Irene Choe Partner

Project Development / P3

Irene regularly advises a variety of industry participants (e.g. developers, equity providers, design-build contractors, operators, suppliers) on a range of complex project development and public-private partnership (P3) transactions. A selective description of Irene's project development / P3 experience includes:

• Advising on a number of transportation P3 projects in North America, including acting for the successful project company for the Highway 407 East Extension Phase 2 project, acting for the successful operating joint venture on the Eglinton LRT Project; advising a member of the successful consortium for the Stoney CNG Bus Storage and Transit Facility project, the Pointe-Saint-Charles Maintenance Centre project, the Barrie P3 Transit Service project; advising a member of a short-listed consortium on the LAX Automated People Mover project, LAX Consolidated Rent-A-Car Center, Finch West LRT project, Regional Express Rail - Highway 401 Rail Tunnel on the Kitchener Corridor project, Regional Express Rail - Stouffville Stations project, Regional Express Rail - Cooksville Station Redevelopment project, Gordie Howe International Bridge project, North Commuter Parkway project;
• Advising on a number of social infrastructure and other P3 Projects in Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Saskatchewan, California and Kansas and other jurisdictions in North America, including advising a member of the successful consortium for the University of Merced project, the University of Kansas project, the Long Beach Civic Centre project, Providence Health Care project, the Milton Hospital project, the Driver Examination Services project; advising a member of a short-listed consortium on a central utility plant project in Maryland, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – Phase 1C project, the Borden Data Centre project, the Etobicoke Hospital project, the Penticton Hospital project and the Saint John Water project.
• Advising the lead international counsel to the successful bidder Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) in relation to the investment in and financing of a US$30 billion, 5,400 MW new-build nuclear power project in the United Arab Emirates.
• Acting for the state oil company Sonangol in relation to the proposed development of a US$12 billion, 200,000 barrels/day Sonaref oil refinery in Lobito, Angola.*
• Acting for a water utility in England as project sponsor in relation to the engineering, procurement and construction of a £200m wastewater treatment plant, sludge recycling facility and related infrastructure in the U.K.*
• Acting for Autostrada Wielkopolska S.A. as concessionaire in relation to the development and financing of the second phase of the A2 toll motorway project in Poland (with a project value of  €700 million).*

M&A

Irene also regularly advises clients on acquisitions and divestitures of shares and assets, with a focus on cross-border transactions. A selective description of Irene's M&A experience includes:

• Advising on a number of M&A transactions involving solar and wind projects in Ontario, including advising Fiera Axium Infrastructure (now Axium Infrastructure) and Metropolitan Life in connection with the acquisition of a portfolio of ten ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) projects from Recurrent Energy; advising an infrastructure company in connection with the development of a 25-megawatt wind farm in Ontario; advising U.S. infrastructure funds in connection with their investment in a portfolio of solar electricity generation projects in Ontario.
• Advising an infrastructure fund in connection with its disposal of a district energy company.
• Advising a consortium in connection with its proposed acquisition of a district energy company.
• Advising an international engineering company in connection with its proposed acquisition of an engineering company with operations in over five jurisdictions.*
• Advising an international oil company in connection with its proposed acquisition of upstream gas production assets and LNG liquefaction and regasification assets with operations in over 20 jurisdictions.*
• Acting for a gas company in connection with its proposed acquisition of a multi-country gas production and trading business with operations in over 10 jurisdictions.*

* Denotes matters which Irene worked on as part of her previous firm.