Rachel Speight

Mining sector - Africa 

• Advising Discovery Minerals on the successful project financing of its Boseto Copper project in Botswana ("African Mining Deal of the Year 2011" Project Finance Magazine).
• Advised the Lenders, including Société Générale and BNP Paribas on the financing and development of Roxgold Inc.'s Yaramoko gold project in Burkina Faso ("Africa – Mining and Metals Deal of the Year 2015" IJGlobal Europe and Africa Awards).
• Advising the Mandated Lead Arrangers on the $90m financing of the Karma Gold Project in Burkina Faso.
• Represented Africa Finance Corporation as lender on the acquisition of the Bonikro mine in Côte d'Ivoire.
• Advising the financing parties on the $350 million refinancing of Endeavour Mining's assets in Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana.
• Advising natural resources fund Medea Future Materials Fund L.P. on a loan related to the acquisition of the Adidi Kanga gold mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo by Vector Resources.
• Advising the sponsor on the project financing of its assets in Eritrea which involved a number of African and other official lenders.
• Advising the finance parties (including European official lenders) on the project financing of the Kwale mine in Kenya ("African Mining Deal of the Year 2011" Project Finance International).
• Representing the arrangers in relation to a senior debt facility made available to Bea Mountain Mining Corporation in relation to the New Liberty gold project in Liberia. This transaction was named Development Funding Deal of the Year (Mines & Money December 2013). 
• Advised on a joint venture with SNIM to develop an iron ore mine in Mauritania including negotiating infrastructure contracts for rail, port and power facilities.
• Advising Xstrata and Sphere Minerals on various aspects of its projects in Mauritania.
• Advising the sponsor on a niobium mine in Tanzania which was to benefit from UFK cover.
• Advising Standard Chartered Bank on the US$350m financing of the Kansanshi Mine in Zambia.
• Advised the lenders on a project finance facility for the development of a platinum mine in Zimbabwe.

Mining sector – outside Africa

• Advising Sumitomo Metals & Mining (acting in consortium with its partner, Sumitomo Corporation), on its US$1.2 billion acquisition of a minority shareholding in the Teck-owned, Quebrada Blanca Copper Project in Chile and advising SMM on the related US $2.5 billion project financing of the Quebrada Blanca phase 2 project. 
• Advised a group of ECAs on the proposed US$2.5bn financing for the Cobre Panama Copper project in Panama.
• Advised the sponsor on a credit facility for Yamana Gold, a Canadian mining company with operations across Central and South America.
• Advising the finance parties including the Korean Development Bank and Korean Finance Corporation Export Development Canada and Export-Import Bank of the United States on a loan to develop a copper, cobalt and zinc project in Baja California Sur, Mexico and its subsequent restructuring.
• Advising in connection with a royalty granted for a lithium project in Mexico.
• Advising the lenders on a facility to a gold mine in Suriname secured against gold accounts held with refiners.
• Advising the Lenders on the $3bn financing of First Quantum, a global mining company which included advising on the existing Franco Nevada Streaming arrangement.
• Advising the Sponsor on the Royalty financing arrangements connected with a mine in Greenland.
• Advising the Lenders including Société Generale and ING Bank N.V. on a US$180 million on the pre-export facility for a mining company in Armenia, specialising in copper and molybdenum mining and processing.
• Advised the lenders on the $90 million financing of the Karchiga Project in Kazakhstan. 
• We advised the lenders on a loan facility to Oriel Resources plc, a London based chrome and nickel mining and processing company for the Voskhod Chrome Project in Kazakhstan.
• Advising Nordic Mines on the financing and subsequent refinancing of their gold mine in Finland.
• Advised the finance parties on the successful project financing for the Kevitsa Mine in Finland.
• Advised the lenders on the financing and refinancing of a nickel mine in Sotkamo Finland being developed by Talvivaara.
• Advised the sponsor on the project financing of the Aguas Teñidas copper-zinc mine in Spain.
• Advising the US government and Afghanistan Ministry of Mines on the development of the mining industry in Afghanistan (mineral reserves potentially valued in excess of US$ 3 trillion and include gold, copper, iron ore, lithium and rare earths) with particular emphasis on the tendering process, model mining agreements and suitability of the mining laws. This was recognised in Financial Times Innovative Lawyer Awards 2011 as a “Stand-out” firm for our work on this and awarded the “Infrastructure/ Energy Team of the Year” at the Lawyer Awards 2012.
• Pro bono counsel for "Women in Mining (UK)".

Infrastructure finance sector

• Representing a group of international export credit agencies as lenders to the $10.6 billion  project financing of the Tahrir petrochemical plant in Ain Sokhna, Egypt.
• Representing one of the largest steel producers in the world on a major arbitration in relation to its mineral rights in South Africa.
• Advising the Kingdom of Bahrain on the privatisation of its water and electricity industry.
• Advising successful concessionaire on the development of an oil terminal at the Port of Aqaba, Jordan.
•  Advised the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum of Afghanistan in relation to the tendering process for private investors to design, construct and operate new cement production facilities in Jabal Saraj (Parwan Province) and Herat (Herat Province).
• Advising Autopista del Sol, Concesionaria Española, S.A. (“Ausol”), a Cintra subsidiary, in its €557 million refinancing of the AP-7 toll-road in the Costa del Sol, Spain through the issuance of €507 million of project bonds and the entering into of a €50.8 million subordinated junior facility.
• Advising Sociedad Concesionaria Autovía de la Plata in its offering of €184.5 million of project bonds to refinance a 49km stretch of the A66 motorway northwest of Madrid, Spain (named "Refinancing Deal of the Year" in the 2015 IJ Global European and Africa Awards).
• Represented the Issuer on the refinancing of the photovoltaic solar power park located in El Bonillo (Albacete) Spain. 
• Advised GT Genera Renovables S.L. on the financing of its solar assets in Spain.
• Advising the Klesch Group, a global industrial company on the novel financing of its Heide refinery in Germany.
• Representing the Government of the Hellenic Republic (Government of Greece) on the Intergovernmental Framework Agreement with the Republic of Bulgaria to develop the rail connection between Greece and Bulgaria
• Advising an Icelandic producer and seller of silicon and solar grade silicon products on a loan covered by Nordic export credit agencies.
• Advising a monoline guarantee provider in relation to the Newcastle Hospital PFI project in the UK.
• Advised GE Medical Systems as managed equipment service provider in connection with the St Helens & Knowsley NHS Trust PFI Project in the UK.
• Advised Road Management Limited in relation to the £260m PFI project to upgrade, operate and maintain a 33 mile stretch of the A1 road in Yorkshire, UK.
• Advised the contractor on the Nottingham Express Transit Phase 2 PFI Tender in the UK, a £600 million extension of the existing tramway.

Barreau

• England and Wales