• Export Development Canada, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Finance Corporation, the Export- Import Bank of the United States, the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation of Australia and commercial lenders— $ 4.4 billion project financing of Rio Tinto’ s Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine in Mongolia
• Agent and lenders— $ 229 million second lien term credit facility and related intercreditor arrangements to Blackhawk Mining *
• Leading international commodities bank as agent and lead lender— revolving cross-border credit facility to an international steel group
• Natixis— $ 67.5 million development, construction and project financing of an iron ore mine
• Syndicate of lenders comprising emerging market funds and hedge funds— construction aspects of the project financing of $ 216 million Jabaili Zinc Oxide mine in Yemen( this is the first project finance transaction to close in Yemen)
• Lenders— refinancing of the Lumwana copper mine( then owned by Equinox Minerals) in Zambia
• Lenders to London Mining— restructuring of its debt in respect to its mine in Sierra Leone and Greenland
• Lenders— limited recourse prepayment facilities between Glencore and Fortescue metals group in Australia
• Borrower— in connection with the purchase and delayed draw financing of precious metals for use in its operations, including platinum and rhenium
Royalties
• Ecora Resources— $ 50.25 million acquisition of a 1.525 percent net smelter return royalty from Mantos Copper in relation to the Mantos Blancos copper mine in Chile
• Canada Pension Plan Investment Board— $ 450 million commitment to LongPoint Minerals, LLC, an entity formed to buy minerals and royalties in the United States
• Ecora Resources— royalty and financing arrangement with Incoa Performance Minerals LLC in relation to the development of its calcium carbonate mine in the Dominican Republic and processing plant in Alabama
• Rodeo Resources— royalty arrangements in respect of its rutile mining licences in Cameroon
• Ecora Resources— equity investment in Brazilian Nickel, together with its $ 70 million gross revenue royalty and intercreditor arrangements with potential project finance lenders, in respect of the Piaui nickel project in Brazil
• Anglo Pacific Group plc— acquisition of royalty interests from Incoa Performance Minerals LLC in respect of its calcium carbonate mine in the Dominican Republic
• Anglo Pacific Group plc— acquisition of a net smelter royalty from Mantos Copper in respect of its copper mine in Chile
Environmental
• Mining company— defense of potential liability for numerous abandoned lead and barite mining sites, including alleged widespread soil contamination and affected watersheds arising from mining activities dating back over 100 years
• Fortune 100 company— contested case proceeding before SOAH and TCEQ involving a wastewater discharge permit application for a Central Texas lignite mine; TCEQ issued the wastewater discharge permit without any additional permit terms or conditions
• Large Appalachian coal mining company— contentious water discharge permitting matter and in the sale of all of its assets and the disposition of its environmental liabilities
• Potential joint venture investor— EHS risks and liabilities associated with in-situ uranium mining on state and tribal lands in the American Southwest
Regulatory and Litigation
• ASARCO LLC— represented Arizona-based copper mining company against an Indian conglomerate for breach of asset purchase agreement. Case No. 10- 02010; ASARCO LLC v. Sterlite( USA), Inc. and Sterlite Industries( India), Ltd., in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division
• Fortune 100 company— contested case proceeding before the Railroad Commission of Texas involving a surface mining permit application; this matter resulted in a settlement on the eve of the contested case hearing and the issuance of the surface mining permit
• Private owner— potential liability for numerous abandoned lead and barite mining sites in eastern Missouri, including alleged widespread soil contamination and affected watersheds arising from mining activities dating back over one hundred years. This federally led investigation into potential abandoned mine“ megasites” involved complex legal issues on restoration standards and tangled chains of corporate successors. bracewell. com