Biography
Ximena Vásquez-Maignan is a project finance lawyer who has been working in the nuclear sector for more than twenty years. She specializes in nuclear law, with a particular expertise in nuclear liability. She advises governments and public organizations, investors, operators, equipment and service providers, as well as insurers, in the development and monitoring of nuclear projects worldwide.
She began her career in the international legal department of Veolia Water (1997 - 2003), and then moved to Beijing (China), where she worked for Electricité de France SA (EDF) (2003 - 2008) and Gide Loyrette Nouel (2009 - 2010). She joined the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) as Senior Legal Adviser in 2011 and was Head of the Office of Legal Counsel from 2015 until 2022, when she joined White & Case.
She is a member of the International Nuclear Law Association (INLA), Women in Nuclear (WiN) and the French Nuclear Society (Société Française d’énergie nucléaire - Sfen). She has served as an expert on numerous working groups, such as those of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the European Commission, the World Nuclear Association (WNA) and nucleareurope.
Experience
Nuclear Energy
- Advising suppliers on their nuclear liability risk in their country and abroad in case there is a nuclear incident at the nuclear installation they provided equipment or services.
- Memo regarding the relationship between a developer of small modular reactor and its suppliers regarding nuclear liability in its country and abroad.
- Advising on the nuclear aspects regarding the sale and export of equipment for a nuclear power plant, including nuclear liability and export control.
- Advising a start-up of small modular reactors as part of its fundraising efforts with investors.
- Advising on US export control regulations applicable to the nuclear sector.
- Advising a supplier on the nuclear aspects relating to the provision of services to the construction of a fusion installation.
- Advising on the European legal framework applicable to the development of nuclear power plant projects in the European Union, and on the preparation of the related notifications to be submitted to the European Commission.
- Advising on the nuclear aspects of a power purchase agreement between a nuclear operator and an offtaker.
- Advising on the nuclear aspects relating to uranium mining projects.
- Advising on the import and export regulations applicable to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) in different countries.
- Advising on nuclear liability issues relating to the refinancing of a nuclear installation of EnergySolutions, one of the largest nuclear waste processors in the United States.
- Advising on nuclear liability issues relating to an existing term loan credit facility in favor of NorthStar Group Services, Inc. and Waste Control Specialists LLC in connection with the decommissioning of nuclear facilities.
- Advising on the nuclear aspects of a dispute in France.
Water
- Representation of the lenders to the consortium composed of Acciona Agua, Green of Africa, and Afriquia Gaz in connection with the tender process, export credit-backed financing, and senior debt facilities for the construction, development, operation, and maintenance of the Casablanca Water Desalination Plant.
"Going Nuclear – managing claims and disputes during the construction of new build NPPs" (with Daniel Garton, Andrew McDougall KC, Kirsten Odynski and Emily Eliott)
Contributed to several NEA publications, such as the following recent publications of 2021:
- Principles and Practice of International Nuclear Law (2021) (drafted an article and reviewed those addressing nuclear liability)
- Small Modular Reactors: Challenges and Opportunities (2021) (contributed information on nuclear liability)
- Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident, Ten Years on (2021) (contributed information on nuclear liability)
"Nuclear power in the United Arab Emirates: Legal framework and regulatory co-operation", NEA updates, NEA News 2012/2013 – No. 30.2/31.1
"The Japanese nuclear liability regime in the context of the international nuclear liability principles", in Japan's Compensation System for Nuclear Damage as related to the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident, OECD 2012 – NEA No. 7089
"Fukushima: liability and compensation", NEA News 2011 – No. 29.2
"Nuclear liability in China", Asian Power magazine, February 2010 issue
