Such expertise enables us to offer bespoke services to super-major and junior oil, gas and mining companies, to financial institutions, investors and to governments.

Our clients require our assistance in structuring, securing and executing acquisitions and sales, and in managing oil, gas and mining assets (negotiating and drafting production-sharing contracts, mining agreements, obtaining mining rights, institutional reforms, tax aspects, legal audit). Our arbitration specialists also act in mining and oil disputes.  

Experience includes:

• TiZir Limited, Senegal: advising Eramet on the creation of a joint venture with MDL for operating an ilmenite mining concession (520 million dollars)
   
• Modernisation of the mining sector, Guinea: advising, with three other international firms, the Comité de Revue des Titres et Conventions Miniers on implementing the mining sector’s modernisation programme
   
• African Petroleum Producers’ Association, Africa: advising the APPA on conducting a comparative study of the regimes applicable to hydrocarbons and drafting a model contract for the sharing of production applicable to the 16 member states
   
• Mayoko Mines, Congo: Advising Exxaro (South Africa) on the operation of an ore mine, the construction of a railway line and a deep-water port
   
• Total E&P, Cameroon: advising Total E&P in relation to the sale of Total E&P Cameroon
   
• Nickel, New Caledonia: advising the CCF on the bank financing of 63.5 billion/million euro secured against lease-back for the construction of a nickel-processing electric furnace for Eramet (SLN)
   
• Oil concessions, France: advising Total E&P on the sale of several oil concessions in France to junior companies
   
• ICC arbitration, Côte d’Ivoire: advising a mining company as part of an arbitration procedure for unfair withdrawal of a manganese prospecting permit

Gide Loyrette Nouel A.A.R.P.I. has excellent capabilities and is able to deal with all types of work including project, public law, regulatory and M&A matters. The big team is regularly involved in renewables, hydroelectric and nuclear related- matters. Through Michel Guénaire the practice has state-of-the-art regulatory expertise that is sought after by leading French energy producers. The team is notably handling several files before the energy regulator (CRE). The project practice is also top notch, with the team regularly handling major greenfield and brownfield French, European and African energy project work, including on renewables, acting for leading energy producers. Strategic biomass and renewables brownfield transactions are also visible in the caseload. The practice’s strong international reach is further demonstrated by its work on several offshore wind farms in China. Finally, the practice also handles major oil and gas work. Project partners Stéphane Vernay, John Crothers, Marie Bouvet-Guiramand, Nicolas Jean and Victor Grandguillaume are the key contributors. M&A partner Alexis Pailleret is another name to note.

Legal 500 EMEA 2021