Unlocking APAC's Renewable Energy Potential: Market Trends, Investment Opportunities & Insights

Karthik Kumar Partner

Singapore

Karthik has a strong focus on the renewable energy sector with extensive experience in solar, onshore and offshore wind, biomass, and waste-to-energy projects across the region. Karthik is highly regarded in the market for his in-depth regulatory knowledge and significant transactional experience. Clients laud him for his commercial approach and deep regional background.

He has extensive experience advising developers, sponsors, borrowers and financial institutions, including banks and multilateral lending institutions, on a wide range of renewable energy projects in jurisdictions such as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines, China and Australia.

Karthik is a top-ranked lawyer in the Chambers Global and Asia Pacific directories as well as by Legal 500 and India Business Law Journal. Clients describe him as a “top-notch lawyer” and is “known for his project finance capabilities, particularly in the renewable energy segment.” They also note that he “deeply understands the business needs and stakeholder expectations and has time and again proven to have our 100% confidence in his counsel.” Clients extol his India-focused project finance practice, commending him for his "second to none" knowledge of Indian law and practice and noting a particular acquisition of an Indian company where "his ability to understand unique local issues" was "amazing." 

Giji John Partner

Houston; Singapore

He has extensive experience representing project sponsors through development (including through the negotiation and drafting of power purchase agreements and other long-term offtake agreements, physical and financial swaps, engineering, procurement and construction contracts, operation and maintenance agreements, management services agreements and site services agreements), acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures and financings. His representation has included transactions involving LNG facilities, methanol facilities, petrochemical refineries, carbon capture and sequestration facilities, natural gas processing and storage facilities, natural gas and CO2 pipelines, wind energy, solar energy, natural gas-fired peaking and combined-cycle power plants, thermal and battery energy storage, transportation, aviation and ports.

His prior experiences include a two year secondment to International Finance Corporation’s Office of General Counsel where he worked on multi-currency corporate financings, project financings and equity investments in infrastructure projects in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Panama, the Philippines, Romania, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and Turkey.

Giji is currently ranked as a Projects Leading Lawyer in Chambers Global and Chambers USA, and has been recognized for excellence by numerous leading industry and legal publications, including being named one of 34 "Groundbreaking lawyers" by Public Utilities Fortnightly.

Michael Tardif Partner

Singapore

Michael’s practice services a broad range of industry sectors, including conventional power, renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric), infrastructure, oil & gas and mining across Asia, Australia and the US. His project finance experience covers the complete toolkit of complex transactions from corporate and acquisition financing, structured/leveraged finance transactions and derivatives, including hedging arrangements.

Michael has notable experience in transactions involving multilateral lenders and export-credit agencies which are often crucial supporters of project financings in developing countries in the region.

Ranked in Band 1 in the Chambers Asia Pacific guide for Indonesia Projects & Energy lawyer for seven years in a row, Michael is also recognized as a “Leading Individual” by Legal 500 Asia Pacific.

Andrew Hughes Of Counsel

Tokyo

Andrew also has significant experience advising on sophisticated real estate and asset finance transactions involving global opportunity funds, banks and other financial institutions.

Prior to joining Orrick’s Energy and Infrastructure Group, Andrew was an in-house counsel at GREE Inc. and Electronic Arts where he gained experience in various corporate and commercial transactions, including joint ventures, cross-border M&A and general corporate matters.

Minako Wakabayashi Partner

Tokyo

Minako has significant experience advising international and domestic sponsors and developers on complex and innovative projects. She was called upon by the Japanese government in structuring the renewable Feed-in-Tariff scheme in Japan and prepared the government’s model contracts for specific contracts (power purchase contract/interconnection contract), which are a key component of the Feed-in-Tariff scheme in Japan. Recently, she has also been handling numerous corporate PPA projects.

She was appointed as Auditor of the Japan Wind Power Association (JWPA) in May 2022.

Minako practiced at Orrick’s New York office in 2004-2005. She also worked as a public prosecutor in Japan for four years and served as a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Supervising Committee for Public Bidding (Tokyo-to Nyusatsu Kanshi Iinkai) for eight years. She is serving as Audit of Veritas In Silico Inc since March 2022.