Paul Harrison

Partner, Tokyo

Biography

Paul Harrison is a highly regarded and increasingly prominent project financing expert who is active on several major LNG projects. “Paul has been a real blessing for us,” enthuses one client who adds that “he’s very knowledgeable in project finance.”
Chambers Global 2020

Overview

Paul advises clients on major project and debt finance transactions, helping to fund multibillion-dollar projects. He has particular knowledge and experience of the oil & gas and power industries, including LNG, renewables and shipping. Paul has worked on transactions across the globe, including in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas.

Representing project sponsors, lenders and borrowers, Paul develops financing arrangements to suit each client's needs, guiding them through the complex stages of each transaction while focusing on outcomes which benefit them in both the short and long-term.

Paul is currently a partner in the Firm's Tokyo office and in 2012 became a Registered Foreign Lawyer in Japan (Gaikokuho Jimu Bengoshi) (Jurisdiction of Primary Qualification: [England and Wales]) and a member of the Daini Tokyo Bar Association.

Paul is recognized as a leading lawyer by legal directories and was named as one of Law360's "Rising Stars" for project finance for 2018.

Bars and Courts
England and Wales, Solicitor
Registered Foreign Lawyer in Japan (Gaikokuho Jimu Bengoshi) (Jurisdiction of Primary Qualification: [England and Wales])
Education
BA (Hons)
Law with French Law
Oxford University
Diplôme d'études juridiques
Université Panthéon-Assas, Paris II
Languages
English
French

Experience

RAPID Project
Representation of Saudi Aramco on the development and financing of the US$15.3 billion Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) joint venture with Petronas in Malaysia. The financing parties include six export credit agencies, JBIC, NEXI, KEXIM, K-Sure, CESCE and SACE, and 23 commercial banks. This deal received several recognitions including "Asia Pacific Petrochemical Deal of the Year 2019" by PFI Awards, "Asia Pacific Petrochemicals Deal of the Year 2019" by IJGlobal Awards, "Asia-Pacific ECA-backed Deal of the Year 2019" by TXF Awards and "Project Finance Deal of the Year 2020" by IFLR Asia-Pacific Awards.

Mozambique LNG
Representation of the financiers (including 7 ECAS), in connection with the landmark US$20 billion project financing of Mozambique’s first onshore LNG development, Mozambique LNG, the largest foreign direct investment in Africa. This deal was awarded "Global Multilateral Deal of the Year 2020" by PFI Awards 2020.

Qatargas 2, 3 and 4 LNG projects
Representation of the sponsors, as project finance counsel, to the Qatargas 2 (Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil), Qatargas 3 (Qatar Petroleum and ConocoPhillips) and Qatargas 4 (Qatar Petroleum and ConocoPhillips) in relation to the acquisition, and financing and construction of a fleet of LNG tankers in each project to carry the LNG from the Middle East to certain markets in both Europe and the USA. The Qatargas 2 project was awarded EMEA Gas Deal of the Year for Europe and the Middle East and Africa by Project Finance International and Middle East Gas Deal of the Year by Project Finance Magazine.

Afghanistan Gas-Fired Power Project
Representation of Ghazanfar Group, as sponsor, on the development and financing of a 58.6 MW gas-fired power plant in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, which is the first privately funded gas-to-power IPP in Afghanistan.

JBIC and commercial lenders – Canadian projects
Representation of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the commercial lenders in connection with the debt financing of a portfolio of two solar generation projects and three wind generation projects in Canada.

Yamaguchi Solar Power
Representation of Canadian Solar Inc. in connection with the senior and subordinate non-recourse term loan facilities to finance the construction and operation of a 55 MWp solar power plant in the Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan.

Nacala Corridor Project
Representation of Vale S.A. and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. on the development and US$2.73 billion financing of the landmark Nacala Corridor Railway and Port Project, an integrated and transformative infrastructure project supporting growth along a regional corridor shared by two countries, Mozambique and Malawi. This deal awarded "Logistics Deal of the Year" at 2017 PFI Awards and "2017 IJGlobal Africa Transport Deal of the Year".

Diamond LNG Vessels
Representation of JBIC in the financing of two LNG vessels for Diamond LNG Shipping 1 and Diamond LNG Shipping 2 – which are jointly owned by Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha. The LNG vessels will be used to transport LNG produced by the Cameron LNG project in the US.

MV24 FPSO
Representation of Citigroup Global Markets Inc., as global coordinator, and Mizuho Securities USA LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., as joint bookrunners, in a Rule 144A/Regulation S offering of US$1.1 billion senior secured notes by MV24 Capital B.V., a Dutch special-purpose entity owned by Mitsui & Co., Ltd, MODEC, Inc., Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. and Marubeni Corporation. This deal was awarded "Bond of the Year" by LatinFinance Project & Infrastructure Finance Awards in 2020.

Publications

LNG in transition: Navigating an evolving market, PRATT's Energy Law Report, Volume 20-5, May 2020 (Co-author, with Matthew Secomb, Micah Sadoyama, and Alexander Woody)

Awards and Recognition

Leading Lawyer (Band 1): Projects & Energy: International—Japan, Chambers Asia-Pacific 2022

Leading Lawyer: Projects & Energy: International—Japan, Chambers Global 2022

Leading Individual: Gaiben: Projects and Energy: International Firms and Joint Ventures—Japan, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2022