Biography
Ned Simpson is an associate in our Energy and Infrastructure Group, based in Melbourne. He advises developers, sponsors, private equity investors, governments and lenders on the acquisition, development (including joint venture, construction and offtake contracting) and disposal of major energy and infrastructure projects, with a particular focus on the renewable energy and digital infrastructure sectors. Ned has experience advising on leading transactions in Australia, Asia Pacific and the United States.
Experience
Ned's experience includes advising:
Digital Infrastructure
- Blackstone in the financing of Related Digital's $16 billion data center campus in Saline Township, Michigan, purpose-built for Oracle. *
- Macquarie Asset Management on an up to $5 billion partnership with Applied Digital Corporation to support high performance computing data center growth. *
- CIM Group and Novva Data Centers in their entry into a $2 billion construction loan with JPMorgan Chase and Starwood Property Trust for the development of a 175 MW data center campus in West Jordan, Utah, among the largest construction loans ever for a data center.*
- Centersquare, a portfolio company of Brookfield, in its $1 billion acquisition of 10 data centers across the United States and Canada.*
- Brookfield Asset Management in its equity financing investment in 5C Group through its Infrastructure Structured Solutions strategy.*
- Swyft Fiber, a portfolio company of Macquarie Asset Management, in connection with its acquisition of Fastwyre Broadband's Louisiana, Texas and Alabama high-speed fiber broadband business.*
Energy
- Stonepeak in its $5.7 billion acquisition of a 40% interest in Louisiana LNG, a 16.5 mtpa liquefied natural gas production and export terminal in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana with an estimated capital cost of $17.5 billion, which represented the largest foreign direct investment and greenfield project in state history at the time. Transaction awarded North America Infrastructure Acquisition Deal of the Year 2025 by IJGlobal.*
- Capital Power Corporation in its $2.2 billion acquisition of the (i) 1,124 MW Hummel Station, a combined-cycle natural gas facility in Shamokin Dam, Pennsylvania and (ii) 1,023 MW Rolling Hills plant, a combustion turbine natural gas facility in Wilkesville, Ohio.*
- Neoen in respect of the $1.1 billion financing of its Australian portfolio of renewable energy and energy storage projects in Australia.
- Neoen in respect of the A$650 million portfolio refinancing of Neoen SAS's 310MW Hornsdale Wind Farm Stages 1, 2 and 3.
- Neoen on the delivery, financing and offtake of the 100MW Capital Battery, 128MW Numurkah Solar Farm, 300MW Victorian Big Battery, 100MW Hornsdale Power Reserve (and later expansion to that project) and the Western Downs Battery.
- FRV on the delivery and financing of the 67.8MW Goonumbla Solar Farm in New South Wales and 85MW Winton Solar Farm in Victoria, Australia.
- OX2 (formerly ESCO Pacific) in relation to the delivery, financing and sale of the 175MW Finley Solar Farm.
- Nexif Energy on the multi-staged delivery and financing of the 212MW Lincoln Gap Wind Farm and associated 10MW grid scale battery in South Australia.
- a confidential private equity investor in respect of the acquisition and development (including joint development) of a number of renewable energy and battery energy storage projects in Australia.
- Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners on the acquisition of a 95% interest in Swancor Renewable Energy Co. Ltd, including its 25% interest in the Formosa 2 offshore wind farm project in Taiwan.
- Various generators, developers and off-takers in respect of power purchase, tolling agreements and other offtake-type arrangements.
Infrastructure
- RRJ Capital in the buyout acquisition of Gategroup Holding AG from HNA Group Co.
- Victorian Government in relation to the procurement of the A$50 billion Suburban Rail Loop.
- Victorian Government in relation to the AU$11 billion Melbourne Metro Tunnel project.
- a bidding consortium in relation to its bid for the North East Link PPP Tunnel project in Victoria, Australia.
- a bidding consortium in relation to its bid for the New Footscray Hospital PPP in Victoria, Australia.
- a bidding consortium in relation to its bid for the Frankston Hospital PPP in Victoria, Australia.
- a bidding consortium in relation to its bid for the North East Link PPP Tunnel project in Victoria, Australia.
* Experience at a different law firm.