Biography
Samer is an associate in the Project Development and Finance Group in the Firm's Houston office. His practice focuses on acquisitions and divestitures, strategic joint ventures and investments, project development and finance, commercial contracts, commodities trading transactions for upstream, midstream and downstream oil & gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), petrochemicals/chemicals, electric power, renewable energy and other energy and infrastructure projects on a worldwide basis.
Prior to joining White & Case, Samer worked both in-house and in private practice on a variety of projects throughout the world, including the United States, Middle East, Asia and Europe.
Samer graduated cum laude from The University of Tulsa College of Business with a Bachelor of Science in Business Law and Economics before attending and graduating from The University of Tulsa College of Law.
Experience
Select experience includes:
LNG / Oil & Gas / Petrochemicals:
- Representing Lake Charles LNG on all project and commercial aspects of its proposed LNG export project, including the landmark 2 mtpa LNG sales agreement with Chevron and GHG reporting provisions.
- Advising a US producer on various midstream arrangements in connection with new upstream production in Latin America, including liquids terminalling and balancing and netback pricing on processed gas.
- Advising a US producer on processing and exchange arrangements to enable well to water export of LPGs, including on corresponding master LPG sales agreements.
- Advising a Japanese company on tolling arrangements at US LNG projects, including corresponding gas procurement strategy.
- SCG Chemicals, a market leading petrochemical producer in Asia, with a 15-year liquified ethane feedstock agreement and long term charterparties for 5 VLECs to transport products from the US to Asia.
- International energy company on its potential offtake, joint venture arrangements and equity investment in Port Arthur LNG Phase 2.
- International energy company on its potential offtake, joint venture arrangements and equity investment in Rio Grande LNG.
- Chevron regarding a major gas monetization project in Equatorial Guinea involving the negotiation of Gas Processing and LNG Tolling Agreements, LNG marketing arrangements, agreements with the Government of Equatorial Guinea, and upstream agreements covering the development and transportation of gas to the Gas Processing and LNG Plants.
- Excelerate Energy on its entry into a 20-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) agreement with Venture Global LNG to purchase 0.7 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG on a free on board (FOB) basis from the Plaquemines LNG facility in Louisiana.
- Vitol in its 15-year Henry Hub-linked LNG SPA for 0.50 million tonnes per annum of LNG offtake (with an estimated revenue value of $3 billion) from Delfin Midstream, Inc.'s proposed deepwater floating LNG export project off the coast of Louisiana, as well Vitol's related strategic investment in the project.
- Commodities trading firm in connection with commercial contracts and structured transactions for the purchase, sale, storage and transportation of LNG, refined products and other commodities.
- Investment bank-backed portfolio company on the negotiation and structuring of its investments into LNG-to-Power projects across Europe and the Americas, as well as the drafting and negotiation of all material project documents.
- Invenergy and its project subsidiary Energia del Pacifico (EDP) on the development and project financing of the 378 MW LNG-to-power infrastructure project at the Port of Acajutla in the Department of Sonsonate in El Salvador, which includes a thermal power plant. The project components include a marine terminal consisting of a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) permanently moored through a modified spread mooring system for LNG delivery, storage and regasification, as well as a long-term LNG supply contract for the FSRU. The project also includes a natural gas pipeline that will run from the FSRU to the power plant and the construction of a 44-km, 230-kilovolt transmission line and related substations to connect the power plant to the electrical grid of El Salvador. The project will require an investment of approximately US$1 billion. It will be the largest foreign direct investment in El Salvador to date.
- International energy company's joint venture in the UAE in connection with a LNG import and regasification project.*
- International energy trading firm in connection with commercial contracts and structured transactions for the purchase, sale, storage and transportation of LNG, refined products and other commodities.*
- International oil company on its acquisition of an interest in an offshore oil and gas concession in Abu Dhabi.*
- International oil company on the acquisition of aviation fuel pipelines and associated terminals in the UAE and the marketing and sale of fuel products at airports in the UAE.*
Energy Transition:
- Orbia, an international chemical company, in a joint venture with Solvay in connection with the development of two facilities in the U.S. for the production of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a critical material for the battery market.
- INPEX Corporation in the joint venture formation and ongoing development and financing of its US$ multibillion blue ammonia export project in Texas Orbia in the proposed development of two facilities in Louisiana and Georgia for the production of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) (Expected investment value of approximately US$850 million).
- Japanese sponsor in the joint venture formation and ongoing development and financing of its blue ammonia export project in Texas.
- Japanese energy company in its investment in a blue ammonia export project in Texas.
- Japanese utility in its investment in a blue ammonia export project in the USGC.
Power & Renewables:
- Advising a PE-backed project developer on all aspects of its renewable energy projects across the US and various ISOs, including drafting and negotiating power purchase, shared facilities and energy management agreements.
- Advising a PE firm on the development and development loan / tax equity financing for various renewable energy project across the US and various ISOs, including drafting and negotiating PPAs.
- Advised a new tech project developer on power tolling arrangement and virtual PPA in connection with its gas to power with CCUS project in ERCOT.
- Avantus, a portfolio company of KKR, in the ongoing development, construction, financing (including construction and tax equity) and divestitures of their solar and battery storage projects throughout California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Texas.
- Avantus, a portfolio company of KKR, in all ongoing development, construction and financing (including both construction and tax equity) of the 530 MW Aratina Phase I PV solar array and battery storage project in California.
- Fujairah F3 power project (awarded "Power Deal of the Year" for the Middle East and Africa region at the Project Finance International Awards 2020) and other power projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman and Qatar.*
* Experience prior to joining White & Case.