upstream offshore natural gas development and onshore LNG liquefaction, storage and export facilities in Australia.
• Represented Japan Bank for International Cooperation in its $1.2 billion financing for the approximate 7 MMTPA Tangguh natural gas liquefaction, storage and export facility in Indonesia developed by BP plc, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui Co., Ltd., INPEX Corp, Nippon Oil, JOGMEC, Sumitomo Corp., Sojitz, Kanematsu and CNOOC.
• Represented ArcCapita in its proposed development of the Calhoun LNG receiving, storage and regasification terminal project, Texas.
• Represented Mitsubishi Corporation in its proposed investment in and project development and finance of a gas to power project in Central America involving a LNG receiving, storage and regasification terminal and electric power generation facility.
• Represented Mitsui & Co., NYK Lines and Teekay Shipping in their successful bid for and subsequent project development and approx. $1 billion project financing for 4 LNG ships for the Angola LNG project; and Mitsui & Co. and NYK Lines in their successful bid for and subsequent project development and approx. $1 billion project financing for 4 LNG ships for LNG supply from Qatar for Chinese Petroleum Corporation, Taiwan.
• Represented Australia LNG, Perth, in connection with its successful bid to provide LNG vessels for the Guangdong LNG receiving, storage and regasification terminal, China.
• Represented MUFG Bank, Ltd. and the lenders as special New York counsel in the financings for two FPSO (floating, production, storage and offloading) vessels offshore Brazil (TUPI and Gas Opportunities)
• Represented Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. in connection with its equity investment in the Sengkang LNG project, Indonesia, and in its purchase of LNG from the project.
• Represented the lenders for the project debt financing for China’s pilot 3.7 MMTPA LNG receiving, storage and regasification terminal and the related 213 km natural gas pipeline project in Guangdong, China developed by BP and CNOOC. This was the first LNG project for China.
• Represented Petronet LNG Ltd. and its sponsors in their project development and financing of a 5.0 MMTPA LNG receiving, storage and regasification terminal, involving $3.2 billion in project chain debt financings for the receiving terminal, LNG vessels, and liquefaction trains and export terminal. The project also involved a domestic IPO and a bond issuance guaranteed by the Asian Development Bank.
• Represented Sui Southern Gas in its proposed LNG importation to Pakistan and the development and financing of an integrated 3.5 MMTPA LNG receiving, storage and regasification terminal in Karachi-Mashal, along with the development of a natural gas pipeline. This was the first LNG project proposed for Pakistan.
• Represented the international and domestic project lenders providing $2.3 billion financing for the Dabhol 2.8 MMTPA LNG receiving, storage and regasification terminal and a 2,140 MW power generation facility in India. The project involved a co-dependent financings for the LNG vessels the LNG liquefaction and export terminal and represents the first LNG terminal in Asia developed and financed on a project basis.
• This was the first LNG project for India.
• Represented both the lenders and the sponsors (BP and CNOOC) to the 3.7 MMTPA Guangdong LNG receiving, storage and regasification terminal project in the project financing for the LNG vessels for the terminal.
• Represented Petronet LNG Ltd. and in its timecharter party and ship build tender process, documents and award and project financing for LNG vessels for its 5.0 MMTPA LNG receiving, storage and regasification terminal.
• Represented Indian Oil Corporation in its tender process and documents and award for the procurement of a 2.0 MMTPA LNG supply and shipping.
• Represented Mitsubishi Corporation in connection with the acquisition of an equity interest in, and the project development and project financing of, Mareña Renovables, a $1 billion 396 MW wind power generation project located in Oaxaca, Mexico. This is the largest wind power facility in Latin America.
• Represented The Tokyo Electric Power Company, Incorporated (TEPCO) in its successful $3.7 billion bid for, together with Marubeni Corporation, and subsequent acquisition of and financing for Mirant Corporation’s three electric power generation plants in the Philippines. One of the largest energy acquisitions in Asia.
• Represented MetLife in its tax equity and project debt financing of the 138 MW Mountain Air wind farm power facility in Minnesota.
• Represented Cogentrix in the sale of its 120 MW power generation facility in Virginia.
• Represented Gulf Investment Corporation and AES Transpower in their bid for a 280 MW gas-fired power generating station and 30 MIGD water desalination plant at Al-Hidd, State of Bahrain.
• Represented Mitsubishi Corporation in its bid to develop, finance, build, own and operate the 318 MW combined cycle gas-fired Baja California III power generation facility in Mexico.
• Represented Mitsubishi Corporation and Engie in their joint bids to develop, finance, build, own and operate the 890 MW Topolobampo II and 760 MW Topolobampo III combined cycle gas-fired power generation facilities in Mexico.
• Represented Sojitz Corporation and Engie in their joint bid to develop, finance, build, own and operate the 850 MW Noreste (Escobedo) combined cycle gas-fired power generation facility in Mexico.
• Represented Mitsubishi Corporation and Kyushu Electric Power Company in their joint bid to develop, finance, build, own and operate the 430 MW combined cycle gas-fired Norte II power facility in Mexico.
• Represented Mitsubishi Corporation in its investment in and project development and finance of a gas to power project in Central America involving an electric power generation facility and associated LNG receiving, storage and regasification terminal.
• Represented Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and the lenders in the project debt financing for the 120 MW Midway Power merchant gas-fired power generating facility in Fresno, California.
• Represented TCW Global Project Fund II, Ltd. in its senior project debt financing for the Amatilan Geothermal power project, Guatemala, developed by Ormat Technologies.
• Represented Exergy Development Group in its project development of and $400 million project debt financing for its 183 MW wind power generation park project in Idaho.
• Represented Reliance Power Ltd., and its subsidiary Sasan Power Limited in connection with project debt financing for its $4 billion coal-fired pit-head 5,400 MW Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project, including the development of the 700 mm captive coal mine blocks. This was at the time the largest single power facility investment in India.
• Represented the international and domestic project lenders providing debt financing of approximately $2.3 billion for a 2,140 MW power generation facility in Dabhol, India and its associated 2.8 MMTPA LNG receiving, storage and regasification terminal.
• Represented the international commercial lenders in their project debt financing of Reliance Industries Limited’s 1.24 mm barrels per day Jamnagar Oil Refinery, the largest oil refinery in the world.
• Represented Soros Group in the project development and financing of the $1.7 billion Haldia Petrochemicals project, a major petrochemical and power plant complex in West Bengal, India.
• Represented Essar Group in connection with the development, construction, financing and operation of its $1.6 billion 10.5 mmtpa Vadinar oil refinery.
• Represented Medley Capital Corp. in its debt and equity financing of and investment in gas and oil fields in Oklahoma and Columbia.
• Represented Saudi Aramco in its $3 billion project debt ship financing of 7 double hull VLCC (very large crude carrier) ships.
• Represented Saudi Aramco in its investment in and joint venture with Texaco Inc. for a US crude oil and pipeline business in the US, including the transfer of its assets to the joint venture.
• Represented Saudi Aramco in its investment in and the development, construction and operation of a crude oil refinery in a joint venture with SsangYong Refining Co. (South Korea).

EDUCATION:

• LLB and BCL, McGill University, Managing Editor, The Law Journal, 1987
• MBA, McGill University, 1987

BAR ADMISSIONS:

• New York