Overview
Freehills offers expert project finance services to clients in a range of industry sectors, including transport, power, gas, water, defence, resources and telecommunications. Our Project Finance team has a broad range of experience in advising both sponsors and lenders.
We provide a comprehensive range of commercially-focused, timely legal solutions in all aspects of project finance, including:
- financing on a limited or non-recourse basis
- capital markets including 'credit-wrapped' issues
- mezzanine and subordinated debt
- commodity sales trading and financing
- domestic and cross-border leasing including equity and leverage leases and asset sale and leaseback
- financial enhancements
- risk exposure and risk management.
In advising sponsors, clients benefit from out broad industry experience as well as out multidisciplinary approach. Our role as advisers includes not only the structuring, planning, finance and documenting aspects of a transaction, but also strategic advice and analysis and a commercial understanding of contract negotiation.
In advising lenders, our clients benefit from the depth of our financial product experience, from senior debt to mezzanine and hybrids, as well as our expertise in structured finance, debt capital markets and property finance. We are also able to draw on industry experts within the firm to provide advice on the key risks affecting a project such as construction, supply or off-take agreements or industry regulation.
Experience
Freehills has experience in advising across a range of industry sectors, including:
- energy and resources
- infrastructure
- transport
- health
- telecommunications
- public private partnerships / social infrastructure.
Examples of our recent experience includes:
- Cross City Tunnel - Acted for the ABN AMRO / Leighton Construction consortium in their purchase of the Cross City tunnel Motorway in Sydney.
- Hobart Airport - Acted for a Macquarie-led consortium on their acquisition of Hobart International Airport.
- Kwinana Base Load Power Station - Advised the project company and sponsors on all aspects of the 320MW Kwinana Base Load Power Station in Western Australia.
- Brisbane Airport MTN - Advised Brisbane Airport Corporation Limited on a A$300 million note issue under a Medium Term Notes Program implemented order to fund infrastructure development at Brisbane Airport.
- Coogee Resources - Acted for Coogee Resources, which borrowed US$270 million to fund working capital for development of Timor Sea oil and gas projects.
- Royal Children’s Hospital - Acted for the successful bidder in the public private partnership to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain the new Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.
- Braemar Power Station - Acted for ERM Power Pty Ltd for the financing of their gas-fired Braemar Power Station in Queensland.
- Al Habtoor Engineering - Acted for the financiers on the US$434 million non-recourse senior financing to back Leighton Holdings Ltd’s purchase of a 45 per cent stake in Dubai-based construction firm Al Habtoor Engineering.
- Orange Hospital public private partnership - Acted for the successful consortium on the Orange Hospital public private partnership.
- Hope Downs Iron Ore Project - Acted for the banks in financing the development of a 50 per cent interest in the $2 billion Hope Downs Iron Ore project in Western Australia.
- Westralia Airports Corporation - Acted for Westpac, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, FSA and BTA in the $770 million limited recourse financing for Westralia Airports Corporation of its existing bank facilities and domestic and US capital markets issues.
Working with you
Our demonstrated experience and expertise in all aspects of project finance allows us to deliver effective and valuable legal and project management advice.
Our lawyers are industry experts as well as legal experts. We recognise that industry knowledge is at the core of relevant and effective advice.
Our team offers comprehensive support and guidance on all aspects of project formation, structuring, implementation, financing and operation. Our clear and practical approach will help you enhance your competitive advantage and achieve commercial success.
