Robert Nelson's practice focuses on domestic and international energy and infrastructure project development, finance and workouts, as well as cross-border transactions involving acquisitions and joint ventures, real estate finance, technology, investment funds, venture capital and private equity. He has substantial experience representing clients on Asian matters, particularly those involving China and India.
Mr. Nelson has played a crucial role in the development and financing of many of the world’s most significant energy projects. He has worked on over 80 power project transactions spanning 15 countries, including those fueled by gas, biofuels, biomass, coal, cogeneration, geothermal, solar, wind and uranium. Mr. Nelson is currently advising on four power projects in the United Arab Emirates. In the solar arena, Mr. Nelson has represented developers and lenders in connection with the development and financing of approximately 80 percent of the world’s total installed concentrated solar power (CSP) electrical generation. Mr. Nelson also has significant experience in the development and financing of infrastructure projects related to oil and gas, mining, water, transportation, telecommunications and entertainment. Many of the infrastructure projects that he has worked on over the last 15 years involve public-private partnerships, particularly in transportation, power and water.
Some of his most significant energy projects include Samalayuca (first Mexican IPP), Quezon (worldwide project of the year), Meizhou Wan (Asian project of the year) and SEGS ($1.3 billion series of solar power projects in California). His lender-side experience includes representation of multilateral financial institutions. Mr. Nelson has participated in complex project sales, workouts and restructurings, including acting as lead counsel for Bechtel and General Electric in connection with the successful restructuring of the $3 billion Dabhol energy project in India.
Mr. Nelson also has more than 25 years of experience in real estate investment and finance transactions, with a particular emphasis in crossborder acquisitions of commercial real estate and related financing and refinancings. He has represented and helped form large investment funds and joint ventures focusing on real estate acquisitions and investments.
Additionally, Mr. Nelson has significant experience in structuring complex projects, joint ventures and strategic alliances in the technology field, including emerging energy technology/cleantech. Mr. Nelson has handled numerous asset and stock M&A transactions relating to a wide range of properties and companies in the United States and abroad, ranging from the acquisition and sale of interest in energy projects to the acquisition of technology companies.
He has also represented U.S. and foreign private equity, venture capital, and hedge funds in connection with domestic and crossborder investments, including a number of transactions in China and India. His experience extends to fund formation and structuring international investments in tax-efficient ways.
Mr. Nelson has been an advocate and arbitrator in numerous international commercial arbitrations including ICC, ICD, LCIA and UNCITRAL cases ($5M-$6B in dispute), which have included shareholder and joint venture agreement disputes, bilateral investment treaty and political risk insurance claims, intellectual property disputes and other contractual claims.
Several legal publications have ranked Mr. Nelson as a top lawyer in his field. His recent honors include listings in Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Energy and Natural Resources Lawyers, Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Project Finance Lawyers, International Who’s Who of Construction Lawyers, International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers, International Who’s Who of Project Finance Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America (Construction Law). In 2009, Mr. Nelson was selected by in-house counsel and his peers to appear in Best of the Best USA, where he was listed as one of the top 25 preeminent project finance practitioners in the nation.
Mr. Nelson is an appointed member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the Board of Directors of the US-India Business Council. He also is a member of the joint U.S.-Indian taskforce on trade and investment matters, vice chair and past chair of the International Bar Association’s Project Finance Subcommittee and chair of the American Bar Association’s Subcommittee on Model Agreements, Project Finance Committee. He previously taught at Stanford University in its Graduate School of Business and its School of Engineering.
Mr. Nelson is fluent in several languages and has practiced in Paris, New York and San Francisco.
He frequently speaks about topics related to his practice, including international and domestic project finance and energy matters and crossborder investment involving China and India. He also regularly authors articles about project finance; workout and restructurings; energy; and crossborder acquisitions, financings and investments.