Jorge Neher

Practice Areas

Oil & Gas; Energy and Natural Resources; Mining

Career

Jorge Neher is a partner focused primarily on the areas of Oil & Gas, Mining, Electricity, Energy and Natural Resources. He is leader of the energy practice in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Jorge’s Oil & Gas and Mining practice is one of the largest in Colombia and Venezuela, with more than 30 years of experience with a strong focus on Mergers and Acquisitions, cross-border projects, structuring of equity and project finance in various international markets and corporate and debt restructuring of oil & gas and mining companies. He has participated in a myriad of projects, from complex leveraged acquisitions, spin-offs, financings, restructuring, and multi-jurisdiction transactions, including privately owned and listed companies, to structuring, listing, IPOs and financing of exploration, brownfields and greenfield projects. He also has extensive experience in several countries of Latin America, such as Mexico, Ecuador, Peru and the Guyanas.

In the power sector, Jorge has advised domestic and international clients in matters concerning privatization of integrated and distribution utilities; BOOs and BOTs, project finance for IPPs, regulatory matters and others.

He has also written several articles and notes on specialized publications on the oil & gas and mining sectors.

Publications

Co-author, “Change is on the Horizon for Miners in Colombia,” Mining Law Canada Blog, February 28, 2023

Presenter, "Protecting your global mining assets”, Dentons PDAC Signature Program, Toronto, March 7, 2023

Experience

Oil and Gas

Confidential Client: Advising on an arbitration process related to the breach of obligations under a Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) for oil & gas assets. The arbitration seeks to resolve disputes over non-compliance with key contractual terms.

Confidential Client: Advising on the acquisition of a 50% stake in an international investment fund partnering with a national oil company in Venezuela. The project involves revitalizing four oil fields under a 27-year contract, with projected investments exceeding $1.4 billion, primarily funded through project cash flow.

New Stratus Energy: Advising New Stratus Energy Inc. on acquiring an initial 49% equity stake in a private Mexican oil & gas company, with an option to increase ownership to 90%. The deal includes an initial US$2 million payment and a commitment to fund up to US$45 million in capital requirements over two years.

New Stratus Energy: Advising New Stratus energy on the acquisition of Repsol Ecuador S.A. an indirect subsidiary of the Spanish oil company Repsol S.A. and operator of the blocks 16 and 67 oil contracts with a 35% stake in the consortium, located in the Amazon region of Ecuador, one of the main private crude oil production projects in the country. Canaccord Genuity Emerging Markets Ltd.: Advising a syndicate of agents led by Canaccord Genuity and Beacon Securities in connection with the offering of convertible debentures and warrants by NG Energy International Corp. on a best efforts, fully marketed basis by way of a short form prospectus for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately CA$17.15 million.

Pentanova Energy Corp: Advising Pentanova Energy Corp. on the acquisition of oil & gas assets in Colombia and Argentina, as well as on equity financing and RTO listing in TSXV (Canada).

Geopark: Advising on structuring of financed advanced sales of crude (including transportation facilities and long term transportation contracts in Colombia).

CPVEN: Advising CPVEN, a major Venezuelan oil services company, on (i) acquisition of assets, financings and incursion into E&P activities in Colombia; and (ii) structuring of financed oilfield services paid with crude and oil pegged tariffs.

Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp: Advising on the MOU signed with PEMEX for exploration of business opportunities in the oil and gas sector in Mexico.

Pacific E&P Corp: Advising Pacific E&P Corp., a company with oil & gas assets in several countries such as Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Guatemala, etc. on its US$5.3 billion debt restructuring and DIP financing.

Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp: Advising Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp. in takeover of E&P companies Petrominerales, C&C Energia and Petromagdalena with assets in Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil and Peru, for an aggregate amount of over US$2.5 Billion.

Private Company: Acting as advisor for a private company on the acquisition of equity participation and structured finance of producing oil & gas assets in Venezuela.

Mining

Aris Mining Corporation: Advising the client on its merger process with GCM Mining Corp. As a result of the merger process, Aris Gold Corporation has been renamed and will be known from now on as Aris Mining Corporation. This transaction included the direct and indirect acquisition of GCM of all of the outstanding shares of Aris Gold not currently owned by it

Aris Mining Corporation: Advising the client on the acquisition of 20% of the interest in the Soto Norte Mubadala gold project, which was headed by MDC Industry Holding Company (a Mubadala Capital fund). The project is located in Santander, Colombia. The transaction closed with the option for the buyer to acquire an additional 30% in the future.

GCM Mining Corp: Advised GCM Mining Corp. (a Canadian listed company) on a US 144A bond financing for the development of its “Toroparu” gold/copper project in Guyana. Deal value: 300 million USD.

GCM Mining Corp: Advising Gran Colombia Gold Corp. on a US$80 million and a US$100 million financing through silver and gold linked notes; as well as in restructuring of such notes.

GCM Mining Corp.: Advising on the equity Investment in Sandspring Resources Ltd. (TSXV: SSP) with mining assets in Guyana, for cash and in exchange for 30% participation for Sandspring on the “Chicharron/Guia Antigua” silver-gold Project in Colombia.

GCM Mining Corp: Adiving Gran Colombia Gold Corp. on the equity financings and acquisitions of several gold mining assets in Colombia, including the US$220 million acquisition of the “Frontino” mine.

Red Kite Financing: Advising on the project and equity finance for US$275 million of the “Buritica” gold project in Colombia.

Lundin Gold: Acting as advisor for Lundin Gold on the project finance of the “Fruta del Norte” gold/copper project in Ecuador.

Advising several international mining companies in investment claims for expropriation and nationalization of gold, diamonds and nickel mining assets in Venezuela.

Languages Spoken

English

Spanish

Awards