Ana Maria Arias

Associate, Miami

Biography

Overview

Ana Maria is an associate in White & Case's Energy, Infrastructure, Project, Asset Finance Global Practice Group. Since joining White & Case, her practice has focused on project finance and banking transactions in Latin America. Ana Maria received her J.D. degree from Harvard Law School. Ana Maria also received her undergraduate degrees in Political Science and International Relation with Honors and Distinction from Florida International University.

Bars and Courts
Florida State Bar
Education
JD
Harvard Law School
BA
Florida International University
Languages
English
French
Portuguese
Spanish

Experience

Among others, Ana has represented:

Invenergy and Energía del Pacifico, Ltda. de C.V., as sponsor and borrower respectively, in the development and financing of a 378 MW power plant in El Salvador and its related infrastructure, including a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) permanently moored through a modified spread mooring system for liquefied natural gas (LNG) delivery, storage, and regasification, as well as a natural gas pipeline running from the FSRU to the power plant.

A telecommunications company and its Colombian subsidiary in connection with US$300 million facility.

The joint lead arrangers and bookrunners in connection with a US$200 million facility for a Colombian subsidiary of a Chilean commercial bank.

Wells Fargo Bank N.A. as facility agent and Wells Fargo Securities LLC and Banco Latino Americano de Comercio Exterior, as Joint Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners in connection with a US$125 million senior unsecured syndicated facility for Scotiabank de Costa Rica.

KfW IPEX-Bank and DEG on the project financing of the 100 MW Pomona wind farm in Argentina being developed by Genneia S.A. The financing is supported by a RenovAr PPA.

SMBC, EKF, CAF and FMO in connection with the project financing of the Villalonga and Chubut Norte wind farms being developed by Genneia S.A. in Argentina. The financing is supported by RenovAr PPAs.

Cubico Sustainable Investments, Akuo Energy and their joint venture project company in connection with the refinancing of the Florida 1 Wind Park in Uruguay extended by EDC and CaixaBank.

CAF and DEG as lenders in connection with the project financing of a hydroelectric power plant to be owned and developed by La Virgen S.A.C. in Peru, a subsidiary of Alupar.

IC Power and its subsidiary Inkia Energy in connection with the development, supply, construction and financing of the Agua Clara wind power project in the Dominican Republic.

Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), as mandated lead arranger and purchaser, in an up to US$450 million receivables purchase facility provided to Consorcio FCC – Corredor de las Playas I, a Panamanian consortium comprising FCC Construcción, S.A., Panama Branch, and Operadora CICSA, S.A. de C.V., Panama Branch, to finance the assessment, design, construction and maintenance of the expansion of the Pan-American Highway, Tramo 1 from La Chorrera to Santa Cruz in Panama.

Invenergy LLC in the US$32 million purchase of the 64 MW La Jacinta solar farm in Uruguay from Fotowatio Renewable Ventures.

Neoen, the leading French-based renewable energy producer, in connection with the project financing of the Altiplano 200 project, a 208 MW solar power plant located in the Salta province of Argentina. This is the first solar power plant in the world to qualify for the benefit of this coverage from BPIAE.

The Bank of Nova Scotia, Mizuho Bank, Ltd., MUFG Bank Ltd., JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. and Banco Santander, S.A., as lenders and joint lead arrangers (the "Lenders"), and The Bank of Nova Scotia, as Administrative Agent (the "Administrative Agent"), in connection with the Credit Agreement, dated February 20, 2020, among Celulosa Arauco y Constitución S.A. ("Arauco"), as borrower, the Lenders and the Administrative Agent, pursuant to which the Lenders provided Arauco with unsecured revolving loans in an aggregate principal amount of up to US$375 million.

Colombia Telecomunicaciones S.A. E.S.P. (Movistar Colombia), a subsidiary of the Spanish telecom group Telefónica, as borrower, in connection with a US$320 million senior unsecured term loan facility. The proceeds of the facility will be used to refinance certain existing indebtedness of Colombia Telecomunicaciones S.A. ESP. Banco Santander, S.A., acted as administrative agent, and Bank of America N.A., Banco Santander, S.A., BNP Paribas Securities Corp. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. acted as joint lead arrangers and bookrunners.

Nautilus Energy Partners LLC in the refinancing of a bridge loan obtained in September 2018 by Nautilus Inkia LLC, Nautilus Distributions LLC and Nautilus Isthmus LLC to partially finance the acquisition of the capital stock (25%) of both Samay and Kallpa Generación by the Inkia Energy group.

IC Power Distribution Holding Pte. Ltd. as borrower, in its US $120 million secured term loan facility to finance a portion of the acquisition of power generation facilities in Central America.

Mizuho Bank Ltd. as administrative agent and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and Mizuho Bank Ltd, as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners in connection with a US$220 million senior unsecured syndicated facility for Banco Safra. S.A., acting through its Luxembourg Branch.

Standard Chartered Bank as administrative agent and Standard Chartered Bank and Mizuho Bank Ltd, as Mandated Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners in connection with a US$205 million senior unsecured syndicated facility for Banco Safra S.A., acting through its Luxembourg Branch.

AB Svensk ExportKredit, Banco Security, DNB Group, Agencia en Chile, KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, as lenders, and Eksport Kredit Fonden, the Danish export credit agency, in the US$306 million project financing of the San Juan Project being developed by Latin America Power, a 185 MW wind electricity generation facility in the Province of Atacama, Chile and the related 220-kV, 86 km transmission line that will connect the Project to Chile's Central Interconnected System (SIC). The financing, which consists of commercial and ECA-guaranteed loan facilities, is supported by long-term power purchase agreements with distribution companies awarded in the December 2014 regulated market auction.

Invenergy in the acquisition of, and project financing for, the 70 MW Campo Palomas Wind Farm in Uruguay.

Awards and Recognition

Daily Business Review Top Deal Makers of the year (2016) (International Financing)