25 January 2021

Linklaters appoints Matt Keats as Middle East Head of Energy and Infrastructure

Linklaters has appointed Matt Keats as Head of Energy and Infrastructure for the Middle East region. He succeeds Sarosh Mewawalla who has retired from the partnership.

Having been a partner at the firm since 2005, Matt has advised on a wide range of ground-breaking transactions in the Energy and Infrastructure sectors. Furthermore, Matt has over 25 years’ experience acting for governments, sponsors, borrowers and commercial banks, Development Finance Institutions and Export Credit Agencies. Matt was the head of Linklaters’ Energy and Infrastructure practice in Moscow where, between 2010-15, he advised on all of the firm’s leading deals in the Russian energy and natural resources market.

Scott Campbell, Managing Partner for the Middle East at Linklaters, said:

“Matt is among the most respected lawyers in the sector and we are very excited to have him head up and grow our market leading Energy and Infrastructure practice. The region’s sector is witnessing transformational change with heightened levels of scrutiny and complexity. Matt’s transfer underlines our commitment to helping our clients navigate the challenges and multiple opportunities ahead.”

Linklaters’ Global Energy & Infrastructure practice specialises in large scale, award winning and market-leading Energy & Infrastructure transactions across the world - covering renewables, nuclear, hydrogen and other decarbonisation/energy transition technologies, infrastructure (including digital, social and transportation), batteries, smart meters and storage, oil and gas, refining and petrochemicals, LNG, thermal power, water and transport.

Some of Linklaters’ biggest regional mandates include

  • Dubai Airports: advising on the US$3bn Dubai Airports Islamic and conventional financing, the multi-debt platform for the enhancement of the finance parties in respect of DXB Airport and expansion of DWC Airport, the first such debt platform transaction to be done in the Middle East (awarded IFN Projects & Syndicated Deal of the Year, IFN Middle Eastern Infrastructure Deal of the Year and Project Finance Deal of the Year by Bonds, Loans & Sukuk Middle East)
  • The Mirfa IWPP greenfield and brownfield power and water project: advising the lenders (including JBIC and NEXI) on the Engine sponsored US$1.4bn project in Abu Dhabi, which involves the construction of a new plant together with the acquisition and rehabilitation of existing facilities.
  • BAPCO (the flagship refining company wholly owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain): advising on the US$4.1bn multi-source conventional and Islamic ECA-backed financing of its US$6+ billion expansion and upgrading project (awarded IJ Global MENA Oil & Gas Deal of the Year)
  • Farabi Petrochemicals Project: advising the sponsors on the SAR2bn Islamic project financing for Farabi Petrochemicals Project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (awarded IJ Global Petrochemicals Deal of the Year)