Hogan Lovells advises consortium led by WTE Wassertechnik on major wastewater treatment plant project Umm Al-Hayman in Kuwait

As general contractor, WTE will be responsible for the planning and construction of a sewage treatment plant in particular (contract value equivalent to around EUR 600 million) and - with partners - a sewage network with pumping stations (contract value equivalent to around EUR 950 million). With a construction volume of approximately USD 1.8 billion (excluding financing and operating costs), it is one of the world's largest and most complex water projects.

With a complex financing structure including six international and national banks, the project is also one of the largest public-private partnership (PPP) projects in the Middle East. For the first time, a PPP project in this region and this size has received legal counseling by an international team with German lawyers in the lead. Hogan Lovells' advisory services covered all legal aspects, including project procurement and tendering, structuring, project contracts, project financing, EPC and operator agreements.

Dr. Tobias Faber, who bears the overall legal responsibility for the project, said: 

"We are proud that we were able to use our international project and infrastructure expertise to support our important clients WTE and IFA in this project, which is so essential for the State of Kuwait. We could not only rely on our broad technical understanding of such projects, but also on our more than 15 years of experience with complex, often project-financed infrastructure and energy projects in the MENA region".  

Dr. Alexander Stefan Rieger led the negotiation of the project agreements; Dr. Carla Luh led the negotiation of the financing agreements.  Sohail Barkatali from Hogan Lovells'  Dubai office advised on all relevant Middle East topics.

Hogan Lovells Team for WTE and IFA

Frankfurt

Dr. Tobias Faber (Partner), Dr. Alexander Stefan Rieger (Partner), Dr. Fabian Bonke (Senior Associate), Maria Koliasta, Jürgen Keß, Kristina Laewen, Johannes Groß, Katharina Baunach, Jan Hendrik Müller, (all Associates), Camilla Fröhlich (Foreign Associate) (all IERP Infrastructure, Energy, Resources and Projects);

Amy Bruland (Associate, IERP Finance);

Hamburg

Dr. Carla Luh (Partner), Marco Weibrecht (Associate), Anne Gahleitner (Business Lawyer) (all IERP Project Finance);

Dusseldorf

Dr. Heiko Gemmel (Partner), Anne-Svenja de Kiff (Senior Associate) (both Tax);

Dubai

Sohail Barkatali (Partner, IERP Projects), Tony Nicholson (Senior Associate, IERP Finance);

London

James Doyle (Partner), Nicholas Watmough (Senior Associate) (both IDCM International Debt Capital Markets).

WTE Inhouse Legal: Dr. Axel Bowmann, Katarzyna Pater, Miriam Angelstorf

IFA Inhouse Legal: Alaa Ahmed Kamel

Local Counsel WTE/IFA: ASAR: Ibrahim Sattout, Akusa Batwala, Talal Bijjani, Dania DIB