Morgan & Morgan

Business & Corporate Law

Ramon Varela is currently a Partner and heads the Energy and Projects practices of the firm.

He also has a leading role in the Corporate Law practice, counseling clients in matters related to mergers and acquisitions, joint-ventures, securities, corporate governance and regulatory law.

Prior to joining Morgan & Morgan, Mr. Varela served as an associate in the Commercial Law Department of a well-known local firm, reviewing matters related to mergers and acquisitions, project finance, contracts, environmental law and securities.

With almost 20 years’ background in corporate law, including project finance matters, Mr. Varela’s experience includes major areas of infrastructure projects, including transportation, ports and energy. His practice focuses advising clients involved in the generation of energy, including hydro, wind, natural gas and solar projects. He led the Morgan & Morgan team that represented The AES Corporation in the development of the Changuinola I Hydroelectric Project, one of the most important private investments in the country. He also led the Morgan & Morgan team advising a group of lenders in a credit facility of up to US$300 million for the financing of four wind farms, with an aggregate capacity of 215 MW, in Coclé Province; Republic of Panama, expected to be the largest wind farm in Central America. In addition, Mr. Varela is currently advising The AES Corporation in the development of an integrated gas to power facility in the Telfers Islands in the province of Colon, at the North Coast of the Republic of Panama. The project consist of a 380MW net combined cycle gas-fired power plant and an onshore LNG import terminal with an 180,000 m3 storage tank, as well as the construction of power evacuation facilities to interconnect the generation plant with the existing electricity transmission network.

Mr. Varela has also served as speaker at conferences and workshops related to the energy market in the country, to discuss the investment needs of the energy sector and new energy projects in Panama.

His client portfolio includes developers, operators, EPC contractors, investors and government authorities who are actively involved in the energy sector.

Chambers & Partners, IFLR 1000 and Legal 500 have recognized Mr. Varela as a leading lawyer in corporate and M&A, project finance, government contracts, energy and infrastructure.

Mr. Varela obtained a B.A. in 1995 from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. and a J.D. in 1998 from The George Washington University Law School, Washington, D.C.

Mr. Varela is admitted to practice law in the Republic of Panama.