NEW YORK, June 30, 2011 – International law firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP, led by partner Dan Bartfeld and associates James Orme, Timothy Fitzpatrick and Jeffrey Leider, represented the Japanese trading houses ITOCHU Corporation, Marubeni Corporation and Mitsui & Co., Ltd., in the $750 million financing to Venezuelan state oil company Petróleo de Venezuela S.A. (“PDVSA”) for the expansion of the El Palito oil refinery, and Mitsubishi Corporation in the $750 million loan facility to PDVSA for the expansion of the Puerto La Cruz oil refinery. PDVSA will use the total $1.5 billion loan for production expansion at the two oil refineries over the next three years. The 15-year loan includes the ability of the trading houses to offtake significant quantities of crude oil and other petroleum products into Japan. The lender consortium for both loan facilities included the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (“JBIC”) and a wide range of other Japanese banks insured by Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (“NEXI”).
“This transaction will contribute significantly to the diversification of Japan’s energy supplies, and signifies another example of the trading houses expanding their oil and gas businesses in Latin America,” said Mr. Bartfeld. “We are honored that clients like Mitsubishi, Itochu, Marubeni and Mitsui turned to us for their most important transactions.”
The loan to PDVSA is expected to expand processing at the El Palito refinery from 140,000 barrels a day to 280,000 barrels a day, and the Puerto La Cruz refinery is expected to be upgraded to process 210,000 barrels a day from 180,000 barrels a day. The upgrades are expected to commence at the end of this year and will be completed by 2015.
About Milbank
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP is a leading international law firm that has been providing innovative legal solutions to clients throughout the world for more than 140 years. Milbank is headquartered in New York and has offices in Beijing, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Munich, São Paulo, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, DC.
The firm’s lawyers provide a full range of legal services to the world’s leading commercial, financial and industrial enterprises, as well as to institutions, individuals and governments. Milbank’s lawyers meet the needs of its clients by offering a highly integrated and collaborative range of services across key practice groups throughout its global network. Milbank’s integrated practice is underpinned by its attorneys’ acknowledged technical excellence, sectoral expertise and a strong tradition of innovation and client service.
About Milbank's Latin America Practice Group
Milbank’s Latin America Practice Group is one of the most successful and diverse practices in the Latin American region. Attorneys in the Group have advised clients on some of the largest and most innovative transactions in nearly every country throughout Latin America, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Peru. The Latin America Practice Group specializes in Securities, M&A, Project Finance, Private Placements and Litigation & Arbitration.