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Willkie has extensive experience in the area of infrastructure, advising on the financing and construction  of numerous toll-roads, motorways, tunnels, airports, stadiums and rail projects in the U.S., Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Experience

Azzura Consortium: Advised the Azzurra consortium (consisting of the Atlantia Group, EDF Invest and Aeoporti di Roma) on the bid for the privatization of Nice’s airport; the consortium will acquire the French state’s 60% interest in the company that controls three airports on the French Riviera. 

Blue Wolf Capital Partners/LOGISTEC Corporation: Advised Blue Wolf Capital Partners LLC in its approximately $1.2 billion take-private acquisition of LOGISTEC Corporation.

Bureau Veritas/Port of Abidjan: Advised Bureau Veritas in connection with the award and implementation a project involving the design and installation of container verification equipment and operation of services for the Port of Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

CMA CGM Group/Fenix Marine Services/EQT Infrastructure: Represented CMA CGM Group in its $2.3 billion acquisition of Fenix Marine Services, one of the largest U.S. port terminals.

CMA CGM/SOMAGEC: Advising consortium formed by CMA CGM and SOMAGEC in the drafting and negotiation of the concession for the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of the terminal containers of Malabo and Bata in Equatorial Guinea.

Developers/JFK Airport, New York: Advised the joint venture developers of the publicly financed international terminal at JFK Airport in New York City.

Holmarcom/Grain Terminals: Advised Holmarcom, a Moroccan project sponsor, with a project involving the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of two grain terminals in the ports of Casablanca and Jorf Lasfar in Morocco.

iCON Infrastructure LLP/Royal Caribbean Group: iCON Infrastructure LLP in its strategic partnership with Royal Caribbean Group.

Lagardère Group, Aélia, Aéroports de Lyon/Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport: Represented the joint venture of Lagardère Group, its subsidiary Aélia, and Aéroports de Lyon before the French Competition Authority to secure approval for the partnership to operate all commercial areas and public and duty-free zones within the Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport.

Meridiam Infrastructure/CDC Infrastructure: Advising the preferred bidder sponsor group (including Meridiam Infrastructure and CDC Infrastructure), in connection with the project for the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of the extension of the Calais port in France for an amount in excess of €600 million.

MSC: Advised MSC in the context of the award of a port concession in Fosses, Marseilles (France).

Odinsa S.A.,/Macquarie Asset Management: Represented Odinsa S.A., a major developer of transportation projects in South America, in the sale of a 50% stake in certain of its airport concessions in Colombia and Ecuador to a Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) affiliate as part of the expansion of the infrastructure platform the two partners formed to operate and develop their South American road projects.

Port Autonome de Lomé/Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Togo: Advised Port Autonome de Lomé and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Togo on the award of concession for towage and mooring services within the port of Lomé, the most significant port in Togo, to Boluda Lomé. 

The Consortium/Sofia Airport: Represented the consortium formed and led by Meridiam including Strabag and supported by Munich Airport in connection with the successful bid, signing and closing of the concession of the Sofia Airport in the Republic of Bulgaria.

Agence Française de Développement (AFD): Advised Agence Française de Développement (AFD) on several issues.

Bank Pools/16 Hospitals: Advised banks pool and 16 hospitals in their € 228 million bond issue.

Bank Pools/44 French Authorities: Advised bank pools comprising of Natixis, CACIB and HSBC and 44 French authorities in the launching of an issue of bonds with a value of €610 million at 4.30% due in 10 years. The bond issue will finance public projects.

City of Marseilles and Natixis: Advised City of Marseilles and Natixis in the connection with a bond issue, by private placement, at 3% due in 2013, with a deal value of €40 million.

Lenders/CDG Express Project: Represented the lenders on the €236 million multi-tranche bank and bond financing of the project for the operation of the rail link between Paris-Est Station and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (the CDG Express Project).  

Natixis: Advising Natixis in two concomitant bond issues (with a deal value of €30 million for each issuance) for Maisons & Cités Soginorpa, consisting of a 12-year issue at 3.5% and a 10-year issue at 3.125%.   

OFI Infravia/Régaz Bordeaux: Represented infrastructure fund OFI Infravia in the acquisition of a 24% stake in Régaz Bordeaux, the largest independent gas distributor in France, from Dalkia France.

Pays de la Loire: Advised Pays de la Loire region in relation to the setting up and the update of a euro medium term notes program.

Région Champagne-Ardenne and Natixis: Advised Natixis in the connection with a Région Champagne-Ardenne bond issue, by private placement, at 2.28% due in 2021 and 2.75% due in 2023, with a deal value of €30 million total for both issuances.

The Consortium/Sofia Airport: Represented the consortium formed and led by Meridiam including Strabag and supported by Munich Airport in connection with the successful bid, signing and closing of the concession of the Sofia Airport in the Republic of Bulgaria.

Bidder/ Ile-de-la-Réunion Tram-train: Advised a bidder on a PPP project for the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of the Ile-de-la-Réunion Tram-train.

Government of Morocco/High Speed Railway: Advised the Government of Morocco in connection with the preliminary stages of the project for the development of a high-speed railway between Tangier and Marrakesh.

Investor Consortium/CDG-Express Speed Link: Advised and serve as counsel to the selected preferred bidder—a consortium formed by Vinci S.A., Vinci Concessions, AXA IM, Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations and Keolis—on the project financing for the €1+ billion design, construction, operation and maintenance of the CDG Express.

Kansas City Southern/Canadian National Railway/BofA Securities and Morgan Stanley: Represented BofA Securities and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, as financial advisors to Kansas City Southern, in connection with KCS’s $33.6 billion combination with Canadian National Railway.

Kansas City Southern/Canadian Pacific Railway Limited/BofA Securities and Morgan Stanley: Represented BofA Securities and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, as financial advisors to Kansas City Southern, in connection with KCS’s $29 billion combination with Canadian Pacific Railway Limited.

Lenders/CDG Express Project: Represented the lenders on the €236 million multi-tranche bank and bond financing of the project for the operation of the rail link between Paris-Est Station and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (the CDG Express Project). 

Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération/State of Victoria (Australia): Our Paris office represented authority Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération (Mulhouse, France) in the sale of five tramway trains to the Public Transport Authority of the State of Victoria (Australia).

Setrag and Comilog: Represented Setrag and Comilog, Gabonese subsidiaries of the French mining group Eramet, in the context of the €85 million financing by International Finance Corporation and Proparco of the first tranche of the rehabilitation and renewal project of the Transgabonais railway in Gabon.

Sponsors/Nîmes-Montpellier Bypass Railway Project: Advised the sponsors (Bouygues Travaux Publics, Colas, Spie Batignolles, Meridiam, FIDEPP) regarding the €2.2 billion PPP contract for the design, construction, financing and maintenance of the Nîmes-Montpellier Bypass railway project.

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Caen: Advised the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Caen in its PPP extension project.

Consortium/Bourgoin Hospital Project: Advised the consortium (GFC Construction, EXPRIMM, Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, FIDEPPP, NATIXIS) and Société Générale (mandated lead arrangers) in the financing of a greenfield hospital project in Bourgoin-Jallieu in France.

Consortium/Prisons Project: Advised the consortium (Bouygues, Exprimm, SEIEF, Dexia and the Royal Bank of Scotland plc.) and the financial lenders (Dexia and the Royal Bank of Scotland plc.) regarding the PPP contract for the design, construction, financing and maintenance of the second and third group of prisons launched by the French Ministry of Justice.

Depfa Bank/Centre Hospitalier Communale des Portes de l’Oise: Advised Depfa Bank regarding the financing of a PPP project for the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of the Centre Hospitalier Communale des Portes de l’Oise (France).

Depfa Bank/Four Police Stations: Advised Depfa Bank with a PPP project involving the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of four police stations in France.

Direction des Fonds d’Epargne/Grenoble University: Represented Direction des Fonds d’Epargne on the PPP project for  the financing, construction, operation and maintenance of three units of Grenoble University.

ELZ Sağlık Yatırım A.Ş./Hospital: Represented the project sponsor and borrower ELZ Sağlık Yatırım A.Ş. and its shareholders in the Elazıg Integrated Health Campus Project, a public-private partnership (PPP) in Turkey providing for the design, construction, equipment, financing of the health campus, comprising an 888-bed main hospital, 150-bed high-security forensic psychiatric hospital, and 60-unit oral and dental clinic.

French Bank/Hospital: Advised a French bank with the financing of a hospital in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Hélios A and Hélios B/Four Prisons: Advised Hélios A and Hélios B and their shareholders with respect to financing and junior funding issues with a PPP project for the design, financing, construction and maintenance of four new prisons in France.

Le Mans Stadium: Advised Le Mans Stadium (the project company owned by Vinci S.A. and Vinci Concessions) on the financing of a concession project involving the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the future Le Mans Stadium.

Rönesans, Meridiam, Other Turkish Companies/ Adana Integrated Health Campus: Advised the sponsors (Rönesans, Meridiam and other Turkish companies) in a public-private partnership contract for the design, construction, financing and maintenance of the Adana Integrated Health Campus in Turkey.

Sponsors/Sathonay Barracks Project: Advised GDF Suez, GCC and Babcock & Brown in the PPP project involving the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of “gendarmerie” barracks in Sathonay, France.

SRIA/University of Bordeaux: Advised SRIA on a 30-year deal with a consortium to build and maintain 16 buildings owned by the University of Bordeaux.

Allianz Global Investors, a number of Allianz funds, Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank and Société Générale: Represented lenders Allianz Global Investors, Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank and Société Générale in the €620 million PPP project for the financing, design, construction and maintenance of the A507 motorway (L2 Bypass) in Marseille.

Arcour/A19 Motorway: Advised the project company Arcour (and its main shareholder Vinci) with the refinancing on a limited recourse basis of the Artenay-Courtenay section of the A19 motorway in France, for a global amount of approximately €625 million.

ITOCHU/Algeria Motorway: Advised ITOCHU as a bidder for the award of a contract to build the eastern section of the East to West corridor motorway project in Algeria.

La Société Marseillaise du Tunnel Prado Carénage: Advised la Société Marseillaise du Tunnel Prado-Carénage and the project sponsors with the refinancing of the Tunnel du Prado Carénage in Marseille, France.

Odinsa S.A./Macquarie Asset Management: Represented Odinsa S.A., a major developer of transportation projects in South America, in the sale of a 50% stake in certain of its toll road assets to a Macquarie Asset Management fund to establish a new infrastructure platform.

Terra Firma/Autobahn Tank & Rast Holding AG: Represented Terra Firma, one of Europe's leading private equity houses, in its acquisition of Autobahn Tank & Rast, Germany’s leading motorway service operator with 338 filling stations and 382 service areas around the country.

Blue Wolf Capital Partners/Sterling Site Access Solutions: Represented Blue Wolf Capital Partners in its acquisition of Sterling Site Access Solutions, a leading provider of temporary ground protection and site access services.

BMO Sponsor Finance/Visu-Sewer: Represented BMO Sponsor Finance on financing for Fort Point Capital’s acquisition of Visu-Sewer, a wastewater infrastructure rehabilitation and maintenance services provider.

CMA CGM: Advised CMA CGM on its €1.05 billion loan arranged by a consortium of three banks (BNP Paribas, HSBC and Société Générale) as part of France's state-guaranteed loan scheme established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

DigitalBridge/HighGate Capital/Aurora Health Network: Represented DigitalBridge Group, a leading global digital infrastructure REIT, in its $3.2 billion agreement to sell its Wellness Infrastructure business to real estate investment firms Highgate Capital Investments and Aurora Health Network.

Flowbird/Searchlight Capital Partners/YourParkingSpace: Represented Flowbird, a portfolio company of Searchlight Capital Partners, in its acquisition of YourParkingSpace, a UK parking technology company.

Griffin Dewatering/Crossplane Capital: Represented Griffin Dewatering, the leading provider of groundwater control solutions for large scale civil and infrastructure, industrial, power and commercial construction projects, in its acquisition by Crossplane Capital.

Groupe Eurotunnel S.A.: Advised Groupe Eurotunnel on the competition aspects relating to the acquisition of certain assets previously owned by failed ferry operator SeaFrance, subject to conditions. The acquisition took place as part of SeaFrance’s liquidation process.

Intermediate Capital Group/Circet: Represented Intermediate Capital Group in connection with its investment in Circet, the leading telecommunications network service provider in Europe.

Searchlight Capital Partners/EOLO/Partners Group: Represented Searchlight Capital Partners on the sale of its significant stake in EOLO, an Italian broadband provider, to Partners Group.

Searchlight Capital/Flowbird: Represented Searchlight Capital Partners in its negotiations to acquire Flowbird, a global market leader in parking management solutions.

The Sterling Group/Frontline Road Safety/Stripe-A-Zone: Represented The Sterling Group in its establishment of Frontline Road Safety, a new platform formed to build a national leader in the US road safety industry, and the completion of the acquisition of Stripe-A-Zone, Inc. as the first member of the Frontline family of companies.

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