About

Number of years practice: 29 Principal practice areas: International business transactions, infrastructure development and finance Admissions: District of Columbia Languages spoken: English and Spanish

Paul O’Hop has been active in the energy sector for more than 25 years, during which time he has acted as lead counsel on several first-of-their-kind transactions involving private and government-owned energy companies in Latin America. Over the past year, O’Hop and his team worked on several notable Mexican energy matters, including representing IEnova in the development of the 110 MW Pima Solar Project and its related transmission facilities, both to be located in the State of Sonora, and on the development of a maritime fuel storage terminal to be located in the State of Veracruz. O’Hop’s activities in the Mexican oil-and-gas sector also include representing a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pemex-Gas y Petroquímica Básica in the development and construction of two of the largest segments of a $3bn integrated natural gas transportation pipeline of approximately 1,100km in length, extending from the Agua Dulce area in Texas to various delivery points in the central region of Mexico; and acting as counsel in the establishment of the first joint venture in history between Mexico’s state petroleum company and a non-Mexico-based company. Throughout his career, he has represented a number of large US-based energy companies on power generation, pipeline and production projects in the United States and Latin America (including Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Peru and Venezuela), and has substantial experience in the creation of international joint ventures including joint ventures between government and private sector entities (public-private partnerships). O’Hop’s practice frequently sees him working on renewable energy projects, including the development of some of the world’s largest solar projects, requiring the negotiation of solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) and the registration of credits under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. He has been an adjunct professor of international law at The George Washington University, practiced law in the Netherlands and Belgium as an exchange lawyer, and lived in Spanish-speaking countries on two occasions.