About Lisa Zhou
Lisa specialises in renewable energy and infrastructure project finance, real estate finance and corporate finance.
She advises financiers, sponsors and borrowers across a range of sectors, including renewable energy, infrastructure (including datacentres and digital infrastructure), real estate, funds, healthcare and telecommunications.
Lisa's transactional experience includes advising:
Renewable energy and storage
- CWP Renewables portfolio acquisition and financing with Squadron: the financiers on the renewables portfolio financing—the largest renewables portfolio transaction completed in Australia at the time and one of only several vendor stapled financings taken to completion in Australia
- Elaine BESS: Akaysha on the development and construction project financing of the Elaine BESS, with a Snowy Hydro virtual tolling agreement—the largest four-hour virtual tolling arrangement in the Australian market to date
- Foresight: the lenders in relation to the portfolio-based financing of a portfolio of wind, solar, hydro and battery projects and, previously, on the acquisition by Foresight and project financing of a portfolio of wind and hydro power projects from Meridian
- FRV solar and BESS portfolio refinancing: the financiers on the refinancing of FRV's renewables portfolio
- Wind, solar and BESS financing: in relation to Global Power Generation’s $2.3bn portfolio financing platform for its BESS, solar and wind assets
- Uungula Wind Farm: the financiers on the development project financing by Squadron Energy of the 414MW Uungula Wind Farm
- Metlen Energy/Mytilineos solar projects: the sponsor in relation to the portfolio development and project financings of two solar portfolios—first, the Corowa, Junee and Wagga Wagga Solar Farms with Coles Group Limited as an offtaker; and second, the Kingaroy, Moura and Wyalong Solar Farms with NBN as an offtaker
- Mornington BESS: Valent Energy on the project financing
- Hazelwood BESS: the sponsors on the Macquarie Capital/ENGIE development of the Hazelwood Battery storage project
- BESS virtual offtake agreements: Engie on its VPPA with Neoen Australia for the Victorian Big Battery and Zen on its VPPA for the Quorn Park Hybrid BESS and Solar facility
- Winning CIS bids:
- Lightsource bp on its winning bid to the NEM-wide generation CIS tender for three separate projects, including on bankability issues
- ACEnergy on its winning CIS bid for the Joel Joel BESS and Little River BESS projects
- Snapper Point Gas Power Station, and Lincoln Gap Wind and Battery Projects: the financiers to RATCH/Nexif on the portfolio refinancing
- Powering Australian Renewables Fund/Tilt Renewables: the sponsors on the original establishment of the PARF fund and then advising the sponsors on the sale and project finance of a series of solar and wind projects, including the Broken Hill and Nyngan solar power stations, Silverton Wind Farm and Coopers Gap Wind Farm.
Infrastructure and datacentres
- Northeast Link: the Capella Capital led consortium on its successful bid and project financing of the largest PPP in Victoria's history
- ConnectEast: on its $705m refinancing for EastLink—the longest tollway in Victoria, connecting the Eastern Freeway to Peninsula Link and Frankston Freeway
- New Melton Hospital PPP development and the Frankston Hospital redevelopment PPP: the financiers to the Exemplar Health consortium (comprising Capella, Lendlease, Honeywell and Compass) on its successful bids and project financings for both developments
- Sydney Desalination Plant: the sponsors in relation to several refinancings, including conversion of the document structure to a common terms deed platform to allow for diversification of debt to include short-medium term bank debt and long-term Samurai debt
- Hawaiki submarine internet cable system: the financier on the development financing of the 14,000 kilometre Hawaiki submarine internet cable system with 30 Tbps of capacity, connecting Australia, New Zealand and the United States
- Lane Cove Tunnel: the private placement investors on Transurban's $460m refinancing of its bank and private placement debt facilities for the Lane Cove Tunnel
- Global Switch: in relation to the sale of its Australian data centre business to HMC Capital.
Real estate and corporate financing
- i-MED's Jones Radiology business: CBA in relation to the acquisition financing of the Jones Radiology business, a leading provider of diagnostic imaging services across South Australia and the Northern Territory
- Crystalbrook SAM Hotel: the financier on the construction financing of the 12 level luxury hotel developed by the Samaras Group in Adelaide
- Golden Age build-to-rent: in relation to its Skye Square build-to-rent development in Box Hill, Victoria
- Irongate: the financier in relation to debt facilities to Irongate for the acquisitions of warehouse and industrial properties in NSW and Queensland
- Fawkner Property: the financier in relation to the financing of Fawkner Property's acquisition of Willows Shopping Centre in Queensland
- Broadmeadows Shopping Centre: the senior financier on the acquisition by Milemaker of a co-ownership interest in the shopping centre (including co-ownership arrangements with Vicinity Centres)
- Vocus: on the refinancing of the group's A$1.07bn and NZ$160m bank debt facilities
- Vicinity Centres: the lenders on the refinancing of $5.1bn of bank debt facilities for the Federation Centres and Novion merged group (now known as Vicinity Centres)
- Growthpoint Properties: the lenders on the group's syndicated bank debt facilities
- The financier to ISPT and Galileo Group: on the construction financing of three residential apartment towers known as 'Metro Apartments', comprising more than 500 apartments in Chatswood Transport Interchange in NSW
- Institutional lender: on a number of property financings across Australia, including the $425m acquisition of The Complex office towers, $200m acquisition financing of Figtree shopping centre (NSW) and $170m acquisition financing for 'K1'—a commercial office tower in Fortitude Valley, Queensland.