About Mark McAleer
Mark specialises in projects and transactions in the mining and oil and gas sectors. His core practice involves advising on, structuring and negotiating incorporated and unincorporated joint ventures, asset and share acquisitions, farm-ins and disposals, commodity sale and purchase agreements, foreign investment regulation, government investment agreements, marketing, offtake and project development work.
Mark has significant experience on cross-border transactions involving interests and assets in Australia, Asia, North and South America, Africa and Europe. Mark is consistently recognised by numerous publications such as Who’s Who Legal, Doyle's Guide, Best Lawyers Australia and IFLR for being a leading lawyer in the mining, energy and natural resources sectors.
Mark's experience in the mining and oil and gas sectors includes:
- Rio Tinto – on a large number of significant strategic transactions, including:
- the successful defence of the US$107 billion BHB Billiton takeover offer;
- the proposed US$20 billion strategic alliance with Chinalco;
- the proposed $US100 billion Western Australian iron ore production joint venture with BHP;
- the proposed Simandou iron ore project in Guinea, West Africa, including arrangements with the Government of Guinea, International Finance Corporation, and the upstream joint venture and associated US$1.35 billion earn-in arrangements with Chalco;
- the $US1.6 billion divestment of its Corumbá iron ore mine in Brazil and associated river logistics operations in Paraguay, and its undeveloped potash assets in Argentina and Canada to Valé
- the first, second and third extensions of the historic Channar iron ore joint venture with Sinosteel;
- the Oyu Tolgoi copper/gold project in the South Gobi region of Mongolia; and
- the acquisition of a 50 per cent interest in the Hope Downs Iron Ore Project in Western Australia, associated joint-venture arrangements, and State Agreement and government approvals.
- ExxonMobil – in relation to the Gorgon LNG project, including joint venture, unitisation and associated project documentation and LNG off-take arrangements with PetroChina and Petronet, and on its abandoned 20 month proposed divestment process relating to certain oil assets in the Gippsland Basin.
- Evolution Mining – on its $880m synthetic joint venture with Glencore in relation to the Ernest Henry copper-gold mine, and the divestment of Evolution’s Pajingo and Edna May gold mines.
- Woodside – in relation to all aspects of its proposed Scarborough LNG Project, its first LNG spot trade and developing Woodside's proforma Master LNG Spot SPA, and on exploration farm-in and joint venture arrangements in the Carnarvon Basin with Finder Exploration and Chevron.
- Tianqi Lithium Corporation – on the US$1b joint venture between Tianqi and Rockwood, and associated lithium offtake, distribution and logistics arrangements.
- INPEX – acting for INPEX in relation to the Ichthys LNG Project, including equity sell-downs with various Japanese LNG buyers and the US$1.6 billion acquisition of additional equity from Total.
- La Mancha – on numerous transactions, including: the US$171m acquisition of Alacer Gold Corp.'s interests in the Frog's Leg gold mine and the sale of its Australian gold mining business to Evolution Mining in exchange for 31% of Evolution's shares.
- Osaka Gas – acting for Osaka Gas in relation to its interests in the Sunrise, Evans Shoal, Crux Projects, including the arrangements entered into with Shell and Nexus Energy for a Shell-led integrated gas and liquids development to commercialise the Crux asset and recent proposed FLNG tolling arrangements with Prelude.
- Iluka Resources – on offtake arrangements for its Sierra Rutile project in Sierra Leone and Cataby mineral sands project in Western Australia.
- JERA Co., Inc. – acting on Australian aspects of the formation of JERA Co., Inc. and numerous projects in Australia, including its proposed investment in the Port Kembla LNG import terminal project.
- Wesfarmers – on due diligence and joint venture arrangements associated with Kidman Resources Limited's Mount Holland Lithium Project, as part of the proposed scheme of arrangement for Wesfarmers to acquire 100% of Kidman's shares.
- Cue Energy Limited – in relation to various farm-in arrangements in onshore and offshore exploration interests in Australian, New Zealand and Indonesia, including in relation to the arrangements agreed with BP, Beach and NZOG in relation to the Ironbark prospect.
Mark sits on the Executive of the State Committee of the Western Australian Branch of the Australian Mining and Petroleum Law Association and is also a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators.