Support of the transaction on the acquisition of a stake in a Russian strategic asset by a foreign investor

Situation

Infralex assisted the purchaser - one of the largest producers of offshore crude oil and natural gas in China and one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the world - in acquiring a stake in a strategic LNG project of one of Russia’s largest oil and gas companies.

The complexity of the project was in the need to prepare and negotiate all transaction documents under stringent deadlines, taking into account the positions of several project investors, as well as the requirements of various jurisdictions (England, China, Russia).

Actions taken

In the course of the project our lawyers:

• Conducted legal due diligence of the target company
• Prepared and negotiated a complete set of transaction documents
• Prepared and filed documents to obtain prior approval of the Russian antitrust authority and the Government Commission for the transaction
• Provided full legal support for the transaction at all stages, including preparation of memoranda, preparation and approval of documents, support of negotiations and closing of the transaction

Result

This deal was approved at the top governmental levels of Russia and China and received massive coverage in the media.

The transaction on the acquisition by the client of a stake in a Russian oil and gas company is of strategic importance. The project involves the construction of a liquid natural gas production facility, and the reserves of the field itself are estimated at 2 trillion cubic meters of natural gas and more than 100 million tons of liquid hydrocarbons.

Today China is one of the main sales markets for the LNG produced by the Russian target company, therefore, attracting one of the largest oil and gas companies in China as a project partner provides additional benefits for sales development in this promising market.