We have advised many clients engaged in the power and natural resources sectors. With respect to the oil and gas sector in particular, our experience to date includes advising foreign investors in connection with potential exploration and production activities, both on-shore and off-shore. The scope of our advisory work in the up-stream sector has been comprehensive and includes advising on the structuring of foreign investments in the oil and gas sectors (including advising and commenting on the Ukrainian law aspects of production sharing agreements) tax advisory work, and licensing. We have also prepared a draft Ukrainian Presidential Decree on production sharing contracts, a concept which was not foreseen in the applicable Ukrainian legislation. On each of these projects, we have worked extensively with the Ukrainian State Committee on Oil & Gas and the State Committee on Geology of Ukraine.
The Kyiv Office was retained by a major international oil and gas company in connection with the restructuring of, and a potential significant investment in, Ukraine’s international gas transit system, which has included extensive due diligence on various operating subsidiaries of the Ukrainian oil and gas monopoly, “Naftogas Ukrainy”, and research and advice on the regulatory framework for the international transit of gas through Ukraine. Separately, we have recently advised two large US and European-based utilities on the structuring of gas trading contracts with domestic suppliers.
Although only preliminary in nature, we have also advised a major client of our Firm in connection with land use rights and other matters relating to the retail sale of gasoline in Ukraine. We have also been retained to participate in a consortium to advise and structure investments in a major Ukrainian refinery, with a view toward developing a branded retail network of gasoline filling stations.
We have represented several major mining and oil and gas companies in connection with negotiating projects for the extraction of mineral resources, including gold, clay, and oil and gas.
Our experience also includes advising several potential strategic investors from the United States and Europe in connection with the privatization of several of regional electricity distribution companies in Ukraine. In particular, our office in Kyiv advised a US-based corporation in connection with its participation in the privatization tender and acquisition of the majority shareholdings in two Ukrainian power distribution companies, Kyivoblenergo and Rivneoblenergo.