Irene Choe Partner

Speaks:  English, Korean

Year of Call: 2011 - Ontario

Year of Call: 2010 - England & Wales

Year of Call: 2006 - British Columbia

Primary phone: +1 416-369-4661

Fax: +1 416-862-7661

Email: irene.choe@gowlingwlg.com

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Primary office:  Toronto

Areas of expertise:

Irene Choe

Irene Choe is a partner in Gowling WLG’s Toronto office and a member of the Energy and Infrastructure Industry Groups. Her practice focuses on public-private-partnership (P3) projects and M&A transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors.

Having significant international experience, Irene has advised clients located in Canada, the U.S., Korea and around the globe on transactions in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Irene regularly advises clients on purchase and sale agreements, shareholder and joint venture agreements as well as projects agreements, design-build / construction contracts, O&M agreements, EPC/EPCM contracts, offtake agreements, supply agreements, purchase orders and technology licence agreements.

From 2008-2011, Irene practised as a senior associate in the Energy, Mining and Infrastructure Group, Corporate Law Department, of a major international law firm in London, U.K.

Irene is fluent in English and Korean.

Expertise

Career & Recognition

Filter timeline:

  • 2011

    • Qualifications (Year of Call/Admission, etc.)
      2011
      Year of Call, Ontario

  • 2010

    • Qualifications (Year of Call/Admission, etc.)
      2010
      Year of Call, England & Wales

  • 2006

    • Qualifications (Year of Call/Admission, etc.)
      2006
      Year of Call, British Columbia

  • 2005

    • Education
      2005
      University of Toronto, JD

  • 2002

    • Education
      2002
      University of Waterloo, BA

Memberships

  • Canadian Nuclear Law Organization
  • International Association of Korean Lawyers
  • Canadian Bar Association
  • Korean Canadian Lawyers’ Association
  • LinKC
  • Ontario Bar Association

Articles, papers and presentations

Irene is a noted speaker on matters relating to energy and infrastructure projects. Her recent speaking engagements include the following:

  • Speaker, “P3 Projects in Canada”, IAKL Conference, 2016
  • Speaker, “Construction Contracting for Canadian Power & Energy Projects” course, EUCI, 2015
  • Moderator, Gowlings-OCI Nuclear Supply Chain Symposium, 2015
  • Speaker, Deloitte – Next Generation CFO Academy, 2014
  • Speaker, "Canadian Electricity Regulation" course, EUCI, 2013
  • Moderator, “Canada’s Power Market Consolidation: Examining Key Drivers and Outlook,” 4th Annual Canadian Power Finance Conference, 2013
  • Guest lecturer, “Mega Projects in Canada: Canadian Large Scale Infrastructure Law” course, University of Windsor Law School

Irene is a contributor to Gowling WLG’s energy newsletter.

Community involvement

  • Korean Canadian Scholarship Foundation – Director, Corporate Secretary and Chair of the Selection Committee

Insights & Resources

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.

Client work