Antoine Bouzanquet
Partner, Corporate & Financial Services
Antoine Bouzanquet is a partner in the Corporate and Financial Services Department of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in Paris. He focuses on the development and financing of energy and infrastructure projects, in France and abroad.
Antoine advises a broad spectrum of market players, including sponsors (industrial sponsors and investment funds) and lenders (commercial banks and institutional investors), on complex greenfield and brownfield energy/infrastructure-related private equity, M&A or project development and financing transactions.
Over the past few years, Antoine has been involved as main legal advisor in numerous high-profile transactions in the telecom, transport and energy sectors and has earned a reputation of problem-solving and success-oriented lawyer, with a combination of robust technical skills and strong business acumen.
Chambers Europe 2024 ranks Antoine “Up & Coming” in Projects & Energy: Domestic. A client highlighted "Antoine Bouzanquet is a bright mind who is very persuasive, with good negotiation and drafting skills. He seeks fair and balanced deals, ensuring at all times to secure his clients' interests." Also a client remarks that "We very much appreciated the quality of his work and his ability to find solutions to ensure that the project we were working on was a success. We were impressed by his ability to adapt to complex situations and structures."
Antoine has been ranked by Legal 500 EMEA 2024 as a “Rising Star”, a client noted that “Antoine Bouzanquet is an expert in project finance.” and “Antoine Bouzanquet has good experience in project financing and was able to guide us to determine our best avenues in our complex case.”
Before joining Willkie in 2015, Antoine worked as an associate at Mayer Brown where he advised on LBO and real estate transactions. He also gained experience in capital markets in a leading French bank.
Admitted to the Paris Bar, Antoine graduated from the University of Paris 2 – Assas and the University of Oxford in business law. He also graduated from ESCP Europe, where he received a degree in management and finance.
A native French speaker, Antoine is fluent in English.
Experience
The lenders on the €1.3bn financing of the concession awarded by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces to a consortium formed by Eiffage and Groupe Arcade-VYV, for the outsourced development, renovation and management of 11.200 state-owned housing units in metropolitan France.
Acquisition of Covage’s FTTO networks
The lenders on a EUR 220 million senior secured loan facility for the Altitude Group in relation to the acquisition of 18 Covage fiber-to-the-office (FTTO) networks and the refinancing of their existing indebtedness
Financing of renewable projects portfolio in the UK
Voltalia in the context of the financing of a portfolio of 3 greenfield PV assets in the UK.
Financing of renewable projects portfolio in France
Voltalia in the context of the financing of a portfolio of 6 greenfield assets, including 3 onshore wind farms and 2 onshore solar plants located in mainland France and one solar plant with onsite battery storage located in French Guinea via a HoldCo wholly owned by Voltalia.
Privatization of the Nantes-Atlantique Airport, France
Vinci Airport in connection with its bid to obtain the concession of the Nice Côte d’Azur airport and its financing
National Fiber Optic Network, France
Bouygues Telecom on a strategic joint venture with Cellnex Telecom to deploy a national fiber optic network in France to provide mobile and fixed fiber based connectivity and accelerate the roll-out of 5G
FTTH Optic Fiber Lines, France
Bouygues Telecom on a joint venture with Vauban Infrastructure Partners aimed at purchasing access rights to fibre to the home (FTTH) optic fibre lines from Orange in certain areas in France.
5G deployment, France
Advising Bouygues Telecom in the context of EIB's €350M financing to support the deployment of its 5G network in France.
Orange Concessions Fiber, France
The consortium led by Banque des Territoires (Caisse des Dépôts), CNP Assurances and EDF Invest on the acquisition of a 50% equity interest in Orange Concessions.
SEA High Speed Rail, France
The commercial lenders and institutional investors on the €2.2 billion refinancing of a portion of the Tours-Bordeaux SEA high-speed line concessionaire's (LISEA) debt – the largest refinancing of an infrastructure project in France
A19 Motorway, France
Arcour's lenders in connection 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
Deployment and operation of new demand response capacities, France
Voltalis in its financing of new demand response capacities up to 1.4 GW in the context of a contract for difference granted by RTE
Electrical vehicle charging stations, France
The lenders on a EUR 138 million financing of the development by Allego (Meridiam’s affiliate) of more than 2,000 fast and ultra-fast EV charge points over 200 charging locations across France, in partnership with Carrefour
Photovoltaic and H2 plant, French Guiana
Meridiam and Hydrogène de France in the context of a photovoltaic plant with a hydrogen storage facility in French Guiana, to be financed on a limited recourse basis, with the revenue stream corresponding to payments received under a PPA with EDF SEI linked to the availability of the power plant
Prado Tunnels in Marseille, France
The lenders on the refinancing of the Prado Carénage and Prado Sud tunnels in Marseille, financing of a new greenfield extension of such tunnels
Kingston Container Terminal, Jamaica
CMA CGM in connection with all aspects of the 30-year concession granted by the Port Authority of Jamaica for the operation, maintenance and development of the Kingston Container Terminal which was financed mainly by DFIs
Port of Le Havre, France
CMA CGM / Terminal Link and iCON on the refinancing and financing of new investments in the Port of le Havre
Privatization of the Nice Airport, France
The Azzurra consortium consisting of Atlantia, Aeroporti di Roma and Électricité de France (EDF) in connection with their successful bid to acquire the French state’s interest in the concessionaire of the Nice Côte d’Azur airport and its financing (representing a total investment of €1.2 billion)
Credentials
Education
ESCP-EAP, 2013 Université Paris II - Panthéon-Assas, Master II, 2011 Oxford University and Université Paris II - Panthéon-Assas, Master I, 2010