Power, Water & Infrastructure Development

Abuda Asis & Associates also acts as legal counsel and advisor to sponsors, developers, joint ventures and consortia of key power, water and infrastructure projects in the Philippines and abroad.

Power Project Lawyers

As power project lawyers, the firm assists and advises on the regulatory and other legal aspects of the development, construction, operation and maintenance of the projects and the structuring of foreign and local investments in these projects. To date, these projects include the largest single solar farm in the Philippines, the first full diesel replacement solar power generation facility in the world, and partnerships with local water utilities for the operation, maintenance, rehabilitation and expansion of the local water utility franchises and for bulk water projects, which are considered groundbreaking projects in this field.

The services of Abuda Asis & Associates in this practice area include the structuring and establishment of the corporate vehicles for these projects, drafting and negotiating the relevant transaction documents, and liaising with the Philippine government agencies involved in project implementation.

Remarkable Transactions

As renewable energy lawyers, Abuda Asis & Associates has handled a remarkable list of transactions in this emerging sector, including:

• The construction of the 5MW Surallah Solar Power Facility, which is reported to be the first full diesel replacement solar power generation facility in the world
• The development of a portfolio of 30MW in solar power projects vying for Feed-in Tariff eligibility under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, with these projects achieving energization in March 2016

In the area of water and infrastructure development, the firm has acted as counsel to the developer and sponsor of a 60 MLD bulk water supply project in Butuan City under a PPP structure with the local water district, which is among the last PPP projects undertaken under the 2008 National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) joint venture guidelines for government owned and controlled corporations and one of the relatively larger sized bulk water projects. It has also acted as counsel to the consortium of lenders of the bidders for the PhP24 billion Light Rail Transit 1 (LRT 1) Cavite extension project.

Currently, the firm is acting as counsel for several project developers for solar and other power plants, bulk water supply and waste water reclamation projects across the Philippines.