Energy Law Services Lebanon | Abou Jaoude & Associates

The Firm’s recent notable representative experience in Energy includes:

• Advised the Lebanese Government represented by the Ministry of Energy on a US$300 Million crucial project to address Lebanon’s crippling electricity crisis through a tripartite gas import agreements between Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, where Lebanon will receive 650 million cubic meters of natural gas, involving a highly complex structure and regulatory framework, including the conditional financing by the World Bank subject to the fulfillment by the Lebanese government of a comprehensive Reform Matrix, and the approval of the United States for compliance with its Syria sanctions regime.

• Advised the developer and the international syndicate led by Audi Bank (the largest bank in Lebanon), including major international development finance institutions OPIC and EIB, on the first-ever Power Purchase Agreement with the Government of Lebanon for the development of the 200MW first utility-scale wind power plant in Lebanon.

• Advising the major Danish-German consortium between leading Danish power plant contractor and operator Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor A/S (BWSC) and leading German MAN Diesel on two €270 Million EPC contracts for the installation of two medium speed reciprocating engines at the thermal plants in Zouk and Jiyeh owned by Electricity of Lebanon (EDL).

• Advised Novatek, Russia's largest independent natural gas producer (and the seventh largest publicly traded company globally by natural gas production volume) (part of the Total/ENI/Novatek consortium) on the first-ever Exploration and Production Agreement with the Lebanese Government.

• Advised the leading energy group Debbas on the circa US$1 Billion Distribution and Service Provider Contract (DSP) contract for the rehabilitation and modernization of the electricity power grid in Lebanon, including the design, implementation, operation and maintenance of the distribution network and the installation of an advanced metering infrastructure.

• Advised global sustainable energy leader Vestas on the renewable energy regulatory framework in Lebanon and market entry conditions.

• Advised the joint venture between the leading German renewable energy group BayWa r.e. Solar Projects GmbH and the energy arm of Lebanon’s major INDEVCO group on the tender organized by the Ministry of Energy and Water for the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) of Phase 2 of the first grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) plant in Lebanon's history, the Beirut River Solar Snake (BRSS).

• Advising three different joint ventures, including leading regional players in the renewable energy sectors, on the bids submitted in response to the tender organized by the Lebanese Ministry of Energy and Water for the execution of the 180MW first solar photovoltaic energy generating facilities in Lebanon.

• Advised a global leading energy trading company B.B. Energy Group in joint venture with Siemens on a Distributed Power Generation project for the design and installation of gas turbines at designated power plants in Lebanon.

• Advised leading Spanish listed IT and energy group INDRA in consortium with Lebanese group IPENGPRO on a major project tendered by Electricité du Liban for the construction of a Monitoring Center for Lebanon involving a Central Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) System, Meter Data Management (MDM) systems, and Billing and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.

• Advised major energy group Debbas on the US$200 Million renewal and extension of the DSP Contract with the Lebanese Government.

• Advised a leading regional fund in the renewable energy sector on the regulatory framework applicable to direct lending in Lebanon in the context of a wind energy project, as well as a study of Lebanon’s current form of power purchase agreement compared to international best practice.

• Advised the joint venture led by Lebanon Wind Power Sal, including a leading German renewable energy company, on the bid submitted in response to the tender organized by the Lebanese Ministry of Energy and Water (with the support of the UNDP-CEDRO project), for the development, design, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning, operation and maintenance of the first-ever wind farms in Lebanon.

• Advised the joint venture between two leading regional companies in the power sector on the bid submitted in response to the tender organized by EDL for the provision of Operation & Maintenance services for the Naameh Landfill Power Plant.

• Advised GZA Mining on a US$30 Million joint venture with GAZPROM, Russia's largest natural gas producer, to perform exploration activities in Eritrea.

• Advised on the regulatory framework and legal documentation to govern the plans for circa 500MW IPP projects to be carried out by the Lebanese Ministry of Energy and Water and other public authorities in Lebanon on a public-private partnership basis.

• Advised the Municipality of Beirut on the regulatory framework and the preparation of the tender documents, PPA and other project documents for the development of a number of power plants aimed at increasing the power generation capacity of the capital Beirut through IPPs.

• Advised the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on the legislative framework study for the transport and energy sectors in Lebanon, a component of the Sustainable Oil and Gas Development Project in Lebanon (SODEL).

Phase 2 of the first grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) plant in Lebanon's history,