Alvaro Mestre is a transactional lawyer representing a mix of developers, owner/sponsors, manufacturers, contractors and other interested parties in the structuring and overall development of large infrastructure projects. With an extensive and specific focus on the energy industry, he advises clients on how to properly allocate and mitigate against those risks that are inherent to complex infrastructure projects. Over the years, he has represented clients in diverse forms of multinational corporate transactions in the United States, Latin America, Europe and Africa.

With a traditional background in fossil fuels and a well-established and growing practice in renewable energy projects, Alvaro negotiates project contracts for clients in connection with various power producing technologies including solar, nuclear, wind, biofuels and natural gas, and in addition has developed natural gas and LPG transportation projects. Alvaro has specific experience in the structuring, construction, operation and maintenance of power generation facilities, pipelines and compression stations, fuel storage facilities, LNG storage and regasification terminals, transmission lines and other related infrastructure projects. Alvaro regularly negotiates the material project agreements for these projects including various forms of offtake agreements (such as transportation services agreements and power purchase agreements); engineering, procurement and construction contracts; operation and maintenance agreements; diverse interconnection agreements; fuel supply contracts; joint development agreements; and equity holders’ agreements.

Alvaro has represented clients in all aspects of divestitures and acquisitions of both corporate entities and assets throughout the United States and Latin America.

Alvaro serves as the vice chair of the Board of Directors of a longstanding community-based organization that advocates for and defends the legal and human rights of low-income Latino and other immigrant communities in the Washington DC area.

Representative Experience

• Representing a major US-based construction company in the development of nuclear power plant projects in the United States and other countries including the structuring of their internal consortium arrangements.
• Advising a large US-based solar power company in the development of various solar power projects.
• Representing a client on every phase of the San Fernando Pipeline Project, named a Deal of the Year by Project Finance magazine, and the first Pemex project financed without a Pemex corporate guaranty. This representation included the development, permitting, construction, operation and maintenance of the project.
• Representing a joint venture entity in developing, permitting, constructing, operating and maintaining an extensive LPG pipeline in Mexico to alleviate highway transportation concerns and to bring stranded LPG to the Monterrey urban area.
• Representing an international consortium of multinational energy companies in all aspects of the development, permitting, construction, nonrecourse project financing, operation and maintenance of an LNG receiving and regasification terminal including an extensive natural gas pipeline transportation system with cross-border interconnections.
• Representing the concession holder of a Brazil-based offshore natural gas field in the negotiation of a drilling services agreement.
• Representing a leading Europe-based train manufacturer in the supply and long-term maintenance of light rail vehicles to a major US metropolitan transportation authority.
• Advising in the acquisition of a US-based wind power generation company on behalf of a leading Europe-based wind turbine manufacturer and power producer.
• Advising in the acquisition of the premier Mexico-based tax law publishing company on behalf of a Europe-based multinational information publisher.
• Representing a US-based energy company in the divestiture of a Texas power generation facility to a European purchaser and serving as counsel for the seller when it initially purchased the same power generation asset.
• Representing a global producer of steel in negotiating a master settlement of various disputes, requiring the sale and leaseback of material assets, the renegotiation of long-term service contracts, the dissolution and liquidation of a joint venture and the release of pending related claims.