Simmons & Simmons and local Omani firm Al Busaidy, Mansoor Jamal & Co have beaten ten others to provide legal advice on the Middle East’s first imported coal-fired project, the Duqm IWPP.
Simmons was awarded the legal advisory contract for the project after submitting a tender bid earlier in April, alongside Denton Wilde Sapte, Gide Loyrette Nouel, Freshfields, Clifford Chance, DLA Piper, Norton Rose and Trowers & Hamlins.
Although Simmons has no offices in Oman it has retained local firm Al Busaidy on the project, using Al Busaidy’s founding partner Mansoor Jamal Malik and senior associate Ardeshir Patel as local counsel. The firm was chosen based on the experience of the proposed project team, as the Omani government’s main criterion was prior experience on coal or IWPP-related projects. While it is unknown which lawyers will be involved on the project (Simmons declined to comment when contacted), the lawyers are likely to be based in the Abu Dhabi office.
The two firms will advise the government-owned Oman Power and Water Co. SAOC on agreements to procure project resources and drafting of project documents, among other matters. Both firms are expected to be retained for the entire project schedule. “Our contract is with Simmons and we look to the firm for complete opinion on any laws, regulations or licence related matters,” said project manager, Yousuf Al-Jahdhami.
Al Busaidy’s Malik said that although the two firms have worked on several cases together previously, no official associations or alliances have been sealed between the two. “We’ve had a very close relationship with Simmons & Simmons over the years and we’ve received instructions from them in the past,” he said. “All the projects we’re invited by international firms are based on a project-to-project base.”
Oman’s power project has an estimated value of around US$2bn and is the first coal-fired power plant in the Gulf. The plant will allow Oman to generate its own energy instead of importing natural gas for power. “It’s the first of its kind in the region and depending on how it goes it may open opportunities across the [Gulf] for those [countries] looking to use alternative fuel or power projects,” said Malik.
The plant is expected to begin operating around 2016 and will bring in coal from Indonesia and South Africa.
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