Nick Baker

Managing Partner, Projects, Energy and Infrastructure

Melbourne, Australia, Asia

Nick is a partner in the Projects, Energy and Infrastructure Group specialising in public and private M&A, joint ventures and other strategic transactions.

Nick advises clients on public and private M&A, joint ventures and other strategic transactions, with a focus on the energy and infrastructure sectors. He also advises on foreign investment regulation, critical infrastructure regulation, wholesale trading (including carbon), plant closures and the development of greenfield projects.

Nick is Global Co-Head of Energy for HSF and is listed as a leading lawyer in various publications, including Chambers, Legal 500, Doyle’s Guide, Best Lawyers and IFLR1000.

Background

Nick has a Bachelor of Laws Degree (Hons) and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Otago. Nick is admitted to practice in Victoria and New Zealand. Prior to joining Herbert Smith Freehills he worked in New York for Cravath, Swaine & Moore, LLP and in New Zealand for Russell McVeagh.

Experience & expertise

Selected matters

(2023) QIC on its acquisition of a 50% interest in Vector’s NZ$2.5 billion advanced metering business
(2023) The shareholders of solar farm developer ESCO Pacific on the A$126 million sale of 100% of the shares of ESCO Pacific to OX2
(2023) I-Squared on its acquisition of Rentco, a leading transport equipment leasing company
(2023) Brookfield on its joint development and option agreement with Greenleaf Renewables for the proposed 400MW Moonlight Range wind farm
(2023) Enerfin on its joint development and option agreement with Greenleaf Renewables for the proposed 166MW Stony Creek wind farm
(2023) HESTA on its investment in the Palisade managed Intera Renewables renewable energy platform
(2023) New Zealand Oil & Gas on its Perth Basin farm-in with Triangle Energy and Talon Energy.
(2022) BP on its acquisition of a 40.5% interest in, and operatorship of, the Asia Renewable Energy Hub (a proposed 26GW renewable green-hydrogen project in Western Australia)
(2022) Iberdrola S.A., on its bid for CWP Renewables
(2022) IFM on its participation in Sydney Aviation Alliance’s A$32 billion acquisition of ASX-listed Sydney Airport
(2022) Brookfield, AIMCo, HOOPP, IMCO and Australian Retirement Trust on their A$17.8 billion acquisition of ASX-listed electricity network owner AusNet Services by scheme of arrangement
(2022) Macquarie Capital and InfraRed Capital on the sale of a 60% interest in Lal Lal Wind Farms to Igneo Infrastructure
(2022) Pacific Partnerships on the acquisition of the Glenrowan solar farm project from ESCO Pacific
(2022) The shareholders of wind farm developer Epuron on the sale of 100% of the shares of Epuron to Ark Energy.
(2021) Fonterra on the strategic review of its Australian business
(2021) Funds managed by Goldman Sachs on their US$250 million investment into long-duration energy storage provider Hydrostor, Inc.
(2021) New Zealand Oil & Gas on its acquisition of interests in three Northern Territory producing basins from Central Petroleum
(2021) EnergyAustralia on the closure of Yallourn Power Station
(2021) CGN Energy on its sale of Morton’s Lane Wind Farm to Whitehelm Capital
(2020) UAC Energy on its A$1 billion takeover bid for ASX-listed Infigen Energy
(2020) ENGIE on its joint venture with Macquarie for the 150MW Hazelwood battery storage project
(2020) Infrastructure Capital Group on its sale of the Enwave Australia district energy and utilities network business to CleanPeak Energy
(2020) Masdar on its acquisition of a 40% interest in the East Rockingham Resource Recovery Facility
(2020) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on its acquisition of a 20% interest in hydrogen project developer The H2U Group
(2019) Brookfield on the A$420 million sale of Tasmanian gas distribution network owner Enwave Australia to Infrastructure Capital Group
(2019) New Zealand Oil & Gas on its acquisition of a 15% interest in the Ironbark-1 WA offshore exploration asset and related coordination arrangements with Beach Energy, BP and Cue Energy
(2019) The Pacific Partnerships, DIF and CAF consortium on the equity and joint venture arrangements for the A$2.8 billion Regional Rail rolling stock PPP
(2018) IFM on the A$205 million sale of the Newport and Jeeralang gas-fired power stations to EnergyAustralia
(2018) IFM, OMERS, AGP, Hostplus and SunSuper on their bid for the WestConnex toll roads
(2018) AGL on its sale of its ‘National Assets’ business (comprising 17 separate co-gen, gas, CNG refuelling and other assets) to Whitehelm Capital
(2018) Macquarie Capital on its sale of an 80% interest in Lal Lal Wind Farms to Northleaf Capital and InfraRed Capital
(2017) Alinta Energy on the acquisition of the Loy Yang B power station from ENGIE
(2017) O.G. Energy on its A$344 million acquisition of a 40% interest in the Otway Gas Project and related exploration assets from Beach Energy
(2016) IFM and AustralianSuper on their A$16 billion acquisition of a 50.4% interest in electricity network owner and operator Ausgrid
(2016) Brookfield on the A$9.1 billion scheme of arrangement and separation of ASX listed logistics operator Asciano
(2015) BHP on its $13 billion demerger of South32 onto the ASX, LSE and JSE