Pattern Energy Group LP: Financing of Japan’s largest wind and solar energy investment fund

Norio Maeda is a partner with expertise in transactions involving the acquisition and development of, the financing of, and investment in, Japanese renewable energy projects. He has represented domestic and foreign investors, developers, and lenders, including infrastructure funds, energy companies, and financial institutions from the U.S., Europe, and Asia in numerous green-field and brown-field projects. Norio’s practice also covers transactions involving acquisition and development, investment, and financing with respect to Japanese real estate assets. He is highly skilled at developing innovative investment and financing structures. He has represented domestic and foreign investors, including investment funds, financial institutions, investment managers, and developers from the U.S., Europe, and Asia, in numerous investment and development projects involving sophisticated structures. He also has represented lenders in numerous structured finance transactions involving real estate assets. Norio’s transactional experience includes establishment of Japanese investment platforms into Japanese real estate assets using the TMK and GK-TK schemes, as well as the restructuring of Japanese real estate asset investments. In addition, Norio has extensive experience in inbound cross-border financing transactions for the operation of multi-national corporations in Japan. He has worked on inbound financing transactions under global debt facilities for multi-national corporations headquartered in Asia and other parts of the world. These transactions have involved collateral consisting of various types of assets and have employed a wide variety of credit support structures.

Sadayuki has a wealth of experience in supporting international clients in projects, transactions, and businesses in the energy sector. Sadayuki advises his clients on the best solutions for achieving their business goals based on his deep understanding of the relevant laws and regulations and practices in the full energy supply chain. He also has expertise in carbon-neutral projects and businesses, such as renewable power projects and hydrogen projects, as well as pioneering businesses involved in recent developments in the electricity market and the regulations thereon. Sadayuki serves as a member of an industrial safety rules committee and a hydrogen safety strategy committee, both of which were established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, and also is a member of an electricity capacity market committee, which is part of the Organization for Cross-regional Coordination of Transmission Operators, Japan (OCCTO).

Yoshiharu has extensive experience in various areas of international and domestic investment fundraising, including private equity, venture capital, mezzanine, infrastructure, real estate, and commodity funds, and is regularly consulted by top-ranked US and UK law firms for advice on Japanese regulatory matters. He frequently advises financial institutions and major companies, including banks, insurance companies, and private/government pension funds on their investments in international and domestic alternative funds in a timely and flexible manner. He also worked at the New York office of a Japanese mega bank (MUFG Bank) as a secondee, and has expertise in compliance-related matters relating to financial institutions.

He represents clients engaged in a broad range of banking and finance matters, including real estate financing facilities, leveraged financing transactions, restructurings, project financing facilities and structured finance transactions. He also has expertise in representing foreign and domestic investors, funds, and corporate entities in various types of matters, including joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions, and investment transactions. In recent years, he has also represented clients engaged in many solar PV projects and other renewable energy projects.

Koki is a seasoned expert on a wide range of real-estate transactions (including securitization of real estate) with diversified clients, such as banks, developers, and asset management companies. His coverage includes cross-border real-estate finance, project finance and other finance transactions. Also, he is specialized in REIT, and financial regulatory matters including banking, and asset management.

He has extensive experience in the establishment of Japanese and foreign investment funds, including PE funds, venture funds, renewable energy funds, real estate funds, mezzanine funds, and funds of funds. The types of fund structures on which he has advised include funds whose GPs themselves are also partnerships, parallel fund structures, funds whose fund managers are joint ventures, and funds with more than two GPs. Also, he has assisted many investors (including financial institutions, business companies, and funds of funds) with investing in funds. Recently, he has been representing investors in approximately 20 to 40 investment funds on an annual basis.

Amane has extensive experience in a number of project finance transactions and acquisitions in connection with renewable energy projects in Japan and other Asian countries. In addition to his broad knowledge of the complex regulations surrounding renewable energy, he also has a deep understanding of IPP business reinforced by his work experience in London at a major Japanese trading company. His clients include domestic and international energy project developers, investors, lenders, construction contractors, and utility companies. He advises, represents, and advocates on behalf of clients in a wide range of transactions in the renewable energy sector, including development of green-field projects, debt and equity financing, selling and acquisition of energy projects, and legal due diligence. He also has a wealth of experience in offshore wind projects from the emergence of offshore wind business in Japan in the mid-2010s, including advising clients in the public tender process under the Offshore Renewable Energy Act.