Robert Merrick

Partner

Perth, Australia

Rob is a partner in our global energy sector group.

Rob focuses on acquisitions and divestments, joint ventures, project development and financing and commodity marketing in the energy & natural resources industries. He has over 20 years of experience advising on transactions and projects spanning upstream oil & gas exploration and production, midstream transportation and storage infrastructure, LNG export and import facilities, power generation and transmission, mining and minerals processing.

He is recognised as one of Australia’s leading energy & resources lawyers in Chambers (Band 1, Oil & Gas), Who’s Who of International Energy Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in Australia (Corporate Law, Corporate/Governance Practice, Energy Law, M&A Law, Mining Law, Natural Resources Law and Oil & Gas Law, including Oil & Gas Lawyer of the Year 2019), Asia Pacific Legal 500 (Energy transactions and regulatory), Doyle’s Guide (“Pre-eminent” ranking), IFLR1000 (Highly Regarded, Energy & Mining) and Legal Media Expert Guides ‘Best of the Best’ (Energy & Natural Resources).

Background

Rob holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Murdoch University (1994) and is a Fellow of Leadership Western Australia (2008).

He is a past National President of AMPLA (The Resources & Energy Law Association) and remains on the Editorial Board of the Australian Resources & Energy Law Journal (AMPLA’s flagship publication). He is also a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators.

Experience & expertise

Selected matters

Santos on the US$2.15b acquisition of Quadrant Energy from Macquarie, Brookfield and their co-investors (2018)
Roc Oil on the A$84m acquisition of a 50% interest in the Ungani Oil Project from Buru Energy (2018)
ConocoPhillips and the Darwin LNG shareholders in relation to backfill gas processing arrangements for the Darwin LNG plant (2018)

• AGL on the sale of a portfolio of small generation and compressed natural gas refuelling assets to Sustainable Energy Infrastructure, a consortium led by Whitehelm Capital (2018)
Santos on the proposed expansion of PNG LNG (2018)
Skye Alba on the acquisition of interests in the Amulet and Taunton fields from Tap and Santos (2018)
Origin on the A$1.15b sale of Lattice Energy to Beach Energy (2017/18)
AGL on the announced sale of its North Queensland gas assets (comprising a 50% interest in each of the Moranbah Gas Project JV and the North Queensland Energy JV and participation rights in the ATP1103 exploration licence in the Bowen Basin) to Shandong Order and Orient Energy (2017)
APA Group on the development of a new gas transmission pipeline and 45MW gas-fired power station to supply power to the Gruyere Gold Project (2017)
Roc Oil on the sale of its interest in the Cliff Head Oil Project to Triangle Energy and Royal Energy (2017)
Origin on the A$392m sale of the Darling Downs Pipeline to Jemena (2017) and A$245m sale of the Mortlake Pipeline to SEAGas (2016)
AGL on the A$151m sale of its interest in the Diamantina Power Station to APA Group (2016)
AGL on a long-term gas storage agreement with Lochard Energy utilising the Iona Gas Storage Facility (2015)
Keppel Infrastructure Trust on its merger with City Spring Infrastructure Trust, the owner of the Basslink interconnector between Tasmania and Victoria (2015)
AGL on a gas sale agreement with Esso and BHP to purchase up to 198PJ of gas from the Bass Strait over three years (2015)
Origin on its farm-in with Senex to explore tight gas sands in the Cooper-Eromanga Basin involving work program expenditure of up to A$252m (2014)
AGL on the A$1.505b acquisition of the Macquarie Generation assets (including the 2,640MW Bayswater and 2,000MW Liddell coal fired power stations) from the New South Wales Government (2014)
Roc Oil on its proposed A$900m merger with Horizon Oil and subsequent takeover by Fosun (2014)
Alinta on the supply of power to the Roy Hill Iron Ore Project, including an upgrade to the Newman Power Station and construction of a new transmission line (2013/14)
Origin on the development of the Halladale Blackwatch Gas Project, including tie-in and processing arrangements with the owners of the Otway Gas Project (2013)
Santos on FEED and EPCIC agreements for the proposed Bonaparte Floating LNG project (2013)
Chevron on its farm-in to acreage in the Nappamerri Trough with Beach Energy (2013)