Joel Rennie

Partner, Sydney

Biography

Clients attest to his project finance skills commenting he is “first choice of counsel on the finance side” in addition to his being “super efficient, really commercial and engages well with opposing counsel—he’s a good negotiator.”
Chambers Asia Pacific, 2019

Overview

Joel is a project finance lawyer who advises across the spectrum of project, acquisition and corporate finance transactions and is one of Australia's leading project finance lawyers.

Clients who benefit from Joel's astute and commercial advice include infrastructure funds, sponsors, commercial banks, underwriters, institutional investors, government instrumentalities and export credit agencies. Of particular note is his recent work in the renewable energy sector where he has advised on projects for in excess of 2000MW of renewable energy in Australia, Asia and India.

Joel has over 15 years of project finance experience covering renewable and thermal power, LNG and oil and gas, greenfield and brownfield infrastructure investment in the road, rail, port and resources sectors.

Joel is ranked in leading industry publications as one of the premier project finance practitioners in the region. Joel has also practiced out of London and Perth.

Bars and Courts
Supreme Court of New South Wales
England and Wales
Supreme Court of Western Australia
High Court of Australia
Education
LLB
The University of Western Australia
BSc
Marine Science
The University of Western Australia
Languages
English

Experience

Powering Australia Renewables Fund
Advising the PARF (a Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) / AGL joint venture) on all aspects of the financing of various assets including the 102MW Nyngan and 53MW Broken Hill solar plants, the 200MW Silverton wind farm and the 450MW Coopers Gap Wind Farm.

EIG
Advised EIG in respect of the financing of Senex Energy’s bid for Lattice Energy, the Western Surat Gas Project and Project Atlas.

Epic Energy
Advised Senior Lenders to Epic Energy in respect of its A$250 million bridge refinancing, and subsequent refinancings and expansions.

Hornsdale Wind Farm
Advised Neoen in respect of the A$650 million portfolio refinancing of Neoen SAS’s 310MW Hornsdale Wind Farm Stages 1, 2 and 3, Australia’s first multi-staged separately project financed wind farm involving long term debt supported by a feed in tariff from the ACT Government.

Ichthys LNG Project*
Advised senior lenders and ECAs in respect of the US$20 billion project financing of the Ichthys LNG Project, the largest project financing ever undertaken.

Jadestone
Advised Senior Lenders in respect of Jadestone Energy’s acquisition of the Montara field from PTTP.

Malakoff
Advised Malakoff in respect of the sale of its 50 percent interest in the 420MW Macarthur Wind Farm.

Neoen
Advised Neoen in relation to the development and financing of its 220MW Bulgana Green Power Hub project, comprising of a wind farm and battery storage facility in Victoria, Australia.

Nexif
Advised Nexif in relation to the senior and mezzanine financing of the expansion of its Lincoln Gap Wind Farm project in South Australia.

NSW Ports
Advised NSW Ports in respect of various refinancings of its acquisition debt, including inaugural US PP issuance.

Warradarge Wind Farm
Advised Senior Lenders in relation to the project financing of the 180MW Warradarge Wind Farm in Western Australia, including the sale by Synergy of an 80 percent interest to CBUS and DIF.

Whitehaven Coal Limited
Advised Whitehaven Coal Limited on its A$1 billion refinancing in 2020 and joint venture arrangements.

Yandin Wind Farm
Advised Senior Lenders in respect of the project financing of Yandin Wind Farm, including the sale by Alinta Energy of a 70 percent interest to Ratch.

 

*Experience gained in a previous role

Awards and Recognition

Ranked in "Band 2" Project Finance Lawyers in Australia (Chambers)

Ranked as a leading project finance lawyer in Best Lawyers and Who's Who Legal