Overview
Chris Richardson is a partner in the Energy and Infrastructure practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Houston office.
Chris’ practice focuses on complex and bespoke domestic and cross-border corporate transactions and projects across the energy and infrastructure industry globally, including project development and finance, joint ventures, equity and debt investments, M&A, commercial contracts and commodities trading. He also regularly advises general counsels, executives, corporate boards and government ministries on strategic matters such as project structuring, corporate governance, contract interpretation, reorganizations, host country agreements, major capital investments and dispute resolution.
Chris has represented sponsors, developers, investors, funds, lenders, operators, suppliers, offtakers, commodities traders, service providers, sovereign funds and foreign governments on matters throughout the U.S. and across more than 50 jurisdictions on six continents in the oil and gas, LNG, oilfield services, petrochemicals/chemicals, energy transition, energy technology, electric power and renewables, and manufacturing sectors.
He has over 20 years of experience in the energy and infrastructure space, both as a senior executive and in private practice while based in Houston, Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi. Immediately prior to joining Paul Hastings, Chris served as the CEO of an energy technology company developing industrial scale low carbon power generation, hydrogen production, carbon capture and gas processing technologies and projects across the United States. Prior to his CEO role, Chris was the head of the Energy and Infrastructure Projects section for the Americas at a leading global law firm and previously served as the general counsel of a sovereign-wealth-backed international oil and gas company in the UAE.
Accolades
- Chambers USA, Projects: LNG, 2023
Education
- University of Virginia School of Law (Editor-in-Chief, Virginia Environmental Law Journal), J.D., 2004
- Tulane University, B.A. (magna cum laude), 1999
Representations
- Atlantic LNG. Over a period of six years (2018-2024), served as lead outside counsel representing the government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the minister of energy across from BP and Shell in the restructuring and relicensing of all aspects of the Atlantic LNG project and the related upstream gas supply chain in Trinidad and Tobago, including the unitization of the four-train facility into a single enterprise, new joint venture arrangements of the holding company, corporate governance for the LNG project, budget and expansion procedures, gas supply and gas processing arrangements, LNG tolling, transport and marketing of LNG, O&M agreements, and regulatory matters.
- Cedar LNG. Represented an international oil and gas major in a potential equity investment in, and tolling offtake from, the Cedar LNG project in Kitimat, British Columbia, including strategic advice, the review of project documentation, and the drafting and negotiation of investment and project agreements.
- Lead lenders and arrangers for Shenandoah. Represented the lead lenders and arrangers, led by Societe Generale, in the up to US$1.25 billion project financing of the Shenandoah oil and gas project in the Gulf of Mexico, including negotiation of the transaction documents, project diligence across all key project agreements, and advising lenders on key strategic issues.
- Orbia (Mexichem). Represented Orbia on all aspects of its joint venture project arrangements with Solvay for the development, construction and operation of facilities in Texas and Georgia for the production of specialized chemicals for battery production, including deal structuring, raw material supply, offtake and marketing arrangements, O&M, joint venture arrangements and corporate governance.
- Global chemical company. Advised a major global chemical company on a potential joint venture with a major Asian trading house for the development and operation of chemical facility in Asia, including structuring of project and drafting and negotiating project and JV agreements.
- EIG. Represented EIG on its equity investment and debt financings for HIF Global, an e-fuels and hydrogen project developer based in Chile. The deal won IJ Global Energy Transition Transaction of the Year for Latin America in 2023.
- Vitol. Advised Vitol on various commodities trading transactions and commercial contracts, including offtake and marketing and financing for commodities trading activities.
- Goldman Sachs. Advised Goldman Sachs on its financing arrangements for Mubadala Capital in connection with Mubadala’s acquisition of the RLAM refinery in Brazil from PETROBRAS.
- Nacero. Advised an e-fuels project sponsor on commercial contracts and project development.
- Chemical company. Represented a major chemical producer and its Asian shareholder and board on the strategic potential restructuring of various supply chains, O&M and JV arrangements across four facilities.
- Global chemical company. Represented a Middle East-based global chemical company on a potential major capital project and joint venture for chemical production and marketing in the U.S. Gulf South.
- Texas LNG. Represented Texas LNG on project development and commercial matters, including the drafting and negotiation of the precedent agreement for natural gas transportation.
- U.S. Gulf Coast LNG project. Represented a potential confidential buyer of interests for a U.S. Gulf Coast LNG project.
- Japanese trading houses. Advised several Japanese trading houses on potential investments, acquisitions, offtake arrangements, and joint ventures in North America across various energy product lines.
- TotalEnergies. Advised TotalEnergies on numerous projects and transactions, including acquisitions and divestitures, offshore oil and gas developments, and strategic advice across multiple product lines and platforms globally.
- Delfin LNG. Represented Vitol in its equity investment in, and its LNG offtake from, the Delfin floating LNG project in Louisiana, with a total deal value of up to US$3 billion.
- Driftwood LNG. Represented Vitol in its LNG SPA with Tellurian from Driftwood LNG.
- U.S. oil and gas company. Advised a major U.S. oil and gas company in the divestiture of its upstream gas assets in Asia.
- Offshore oil and gas operator. Represented an Israeli upstream developer on its Gulf of Mexico operations and assets.
- Various oilfield service companies. On various corporate and transactional matters in the Americas, Asia and the Middle East.