SPB Sydney partner leads multijurisdictional team on €1.36bn PPP project

Squire Patton Boggs (SPB) Sydney partner Tatiana Gotvig has helped to lead a multijurisdictional team that advised on a €1.36bn public-private partnership (PPP) project – the first in Uzbekistan’s utilities sector.

The firm guided Veolia, a utility headquartered in Paris that is set to operate, modernise and supervise the largest heating network in Uzbekistan. The Tashkent district heating network is situated in the country’s capital.

Veolia signed a project documents package that included the PPP agreement with the Tashkent City Municipality on 29 September, following over two years of negotiation. The utility represents the public side of the partnership.

Also part of the package was a government support agreement with Uzbekistan government.

In addition to running and maintaining the network, Veolia will finance the operating assets program and oversee public investment programs geared towards upgrading and enhancing network efficiencies throughout the 30-year term of the affermage model project.

Gotvig co-led SPB’s project team on the deal with Moscow partner Alexander Dolgov. They were supported by lawyers Victor Ivanov, Graham Johnson, Konstantin Makarevich, Mikhail Zelensky, Poulad Berenjforoush, Roman Petrovsky and Tam Nguyen.

The team worked closely with Veolia’s local counsel, Centil Law.

Meanwhile, the Asian Development Bank provided advice to the Tashkent City Municipality.

The SPB team in Australia has played a role in several cross-border deals in the last 18 months. The firm assisted Minor Hotel Group on its APAC expansion, and advised Hong Kong-based mining and metals company Yansteel on its joint venture with WA-based Sheffield Resources.