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Oil, Gas, Energy, Mining and Petrochemical Projects

D’Empaire provides advice in a wide range of matters to clients throughout the energy industry. We have advised on contract negotiations and represented winners of oil field bidding rounds and in the negotiation of joint ventures and association agreements. We also have experience in important infrastructure projects in the oil & gas and petrochemical industries.

D’Empaire has assisted foreign companies in numerous energy-related projects and transactions.  We have also advised international construction and engineering companies in connection with the execution of EPC turn-key projects.

Examples of representations include:

  • Maurel &  Prom, in the acquisition of Shell’s stake in a Venezuelan oil joint venture (2018)
  • Chevron, in several matters relating to the operations of its oil joint venture with Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (2016-2018)
  • Pampa Energía, as Venezuelan counsel in the due diligence for the potential acquisition of assets of Petrobras in Venezuela (2016)
  • Borets, Russian company leader in artificial lift systems engineering, manufacturing, sales and servicing, in connection with corporate law issues in Venezuela (2015)
  • Marubeni Corporation, in connection to the partial implementation of a Crude Oil Sale Agreement with PDVSA and other international lifters (2015)
  • BGP (one of the world leading geophysical service contractors) as counsel on corporate, tax and other matters related to the geophysical activities developed by BGP in the
    Venezuelan oil and gas sector (2015)
  • Rolls Royce as Venezuelan counsel in its GBP785 million sale of its Energy gas turbine and compressor business to Siemens
  • GE as Venezuelan counsel in its US$16.9 billion acquisition of the thermal, renewables and grid businesses of Alstom
  • Globe Specialty Metals Inc. as Venezuelan counsel in its US$3.1 billion merger with Grupo Ferroatlántica SA
  • Iberdrola in connection with a EPC contract for the construction of a 1,000 MW thermoelectric power plant
  • Rosneft, Russian largest oil and gas company, as Venezuelan counsel in its acquisition of the drilling and well-servicing assets of oil and gas service company Weatherford International in Russia and Venezuela (2014)
  • ONGC Videsh Limited, the International Petroleum Company of India, in connection with the labor issues regarding its operation in Venezuela (2014)
  • Rosneft, as Venezuelan counsel, in its acquisition of the oil and gas Venezuelan subsidiaries and joint venture participations of TNK-BP (2013)
  • Overseas Private Investment Company (OPIC) and SACE in the agreement with PDVSA Gas and Williams and Exterran for the compensation of the nationalization of El Furrial / Pigap II (2012)
  • AEI and The Williams Companies Inc. in the sale of Accroven to PDVSA Gas for US$214 million (2010)
  • Maurel & Prom in its purchase of Venezuelan and Colombian oil assets from Knightsbridge Petroleum for US$460 million
  • New Brunswick Power Corporation (Canada) in connection with an international fuel supply agreement with PDVSA and Bitor for the New Brunswick Coleson Cove Plant
  • the contractor Grupo Alvica (Flour Corporation and Inelectra) in connection with the Hamaca project (heavy crude upgrader)
  • the general contractor Consorcio Contrina (Technip and DIT-Harris) in connection with the Sincor project (heavy crude upgrader)
  • the general contractor Technip and DIT-Harris in connection with Petrozuata project (heavy crude upgrader)
  • the upstream contractor Inelectra in connection with Cerro Negro project (heavy crude upgrader)
  •  the consulting engineers and construction companies DIT-Harris, Inelectra and Technip in connection with the Accro Phase II project (eastern cryogenic expansion project)
  • EnergyWorks in connection with an independent electric production project with Ford
  • Resilín in the project financing and completion of its polyethylene plant
  • EPC contractors Otepi, Inelectra, Sadeven Industrias and Toyo Engineering Corporation in connection with El Palito Refinery PICC project (increase of conversion loads)
  • Inelectra in connection with Metor project (self generation plant)
  • the consortium contractors led by DSD-CGI, Man Ferrostaal and Linde in connection with the Olefinas II project (ethylene-propylene plant)
  • the consulting engineers and construction companies DIT-Harris, Inelectra and Technip in connection with the Accro Phase I project (Eastern cryogenic expansion project)
  • the consortium of contractors DIT-Harris, Inelectra and TPL in connection with the Propilven project (propylene plant)
  • the consortium of contractors Inelectra and TPL in connection with the Pralca project (ethylene plant)
  • the consortium of contractors Inelectra and Nuovo Pignone in connection with the Inco 93 project (gas compression plants), and represented Inelectra in connection with the Inco project (compression capacity increase project)
  • the consortium of contractors DIT-Harris, Egep, Eripe, Inelectra, Otepi and Proyecta in connection with the Sisor project (hydrocarbons pipeline)
  • Inepetrol in connection with the assignment of 75% of its interest in the Gulf of Paria East association agreement with PDVSA to ConocoPhillips, ENI and OPIC
  • ChevronTexaco, Ecopetrol and PDVSA in connection with the feasibility study for the construction and operation of an international gas pipeline between Venezuela and Colombia
  • ARCO, Inelectra and Polar Uno in connection with the drafting and negotiation of their joint venture agreement and the operating service agreement with PDVSA (Kaki-Maulpa areas)
  • Inelectra in connection with the drafting and negotiation of the profit-sharing agreement with PDVSA for Golfo de Paria Este and the joint operating agreement with Enron
  • Inelectra in connection with the PARC project, package D in the Cardón Refinery
  • Inelectra in connection with the Pigap III project (high-pressure gas injection plant project)
  • Guardian Corporation in connection with the permits for the exploitation of silicon sands by its Venezuelan subsidiary
  • Cemex Venezuela in connection with the legal title to exploitation rights for non-metallic minerals on the Isla de Toas, in relation to the legal and environmental regime for the exploitation of sands and non-metallic minerals, and represented the company in a litigation against the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources
  • Marubeni in the due diligence review of the mining rights of Fesilven
  • Kaiser Aluminum in the review of the bauxite mining rights of Bauxilum
  • Golden Star Resources in the diligence review of gold mining concessions and in the negotiation of an association agreement with Servicios Consultmin
  • Monarch Resources in the negotiation and drafting of contracts for the acquisition of mining concessions and on mining regulations
  • GoldCorp in the due diligence review of gold mining concessions