Overview

Matthew Chow is a Registered Foreign Consultant (New South Wales, Australia) in the Hong Kong office of Mayer Brown’s Global Projects practice.

His core practice focuses on the front end aspects of project delivery. With 15 years’ experience in the construction and power industry in both legal and commercial roles, Matthew has advised extensively on the full development life-cycle of major power and infrastructure projects in the region and has an established track record in working with both sponsors, export credit agencies, multilateral agencies and commercial lenders to take major project transactions from inception to financial close and commercial operations. 

Matthew has worked on project transactions in a range of jurisdictions, including in Central Asia and the Middle East (Bangladesh, Pakistan, Dubai), South East Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Brunei, Thailand, Philippines), Americas (US, Mexico, Brazil), Africa (Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa) and Australia. 

His sector coverage includes renewable power projects (wind, solar, hydropower (both run-of-river and impoundment), thermal power projects (coal, CCGT), oil & gas and petrochemical facilities (FSRUs, FPSOs, LNG terminals, oil tankers, refineries, processing facilities) and major infrastructure (airports, coal mines, roads, HSR, MRT, tunnels). 

Documentation-wise, Matthew has drafted and negotiated a broad range of project/project finance documentation, from bespoke and standard form EPC contracts (including FIDIC), offtake agreements (including PPAs), concession agreements, O&M agreements, shipbuilding contracts, FSRU and FPSO charters and terminal usage agreements to full suite of finance documents for limited/non-recourse project financings. 

Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Matthew spent significant time with a magic circle law firm.

Spoken Languages

  • English
  • Cantonese
  • Mandarin

Experience

Power

  • Advising the international and Myanmar sponsors on all aspects of the development of the Deedoke run-of-river 66MW hydropower project in Myanmar, which (if completed on schedule) would be the country's first internationally developed hydro-IPP selling exclusively into the Myanmar market.
  • Advising the international and Myanmar sponsors on all aspects of the development of a storage hydropower project in Myanmar, which will be the country’s largest hydropower project to date.
  • Advising the lenders in relation to the development and financing of the 1,390MW Mee Lin Gyaing LNG to power project in Myanmar.
  • Advising ADB in relation to the development and financing of the 144MW Lotus wind farm in Vietnam.
  • Advising sponsors, Spectra Engineers Limited and Shunfeng Investment Limited, in relation to the project financing of a 35MW solar power plant in Paturia, Manigoni, Bangladesh by ADB and DEG.
  • Advising DEG and the other senior lenders on the project financing of the 50MW Padma Solar Farm Project, Bangladesh.
  • Advised the lenders on the financing of the 250MW combined-cycle gas-fired power project in Myingyan, Myanmar's first internationally tendered power project.
  • Advised a confidential client in relation to the development of a potential hydropower project in Nepal.
  • Advised the sponsors on the development and financing of the Kyaukse 150MW power plant in Myanmar.
  • Advised on all aspects of the development of a 300MW temporary power plant in Yangon, including the negotiation of the PPA and other key project documents for the transaction.
  • Advised the project company on the development and financing of a US$2.2 billion 1,320 MW coal-fired power project and coal importation facility (including an innovative transhipment solution) in Pakistan.
  • Advising project sponsors in relation to the development and financing of the Mabar 2x150MW coal-fired power plant located at Kawasan Industri Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia.
  • Advising the lenders on the development and financing of the 75MW Sidrap Wind Power Project in Indonesia.
  • Advising the prospective lenders on the development of the 100MW Solar Photovoltaic Power Project in Dubai.
  • Advising the lenders in relation to the EPC contracts for the construction of the Thang Long 2X300MW Coal-Fired Thermal Power Project, the Hai Duong 1,200MW Thermal Power Plant Project and the Mao Khe 2X220MW Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plant Project (all located in Vietnam).
  • Acting for the project sponsors in relation to the development of the Xe-Ketam Hydro Power Project in Laos.
  • Acting for the sponsors in relation to the development and financing of the Nam Ngiep 1 Hydropower Project in Laos.
  • Acting for both ECAs and commercial lenders on the development of the 47MW Rajamandala Hydroelectric Power Plant IPP in Indonesia.
  • Acting for the international and Philippines MLAs in relation to the construction of a 80MW wind farm on two adjacent wind sites, on the North West tip of Luzon, in Ilocos Norte, in the Philippines.
  • Advising lenders on the EPC contracts for the construction of a 57MW solar energy power project in Thailand.
  • Advising lenders on the EPC arrangements for the construction of the Baja California III IPP in Mexico.
  • Advising lenders on the project documents for the construction of a wind power project in Chaiyaphum, Thailand.
  • Acting for the bidders on the development of an IPP plant in Prai, Penang with capacity of 1,000-1,400MW and Pendekar's bid to the Malaysian Energy Commission.
  • Acting for the lenders on the Vinh Tan 1 BOT coal-fired power plant project in Vietnam.

M&A

  • Acting for the buyer on the US$2.4 billion purchase of 14 power plants owned and operated by Edra and Powertek, subsidiaries of 1MDB.
  • Advising a major Japanese power company on the merger of its power business with Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.
  • Advising a major Thai power company on the acquisition of the Ywama Power Plant, a 50MW gas fired power plant located in West Ywama Ward, Insein Township, Yangon, Myanmar.
  • Acting for a major global infrastructure fund on the acquisition of the Fujairah Oil Terminal, a 1.155 million cubic meter capacity petroleum crude project and storage terminal located in the Emirate of Fujariah, United Arab Emirates.
  • Acting for a private equity fund on the US$260 million acquisition of a controlling stake in Hexaware Technologies Limited, a global provider of IT services.
  • Advising a major global mining company on its A$5.1 billion merger with Aston Resources (which created the single largest independent coal company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange).

Infrastructure

  • Acting for Chinese sponsors on the development of the £3 billion Royal Albert Docks mixed use development project in London.
  • Advising the project sponsors in relation to the development of the new Hanthawaddy International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar.
  • Acting for the lenders on the S$1.59 billion financing and development of the North-South and East-West electricity cable tunnels project. These tunnels are Singapore Power's largest infrastructure project to date and are intended to house new transmission cables, which will form the backbone of Singapore's power supply for the coming decades. This deal won Asia-Pacific Transmission Deal of the Year 2012 at the Asia Project Finance Euromoney Awards.

Resources

  • Advising project sponsors on the project documents for the construction of a manganese smelting plant in Sarawak, Malaysia, with an expected annual production capacity of 350,000 tonnes and a nominal electrical load of 270MW.

LNG

  • Advised CLP on the time charter party and regasification agreement for the Hong Kong LNG import project.
  • Advised Mitsubishi Corporation on its acquisition of a 25% stake in Summit Corporation’s LNG import project in Bangladesh.
  • Advising H-Energy on the procurement of an FSRU for its LNG import project on the West Coast of India.
  • Advising a confidential consortium in relation to the development of an FSRU project in the Gulf of Thailand.
  • Advising a consortium in connection with an FSRU-to-powership project in Vietnam.
  • Advising Karadeniz in respect of its LNG-to-powership project in Mozambique.
  • Advising the international lenders on the project financing of the 1.4 GW Mee Lin Gyaing LNG-to-power Project in Myanmar.
  • Advising Karadeniz on the development of an LNG-to-power powership project in Senegal.
  • Advising a confidential bidder in connection with its bid to provide an FSRU and mooring solution in connection with SNOC’s LNG/FSRU import project in Sharjah, UAE.
  • Advising LNG Link on all aspects of its small-scale LNG project, which envisages the purchasing of LNG in full cargo lots, using an LNG terminal for breaking bulk, and distributing LNG in China in ISO containers.
  • Advising a potential bidder in respect of its bid for a minority interest in the First Gen land-based LNG import project.
  • Advised a confidential FSRU owner on its bid for the AGL LNG Import Project in Australia.
  • Advised Saga LNG in connection with its proposed LNG chartering arrangements in Bangladesh for the Saga Dawn 45,000 cbm LNG carrier to be utilised in connection with Gunvor led FSRU/LNG import project in Chittagon.

Additional Oil and Gas and Petrochemicals

  • Advised the owner on the construction of a FPSO vessel to be used in deep water in Brazil.
  • Advised the r project sponsors on the construction of a Linear Alkyl Benzene Plant in Thailand.
  • Advised the project sponsors on the development and financing of a US$7 billion integrated petrochemicals complex in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Vietnam.
  • Advised the project sponsors on the development of the Penerang Terminal in Malaysia (this forms part of the wider Refinery And Petrochemicals Integrated Development Project led by Petronas).
  • Advised lenders in relation to the provision of a mezzanine debt financing facility for the purchase of interests in the Wayang Windu Geothermal Power Plant in West java, Indonesia, the Kakap PSC in the Natuna Sea, Indonesia and the Natuna Sea Block A PSC in the Natuna Sea, Indonesia.
  • Advised a subcontractor on the construction of over 400km of gas and water transmission pipelines and compression facilities for the A$16 billion Gladstone Liquefied Natural Gas Project in Queensland.
  • Advised a major civil construction contractor (in the capacity of the subcontractor) on the construction of over 100km of access roads for A$16 billion Gladstone Liquefied Natural Gas Project.
  • Advised a major civil construction contractor (in the capacity of the contractor) on the A$400 million Woleebee Creek to Glebe Weir Pipeline Project in Queensland, which involves the construction of a 120km pipeline for transporting water extracted from coal seams at the Queensland Curtis Liquefied Natural Gas Project.

Mining Experience

  • Advised a global mining company on the construction of the A$527 million Narrabri Underground Coal Mine in New South Wales, Australia.
  • Advised the project company on the operation and maintenance of the A$2 billion NCIG Coal Export Facility in New South Wales, Australia.
  • Advised sponsors on the development of the A$1 billion Cobbora Coal Mine in Central New South Wales, Australia.
  • Advised a global mining company on the development of the Benga Coal Project in Mozambique.
  • Advised a major Australian civil construction contractor in contract negotiations for the construction of the A$3 billion Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal in Queensland, Australia.

Education

The University of Queensland, Bachelor of Laws

Admissions

  • Australia, New South Wales

Court

  • High Court of Australia