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Centre for Commercial Law Studies

Model Joint Operating Agreements in the Energy Industry

When: Thursday, December 7, 2023, 1:00 PM - 4:15 PM
Where: Room 2.2, Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary, University of London, 67-69 Lincoln's Inn Fields London WC2A

Speaker: Professor Paul Deemer

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The Energy and Climate Change Law Institute hosted this lecture on the latest developments in the field of international oil and gas contracting. Our distinguished speaker, Professor Paul Deemer, shared his expertise and insights on the changes made to the 2023 Model International Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) by the Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN). Paul was a co-chair of the drafting committee that revised the JOA, which is a widely used template for joint venture agreements in the upstream sector.

He explained the rationale behind the changes, the main differences from the previous version, and the implications for current and future projects. This was a unique opportunity to learn from one of the leading experts in this area and to engage with him in a Q&A session.

Speaker Bio:

Professor Paul Deemer is a Retired Partner in Residence at Vinson & Elkins. Paul practiced with V&E for more than 40 years, most recently in the Energy Transactions and Projects area in their London Office, before retiring from the partnership at the end of 2018.

His experience includes international mergers and acquisitions, and the development and financing of international energy projects. He has worked extensively on international oil and gas projects, including the acquisition and disposal of oil and gas assets (and companies owning those assets), cross-border oil and gas pipeline projects, and LNG and electric power projects in Europe, Asia, the FSU, and the Middle East. He has also worked on renewable energy projects, including wind, hydroelectric, geothermal and other renewable energy sources. Paul has worked on projects in China since the early 1990s, and has broad experience with Chinese oil, natural gas, and electricity projects. He has represented major international clients, including multilateral lenders, in the development and financing of energy projects in China, Russia, and other countries. Paul was based in China from 1997 to 1999, and from 2002 to 2013, and in Vinson & Elkins’ London, Moscow and Singapore offices for 18 years prior to that.

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