About Giles Cooper
Giles is managing partner of Allens' Hanoi office and has over 25 years' experience advising investors in Vietnam, focusing on major projects, energy and infrastructure development and financing. Giles has assisted developers and lenders on significant power projects, spanning traditional thermal projects, LNG-to-power and renewable energy projects. He advises on major upstream domestic gas projects and regularly acts both buy and sell side on M&A transactions in power and other sectors.
Giles is known for his involvement in Vietnam's corporate power procurement market, having advised on development of the initial DPPA regulations and acted on some of the country's first virtual and direct-wire DPPA projects.
Giles qualified to practise law in New Zealand and is registered as a foreign lawyer with the Ministry of Justice in Vietnam. He is a member of the IFC's Vietnam private sector advisory council, an advisory board member of the Vietnam Institute of Directors, and a steering committee member of the Vietnam Business Forum's Power and Energy Working Group.
Giles is recognised as a Leading Partner for both Projects and Energy and Corporate M&A by Legal 500.
His experience includes:
- Nghi Son LNG to Power Project: assisting a potential investor on multiple bidding processes and regulatory matters for investor selection.
- Long Son LNG to Power Project: advising a Japanese investor on its potential investment in the Long Son LNG to power project in Ba Ria Vung Tau province.
- Hai Lang LNG to Power Project: advising the consortium of Hanwha, KOSPO, KOGAS and T&T Group on development of the Hai Lang LNG to power project.
- Vung Ang 2 BOT Power Project: advising sponsors and project company on development, financing and construction of the 1,200MW coal-fired BOT power project.
- A global oil and gas corporation: advising on regulatory issues, and key project agreements in relation to a major Vietnam offshore gas field.
- Enel Green Power: advising on the joint development of multiple solar and wind power projects in Vietnam, including the development of a bespoke template EPC contract for a 160MW solar project.
- Levanta: on its acquisition of a 50MW operational onshore wind power project in Vietnam.
- A Canadian fund – on its acquisition of a 100MW onshore wind power project in Vietnam.
- GuarantCo: advising on multiple transactions to guarantee issuance of bonds by private sector companies in sectors including aquaculture, industrial services, and renewable energy.
- InfraCo: advising on equity investment into clean water supply projects in the north of Vietnam.
- Mainstream: advising on divestment of equity interests in multiple Vietnam renewable energy project companies.
- Macquarie/Blue Leaf Energy: advising on a number of potential renewable energy investments in Vietnam, including proposed investment in a 500MWp floating solar power project coupled with a 200MWh energy storage system and a number of portfolios of corporate rooftop solar power projects in Vietnam.
- Corio Generation: advising on its partnership with Fecon to develop a 500MW offshore wind project in Vietnam.
- Iberdrola: advising on divestment of equity interests in multiple renewable energy project companies in Vietnam.
- Assisting an international energy developer on one of Vietnam's first Contract for Differences for purposes of participation in the virtual DPPA regime.
- Advising multiple energy sector clients on Vietnam's DPPA and renewable energy regulatory environments.
- SeaTown Master Fund: advising on its highly structured joint equity investment in one of Vietnam's largest retail platforms and supermarket chains, The CrownX.
- International Finance Corporation: advising on loans to finance the acquisition of renewable energy assets and a waste-to-energy plant in Vietnam.
- Bangkok Bank: advising on multiple financings of wind and solar power energy projects in Vietnam (total aggregate capacity around 850MW).
- Lender group: advising on financing supported by MIGA PRI of transport infrastructure in Vietnam.
- Japanese trading house: advising on strategic planning for greenfield port sector investment in central Vietnam.
- Actis: advising this leading global investor in sustainable infrastructure on the Vietnam aspects of its acquisition of a majority stake in Levanta Renewables, a Southeast Asia-focused renewable energy platform with 300MW of onshore wind power projects under development in Vietnam.
- Macquarie: advising on the joint development and proposed acquisition of a 49% stake in a project company developing 2 x 30MW wind power projects in Vietnam.
- Spanish renewable energy company: advising on multiple M&A projects in the wind and solar power sector (total involved capacity around 800MW).
- Norwegian renewable energy company: advising on a portfolio of corporate-offtake rooftop solar power projects across Vietnam.
- Japanese renewable energy company: advising on the development of an approx. 110MW wind power project in Vietnam.
- Singapore investor: advising on the joint development and acquisition of 2 x 49 MW PV solar projects in Quang Tri province, Vietnam. This included full regulatory and permitting support, tax and corporate structuring work, preparing EPC and O&M contracts, and financing work.
- Sembcorp Utilities: acting as lead counsel to a sponsor of the 225MW gas-fired BOT Myingyan power project—a first-of-its-kind project in Myanmar—including full advice and support on all project and financing agreements. This project was awarded Project Finance International’s ‘Asia-Pacific Deal of the Year 2017’ and IFLR’s ‘Project Finance Deal of the Year 2018’.
- USAID-funded V-LEEP project: acting as lead legal advisor to develop and implement a 'direct power purchase agreement' pilot project for renewable energy projects.
- Large international investment group based in Singapore: advising on its proposed acquisition of a Vietnamese commercial bank under the State Bank of Vietnam’s special control.
- Danish private equity fund: acting in relation to multiple acquisitions and exits in Vietnam targets (sectors include medical, agriculture, food and beverage and manufacturing).
- Singapore incorporated commercial bank: acting in relation to its plan to acquire up to 100% of the charter capital of a State-owned Commercial Bank in Vietnam, which was a private commercial bank in distress acquired by the State Bank of Vietnam for VND0.
- Large US mutual fund: advising on its participation in a highly structured IPO by a large private Vietnamese commercial bank.
- Vietnamese State-owned company: advised on restructuring of debt arrangements involving foreign lenders for two major maritime infrastructure projects.