International law firm Trowers & Hamlins is advising Jordanian public shareholding company National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) on its joint project with Attarat Power Company (APCO) to develop and operate a ground-breaking, 470 megawatt, oil shale-fired Independent Power Project (IPP) in Jordan. The project is valued at $2.5 billion and will see oil shale mined, processed and converted to power on site, making it the first power project of its kind in the world.
“This highly innovative project will help Jordan further tackle its energy deficit and become more self-sufficient in terms of energy production. The kingdom has made enormous strides in its energy security, and we are pleased to be involved in this pioneering project,” Martin Amison, partner and expert on project finance and energy at Trowers & Hamlins, said.
Trowers & Hamlins has advised on all of Jordan’s oil shale developments since 2009 when the kingdom signed it’s first-ever oil shale concession agreement. Through the firm’s long-standing relationship with the Government of Jordan, it also advised on the Jordan Gas Transmission Pipeline project and the related long-term purchase of Egyptian gas. More recently, Trowers & Hamlins has advised Jordan’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources on a significant liquefied natural gas (LNG) import project, which was launched in 2012.
Trowers & Hamlins is the sole legal adviser to NEPCO on the oil shale IPP, with Martin Amison leading the team with assistance from Buthaina Amin. Consortium partners Alan Cairns of Mapstone and Tim Jackson of Jacobs are providing finance and technical advice, respectively.