NEWS

Allens tops global infrastructure project finance tables

By Phillip Cornwell
Banking & Finance Infrastructure & Transport

Allens has topped the global table as the leading legal adviser for infrastructure project finance deals in 2014.

Allens topped the 'Global Infrastructure Project Finance Legal Adviser Ranking' in the annual Dealogic Project Finance Review, having worked on 22 infrastructure deals with a value of $6.7 billion, accounting for an 8.1 per cent share of the global market spend.

Allens also ranked in the top four of the Dealogic tables for legal adviser of global PFI/PPP project finance deals and legal adviser for Asia Pacific project finance deals and comes on the back of the firm winning Asia-Pacific's Transport Deal of the Year for the North West Rail Link PPP project at the 2014 PFI Awards.

In addition to the A$3.7 billion North West Rail Link, the firm was involved in a host of major infrastructure finance matters in 2014, including APA Group's A$6 billion acquisition of BG's QCLNG pipeline in Queensland, QIC's A$7 billion sale of Queensland Motorways to Transurban, the A$3.9 billion East West Link project and the Ravenhall Prison PPP.

Partner and Head of the firm's Project Finance practice Phillip Cornwell said the result was particularly pleasing given the strength and highly competitive nature of the Australian project finance market.

'Our clients regularly applaud us for our commercial approach and see our team as being integral to the delivery of the funding for those projects,' Mr Cornwell said.

'Topping the global infrastructure legal adviser tables is a humbling acknowledgement of the support we get from our clients. We are proud to have been able to work with our clients to deliver these major projects.'

Mr Cornwell said the outlook for project finance in 2015 was very positive.

'The pipeline for privatisations is so strong that it is hard to see the flow of work in that sector abating, even allowing for some political risk. Similarly, PPPs and infrastructure finance generally will continue to be busy as Australian state and Federal governments focus their efforts on bettering our nation's infrastructure.

'We are waiting to see whether there is a recovery in the commodities markets to support more greenfields work in energy and resources, however there is quite a deal of merger and acquisition activity in those sectors to keep us busy.'

'We have topped the Dealogic project finance tables in 10 of the past eleven years, so to continue this run of outstanding results for the firm is a testament to the talent, breadth, depth and hard work of our project finance team across Australia and the region,' Mr Cornwell said.

'We have continued to add to the talent in our team with the promotion of Scott McCoy to Managing Associate. Scott has been highly active on PPP and project financing, recently advising on the North West Rail Link, Adani's Abbot Point and numerous PPP bids including EastWest Link.'

Ends

Notes for editors.

Allens is a commercial law firm working throughout Australia and Asia. Through its integrated alliance with Linklaters it provides clients access to 40 offices in 28 countries around the world.