Jason Kerr

Partner, London

Biography

“Jason is very strong across the board with years of relevant experience. He is particularly good on novel transactions.”
Chambers UK 2024

“Jason Kerr is a key problem solver and thought leader.”
Legal 500 UK 2024

Overview

Jason is Head of White & Case's Global Project Development and Finance Group and based in London.

He has substantial experience advising commercial banks, multilateral lending agencies, export credit agencies, sponsors and developers in project and international finance.

Jason's practice has primarily focused on project, receivables and trade-related financings in the emerging markets of Central Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. He has been involved in a wide range of projects in various sectors including oil and gas, power and infrastructure.

Bars and Courts
Solicitor in Scotland
Solicitor of England and Wales
Solicitor of the High Court of Hong Kong
Education
University of Aberdeen
Languages
English

Experience

Upstream assets in Angola
Representation of Etu Energias, S.A., Angola's largest private energy company, on the acquisition financing of stakes in upstream Angolan assets from the Portuguese multinational energy company Galp.

Representation of Etu Energias, S.A., on its acquisition of two offshore Angolan blocks from French supermajor TotalEnergies and Japan's Inpex.

Seplat Energy on its Acquisition of Exxon Mobil's Offshore Shallow Water Business in Nigeria
Representation of Seplat Energy Plc, a leading Nigerian energy company listed on the Nigerian Exchange and the London Stock Exchange, on the US$1.283 billion to US$1.583 billion acquisition of the entire offshore shallow water business of Exxon Mobil Corporation in Nigeria.

Mozambique LNG
Representation of the financiers on a landmark US$20 billion project financing of Mozambique's first onshore LNG development, Mozambique LNG. This is the largest ever foreign direct investment into Africa. Awarded "Global Multilateral Deal of the Year" at the PFI Awards 2020.

Nigeria LNG Train 7
Representation of the financiers on a landmark US$3 billion first in class hybrid corporate financing to Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), a joint venture owned by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Shell, Total and Eni to develop the NLNG Train 7 Project. Awarded "African LNG Deal of the Year" at the PFI Awards 2020.

OML 17 in Nigeria
Representation of Heirs Oil and Gas Limited, a related company of HeirsHoldings Oil & Gas Limited and Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc (Transcorp), on the highly innovative US$1+ billion acquisition financing of a 45 percent participating interest in Nigerian oil licence OML 17 and related assets from the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, Total E&P Nigeria Limited and ENI, with TNOG Oil and Gas Limited having sole operatorship of the asset.

Nord Stream gas pipeline project
Representation of Nord Stream AG in connection with Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the €9bn Nord Stream gas pipeline project connecting the Russian and European gas grids which raised €6.5bn of debt in the international project finance market. Phase I of the project was selected as European Gas Deal of the Year by Project Finance International magazine, European Midstream Oil & Gas Deal of the Year by Project Finance magazine and as Oil & Gas Deal of the Year by Infrastructure Journal. As a result of White & Case's work on this project, we were also awarded Infrastructure/Energy Team of the Year by The Lawyer. Phase II of the Nord Stream project was selected as Europe Project Finance Deal of the Year by International Financial Law Review.

Rabigh II petrochemical project
Representation of Saudi Aramco (as sponsor, alongside co-sponsor Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd) with regard to the project financing of a major expansion to the sponsors' existing Rabigh petroleum refining and petrochemical complex located on the west coast of Saudi Arabia.

Sakhalin II (Phase 2) LNG Project
Representation of JBIC and the international commercial banks in connection with the US$20 billion project financing of the Sakhalin II (Phase 2) integrated oil & gas and LNG Project in Russia. The Sakhalin II Project is the first offshore oil development in Russia, the first project to come into operation under the Russian regime for production sharing agreements and the first Russian project to be project financed under this regime. The transaction was named one of the Top 10 Deals of the Decade by Infrastructure Journal.

ANOH Gas Project
Representation of ANOH Gas Processing Company Limited, a gas processing company established by SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company Plc and the Nigerian Gas Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), on the project financing of the ANOH gas project, a 300MMscfd gas processing plant and ancillary facilities in Nigeria. This project is the first stand-alone midstream incorporated joint venture gas business between NNPC and a company in the private sector and is a key milestone in Nigeria's economic diversification.

EnerjiSA power assets
Representation of EnerjiSA in connection with the development of up to 5 GW of merchant power assets in Türkiye (including hydro, CCGT, wind and lignite). Among these assets, the €1.1 billion, 450MW Tufanbeyli Lignite-Fired Power Plant in Adana, was selected as Turkish Power Deal of the Year by Project Finance International magazine and one of the Deals of the Year by Trade Finance magazine.

Mangara oil field, Republic of Chad
Representation of the mandated lead arrangers in respect of a reserves-based facility of up to US$250 million in respect of the Mangara/Badila oil fields, Republic of Chad.

OML 30, Republic of Nigeria
Representation of the arranging banks on a US$765 million acquisition bridge financing and reserves-based lending facility for Shoreline Natural Resources in connection with its acquisition of a 45 percent participating interest in OML 30, a major onshore oil producing block in Nigeria. The deal was Commended in the financed category of the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards.

Trade Facilitation Programme
Representation of EBRD in connection with the structuring and coordination of its Trade Facilitation Programme in Central Europe.

Abu Dhabi Independent Water & Power Projects
Representation of the lead sponsor, ADWEA, in connection with the project financing of Abu Dhabi's IWPP projects including the Shuweihat S2, Fujairah, Taweelah and Umm Al Nar IWPP projects. Shuweihat S2 was selected as Middle East Bond Deal of the Year by Project Finance International magazine and as Middle Eastern Project Bond Deal of the Year by Project Finance magazine. Umm Al Nar was awarded Water/Power Deal of the Year for the Middle East by Project Finance magazine.

Gebze CCGT
Representation of the Turkish lead arrangers (Yapı ve Kredi Bankası A.Ş., Türkiye İş Bankasi A.Ş., Vakıflar Bankası T.A.O. and Türkiye Garanti Bankasi A.Ş.) in connection with theUS$1 billion project financing of the development and operation of an 865 MW gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in Gebze, Türkiye. This deal was selected as Deal of the Year by Project Finance International magazine, as European Power Deal of the Year by Project Finance magazine, and as Power Deal of the Year by Infrastructure Journal.

Publications

Band 1: Projects
Chambers UK 2024

Leading Individual: Emerging Markets
Legal 500 UK 2024

Leading Individual: Oil & Gas
Legal 500 UK 2024

Awards and Recognition

Leading Lawyer (Band 1), Chambers Global 2021, Chambers UK 2022
Projects – UK

Leading Individual, The Legal 500 UK, 2022
Projects, Energy and Natural Resources – UK