Cristian Blumm
Cristian Blumm
Cristian Blumm
Cristian Blumm

Biography

Cristian Blumm is a partner in White & Case's Project Development and Finance group, based in Houston after prior postings in the firm's Singapore and New York offices.

Cristian focuses his practice on project development and commercial contracts for large-scale energy and infrastructure projects, in the Americas, Asia and globally. He advises project developers/sponsors, investors, lenders, suppliers, offtakers/marketers and other stakeholders, in connection with greenfield projects, expansions/upgrades and operating assets, and in the context of joint ventures, M&A transactions and financings.

Cristian has extensive experience in energy sector transactions, particularly in oil & gas and petrochemicals, which he leverages to support his clients in connection with the energy transition. He is described by his clients as an "excellent resource" who "understand[s] the energy and petrochemical sector well" and "never fail[s] to deliver practical, actionable advice for clients", in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2022 – Singapore: Projects & Energy (Foreign Firms).

Experience

Downstream Oil & Gas / Petrochemicals:

Saudi Aramco - Asia Refining/Petrochemical Projects
Saudi Aramco on its:

  • Joint venture with Sinopec and the provincial government to develop and finance a US$10 billion refining and petrochemical complex in Fujian province, China.
  • US$3.4 billion acquisition of a minority interest in Shenzhen-listed Rongsheng Petrochemical, the parent of Zhejiang Petroleum and Chemical, which owns the largest integrated refining and chemicals complex in China.
  • Joint venture with the Chinese SOEs North Huajin Chemical and Panjin Xincheng to develop and finance a US$10 billion refining and petrochemical complex in Liaoning province, China.
  • Acquisition of a 50% equity interest in Petronas's Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) in Malaysia and the development and financing of the US$15 billion joint venture project.
  • Proposed US$6 billion joint venture with Pertamina to acquire, expand and upgrade Pertamina's refinery and petrochemical facility in Cilacap, Indonesia, as part of Pertamina's Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP).

Saudi Aramco - Fuels and Lubricants Retail
Saudi Aramco on its:

  • US$2.65 billion acquisition of the global products business of NYSE-listed Valvoline Inc., including supply arrangements for branded lubricants in North America.
  • Acquisition of a 25% equity interest in Unioil, one of the Philippines' fastest growing retail, wholesale and storage companies, including supply arrangements for refined products and branded lubricants in the Philippines.
  • Acquisition of a 40% equity interest in Gas & Oil Pakistan, one of Pakistan's largest retail and storage companies, including supply arrangements for refined products and branded lubricants in Pakistan.
  • Restructuring of its global base oils business, including sales/marketing arrangements for the base oils produced by its various subsidiaries.

Aramco Trading - Supply/Offtake
Aramco Trading on its supply and offtake of various petroleum products and chemicals, in connection with projects and operating assets globally.

Global Energy Trader - India Supply/Offtake
A global energy trading company on its proposed supply of crude oil to, and offtake of refined products and chemicals from, an NOC's refining and petrochemical complex in India.

Global Energy Trader - Egypt Ethane Supply/FSRU
A global energy trading company on its proposed arrangements to supply ethane into Egypt, including shipping liquefied ethane from the U.S. and regasification by a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU).

Developer - Uzbek Gas-to-Chemical Project
The project developer on its proposed development and financing of a gas-to-chemical complex in Uzbekistan, including gas processing, offtake, engineering, equipment supply and technology licensing arrangements.

Global Financial Institutions - Uzbek GTL Project
The lenders, including commercial banks and ECAs, on the financing and restructuring of a US$3.6 billion gas-to-liquids (GTL) project in Uzbekistan, including the divestment of industrial gases processing facilities and tolling arrangements.

EIG - St. Croix Refinery/Terminal
EIG on multiple additional rounds of financing, totalling US$1.1 billion in preferred equity, senior debt and sponsor subordinated debt, on top of the existing US$1.7 billion financing, to Limetree Bay Ventures to modernize and restart a refinery and oil storage terminal in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Chemicals Company - Rubber Business 
A multinational chemicals company on the proposed sale of its rubber manufacturing business, including agency arrangements and IP transfers and licensing.

Motiva - Texas Chemicals Project
Motiva Enterprises on its acquisition of a Texas chemicals project owned by Flint Hills Resources, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, including supply, offtake and pipeline arrangements.

 

Upstream and Midstream Oil & Gas / LNG:

Noble Energy - Equatorial Guinea Gas Monetization
Noble Energy on the implementation of the Alen gas monetization project in Equatorial Guinea, including upstream development, gas processing and liquefaction and LNG sales.

Foreign Investor - Malaysia Upstream
A foreign investor on the development of an offshore oil and gas block in Malaysia, including a joint operating agreement and a production sharing contract.

PAE - Mexico Upstream
Pan American Energy (PAE) on its purchase and sale of interests in the production sharing contracts for multiple offshore oil and gas blocks in Mexico, including farmout arrangements, joint operating agreements and a transfer of operatorship.

Global Oil & Gas Company - Middle East Concession
A global oil & gas company on the grant of its concession rights in the Middle East.

Global Financial Institutions - Brazil FPSO
The lenders on the US$800 million term loan and bridge loan financings for the conversion and construction of the floating production, storage and offloading unit (FPSO) Pioneiro de Libra, owned by a 50/50 joint venture between Odebrecht and Teekay Offshore, and chartered to Petrobras for operation in the Libra ultra-deepwater oil field offshore Brazil.

Sponsor - Mexico Terminal/Pipeline System
The project sponsor on the proposed financing of a system of terminals and pipelines in Mexico for the storage, treatment and transportation of refined products.

Deutsche Bank - Texas Gas Gathering/Processing Project
Deutsche Bank as sole arranger/underwriter of US$350 million in financing for development of a gas gathering and processing system in Texas's Permian Basin by Salt Creek Midstream, a joint venture between ARM Energy and Ares Management.

Freeport LNG - Texas Liquefaction Projects
Freeport LNG on the US$14 billion of third-party cash equity, mezzanine debt and senior debt financings for the initial three liquefaction trains (each train is separately owned and financed) of the LNG export facility to be constructed at Freeport LNG's existing regasification facility on the Texas coast.

Developer - Indonesia LNG-to-Power
A U.S. project developer on its proposed joint venture to develop and finance an LNG-to-power project in Indonesia.

 

Energy Transition:

Proman - UAE Methanol Project
Proman on its joint venture with TA'ZIZ (a joint venture between ADNOC and ADQ) to develop a US$5 billion gas-to-methanol project, the UAE's first world-scale methanol production facility, including offtake/marketing arrangements.

SABIC - U.S. Methanol Project
SABIC on its proposed US$2.2 billion joint venture with South Louisiana Methanol LP, a subsidiary of Todd Corporation, to develop and finance the largest methanol production plant in North America.

Supplier - E-methanol Offtake
A Middle East supplier on the proposed long-term offtake of e-methanol by a global container shipping company.

Supplier - Texas Alkylation Project
A supplier on the feedstock supply arrangements for a Texas ethylene-to-alkylate complex developed by Next Wave, a portfolio company of Energy Capital Partners (ECP).

Agribusiness - Asia Biofuels Project
A multinational agribusiness on its proposed joint venture with a global oil & gas company to develop a biofuels project in Asia, including arrangements for the contract manufacturing of feedstock derived from waste products, tolling of intermediate products and offtake of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel.

Sponsors - Singapore Hydrogen Project
The project sponsors on a proposed hydrogen supply chain project involving multiple jurisdictions and infrastructure facilities and seeking to transform Singapore's energy mix.

Supplier - Metals Recycling/Catalyst Manufacturing
A supplier on its proposed sales/marketing arrangements for a metal waste product as feedstock to metals recycling and catalyst manufacturing facilities in Asia and the Middle East.

Developer - U.S. Rare Earths
The project developer on its proposed acquisition of mineral interests in the western U.S. for the mining of rare earths.

Conservation International - South America Carbon Credits
Conservation International on its proposed development and financing of a project to generate carbon credits by implementing reduced-impact forestry/logging practices in the Amazon rainforest, including concession rights and carbon credit offtake arrangements.

Global Energy Trader - Africa LPG/Carbon Credits
A global energy trading company on its proposed investment in an African liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) company for the manufacture and distribution of smart LPG cylinders in Africa, including LPG supply and carbon credit offtake/marketing arrangements.

 

Renewables / Power:

Global Commercial Bank - Illinois Wind Farm
The lead arranger on the project financing of Invenergy's development of the 250 MW Blooming Grove Wind Energy Center in Illinois.

Global Financial Institutions - Germany Offshore Wind
An international syndicate of lenders, noteholders and institutional investors on the €1 billion multi-currency, multi-tranched refinancing of the 288 MW Meerwind offshore wind farm in Germany majority-owned by Blackstone.

Global Commercial Bank - Guam Solar Project
The lead arranger on the project financing of NRG Energy's development of a 26 MW photovoltaic solar power project in the U.S. territory of Guam.

Foreign Investor - Southeast Asia Renewables Portfolio
A U.S. private equity firm on its proposed investment in a portfolio of renewable energy projects in Southeast Asia.

Macquarie - New Jersey Power Plant
Macquarie Infrastructure on the expansion, and subsequent sale, of its 644 MW gas-fired simple-cycle power plant in New Jersey, the Bayonne Energy Center.

Global Commercial Banks - Texas Power Plant
The lead arrangers in the refinancing of a 758 MW gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in Temple, Texas.

Global Financial Institutions - Chile Transmission Line
The lenders, including commercial banks and ECAs, on the US$822 million project financing of Transmisora Eléctrica del Norte S.A.'s development of a 600 km electric transmission line and related substations to unify most of Chile's power grid.

Global Infrastructure Investor - U.S. Transmission Line
One of the world's largest infrastructure investors in connection with its proposed bid to acquire an electric transmission line between New York City and PJM Interconnection.

New York
Texas
JD
University of Texas School of Law
BA
Dartmouth College
English

Service areas