Mazghouny & Co

Managing Partner: Donia El-Mazghouny

Number of partners: 3

Number of lawyers: 9

Languages: Arabic, English, and French

Firm Overview:

Mazghouny & Co is an independent boutique law firm based in Cairo, launched in February 2020, specialising in projects and infrastructure, energy and power, construction and real estate, financing, and corporate matters, which has a solid litigation experience. The team is modern, dynamic, and creative, and the law firm operates not just as a legal services provider, but as a business partner. The team pushes the boundaries of what is possible and works proactively with the firm’s clients to overcome challenges and maximise potential opportunities.

Key Clients:

African Development Bank, Alcazar Energy, Al Tawakol Gila, Amarenco, EDF Renewables, Elsewedy Electric, engazaat, Engie, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Globeleq, Intro Group, Instashop, juwi, New and Renewable Energy Authority, Salcef, Scatec, and Voltalia

Main Areas of Practice:

Energy, Projects & Infrastructure:

■ Advising Norwegian energy and infrastructure company Scatec on its partnership with Fertiglobe and The Sovereign Fund of Egypt for the development of a 100MW electrolyser to produce green hydrogen for use by an ammonia manufacturing facility in Ain Sokhna, which is the first green hydrogen project set up in Egypt

■ Advising Scatec on the development of 2 decarbonisation projects with the Ministry of Petroleum companies including the Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company (Echem), and Misr Fertilizers Production Company (Mopco) for the development of green ammonia projects in Damietta and acting as local counsel for the project company

■ Advising leading independent power producer Globeleq on the development of its 160MW electrolyser pilot phase of a large-scale green hydrogen and ammonia production plant in Egypt, powered primarily by renewable energy to be expanded to about 3.5GW

■ Advising Scatec on its 1GW solar and 200 MWh battery storage project in the South of Egypt to sell electricity to the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC), including the drafting and negotiation of the joint development agreement, power purchase agreement, sovereign guarantee, and other contracts, and the project company setup and project financing

■ Advising Scatec on the development of 1GW solar PV power project for Misr Aluminium Company (EgyptAlum) to feed its aluminium factory in Nagaa Hammadi in the South of Egypt, which is the largest wheeled IPP project in the C&I sector in Egypt

■ Advising Intro Utilities, Intro Group‘s sustainable power and utilities arm, with respect to its 15-year energy supply project with the National Company for Maize Products, a subsidiary of Cairo 3A, and a leading company in the agri commodities market in Egypt, consisting in a BOT co-generation unit to supply NCMP with its entire 14 MW electricity demand and most of its thermal energy needs

Banking and Finance:

■ Assisting Abu Dhabi Fund for Development acting through its export credit office Abu Dhabi Exports Office (ADEX) in connection with a USD 100 million re-lending facility agreement with the National Bank of Egypt to finance the bank’s provision of sub-loans to local importers and buyers of eligible goods or services from UAE or related companies

■ Acting as local legal advisor to the lenders in respect of a euro term loan facility of EUR 76,203,750 for the supply of new railway coaches to the Egyptian National Railways company guaranteed by the Egyptian Ministry of Finance

■ Assisting FMO, alongside Clifford Chance, to sign a credit guarantee agreement, worth USD 50 million, with Egypt’s Commercial International Bank (CIB), to cover loans granted to the bank’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), including underserved segments

■ Acting as local legal advisor to Scatec in connection with the refinancing of the non-recourse project debt for 6 solar power plants in Benban, Egypt, with a total capacity of 380 MW, through the issuance of 19-year USD 334.5 million investment-grade non-recourse Green Project Bonds, which benefit from a Climate Bond certificate from the Climate Bond Initiative

■ Acting as local legal advisor to the French renewable energy company Voltalia in connection with the disbursement of a USD 25 million facility for its PV project in Benban solar park

■ Acting as local legal advisor to NREA on the settlement of a number of operating issues with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy company in relation to the authority’s 3 wind projects with a total capacity of 580MW in Gabal Elzayt area financed by KfW and JICA

■ Advising First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) as lending bank and pledgee (together with Eversheds Sutherland) in connection with the acquisition by Cleopatra Hospitals Group, one of Egypt’s largest private hospitals groups, of UAE’s Alameda Healthcare Group (a deal which has been called off in 2Q2021)

Corporate & M&A:

■ Acting as legal advisor to buy side with respect to the +EUR 12 million acquisition by an international energy player of a leading local company specialised in the financing, design, installation, and commissioning of PV solar power plants

■ Acting as legal advisor to sell side in the +USD 11 million acquisition by a leading regional clean energy investment fund of a solar PV project in Benban solar park

■ Acting as legal advisor to buy side in connection with the due diligence for the acquisition of the 500MW solar PV BOO project developed by AMEA Power in Kom Ombo, Egypt

■ Advising a leading French renewable energy company on the partial divestment of equity in operating solar power assets and a pipeline of projects under development in Egypt, as part of a North-African assets’ sharing platform

Construction & Real Estate:

■ Advising the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) on a settlement with State Grid Corporation of China in connection with a transmission lines EPC project

■ Advising juwi on the construction of world’s largest solar hybrid project at the Centamin off-grid gold mine in Egypt, with a capacity of 36 MW bi-facial solar and 7.5 MW battery-energy storage system

■ Advising a lighting technologies company on the acquisition of about 15,000sqm of industrial land in 10th Ramadan City

■ Advising Tawakol Technology in respect of its EGP 122 million contract for thesupply of equipment to the Greater Cairo Metro Line 4 project

■ Advising Italian industrial group Salcef in connection with its EGP 300 million contract with an Egyptian contracting company for the refurbishment and maintenance of railway lines for the Egyptian National Railway Authority (ENR)

Negotiation support and settlements:

■ Acting as legal counsel to the Benban Solar Developers Association in connection with the EGP 1.6 billion settlement of the Cost Sharing Agreement cost overrun dispute with the State-owned Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company and drafting and negotiating the settlement agreement on behalf of all 32 Benban project developers

■ Advising Italian developer Italgen on its negotiations with the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) and Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) in connection with the development of 320 MW wind power project under the merchant scheme in the Gulf of Suez, converted into a BOO project; and advising Italgen on the exit from the project and the settlement reached with NREA and EETC to effect the exit

■ Acting as local legal advisor to NREA on the settlement of a number of operating issues with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy company in relation to the authority’s 3 wind projects with a total capacity of 580MW in Gabal Elzayt area financed by KfW and JICA

■ Advising NREA on contractual liability in relation to road construction works carried out for wind developer Lekela in connection with its 250MW West Bakr wind project in the Gulf of Suez in Egypt

■ Advising Italian company and world leader in medical equipment design General Medical Merate (GMM) in its negotiation with the Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement (UPA) in connection with the USD 1,350 million deal for the procurement of mobile medical devices.

Contacts:

Donia El-Mazghouny, [email protected]

[email protected]

15 Abou El-Feda Street, Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt

Tel: +202 2735 2678 / 2735 2682