Rhett A. Van Syoc, P.C.
Overview
Rhett Van Syoc is a partner in the Houston office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. His practice focuses on domestic and international mergers and acquisitions in the energy, mining and infrastructure sectors, with a particular emphasis on private equity and complex joint ventures. Rhett’s experience covers a broad spectrum of matters in the energy and natural resources industries, including power generation, coal and other mining, oil and gas exploration and production, renewables and clean energy, energy services, transportation and midstream, and refining. He also has significant experience in the acquisition and development of infrastructure projects in the U.S., Africa and Latin America.
Rhett has been repeatedly recognized by The Legal 500 U.S. for his work in both the Power and Mexican energy space. In addition, Rhett’s work on the sale of the Ventika wind generation facility by an affiliate of Blackstone was recently named the 2017 Private Equity Deal of the Year by LatinFinance.
Experience
Representative Matters
While at Kirkland, Rhett has represented:
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Guidon Operating LLC in the divestiture of all leasehold interests and related assets to Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FANG) for a mixture of cash and shares of Diamondback common stock
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Custom Truck One Source (CTOS), a Blackstone portfolio company, in its $1.475 billion sale to Nesco Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NSCO)
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Blackstone Energy Partners in its acquisitions of Therma Holdings LLC, a leading specialty mechanical, electrical and controls services company, and RE Tech Advisors, Inc., a leading energy and sustainability consulting firm, to form a single combined company that will offer customers a comprehensive suite of sustainability, carbon reduction, and energy management services
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Blackstone Energy Partners in its acquisition of NRStor, a North American battery-storage developer
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JPMorgan Funds Limited and JPMorgan Investment Management - Infrastructure Investment Group in the acquisition of Contanda, a provider of bulk liquid storage and logistics services, from EQT Infrastructure II Fund
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Gastar Exploration LLC, an affiliate of Ares Management Corporation, in its merger with Chisholm Oil and Gas LLC
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LLOG Bluewater Holdings, LLC in its $1.4 billion sale of Gulf of Mexico assets to Murphy Oil Corp.
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Blackstone Energy Partners in its investment of up to $500 million in Waterfield Midstream, a full-cycle water management and infrastructure services provider focused in the Permian Basin
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Blackstone Energy Partners in its acquisition of a controlling, majority interest in Ulterra Drilling Technologies from affiliates of American Securities LLC
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Trafigura in its approximately $200 million joint venture with Infraestructura Energética Nova, S.A.B. de C.V. (IEnova) to develop a refined products terminal and storage facility in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico
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Royal Resources in the sale of its Eagle Ford Shale assets to Osprey Energy Acquisition Corp., an energy-focused SPAC, for a transaction value of $894 million
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Blackstone Energy Partners on its purchase of a 25 percent joint venture interest in the Grand Prix natural gas liquids pipeline from Targa Resources Corp.
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Blackstone Energy Partners and Sanchez Energy Corporation in their 50/50 partnership, definitive purchase agreement and related financing to acquire Anadarko Petroleum Corporation’s working interest in approximately 318,000 gross operated acres in the Western Eagle Ford for approximately $2.3 billion
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CSL Capital Management in its joint venture with Baker Hughes and Goldman Sachs’ merchant banking division combining the parties’ pressure pumping businesses under the BJ Services brand
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Sithe Global Power in its $1.2 billion sale of interests in two coal-fired power plants in The Philippines to Aboitiz Power Corp.
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The Blackstone Group and ArcLight in connection with the $2.17 billion acquisition of four Midwest power plants from subsidiaries of American Electric Power
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Fisterra Energy in connection with the sale of the Ventika wind generation facilities, the largest wind farm in Mexico and one of the largest in Latin America, to IEnova (a unit of Sempra Energy), for an approximate purchase price of $852 million
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The Blackstone Group in connection with the formation of the Guidon Energy joint venture and the subsequent purchase of oil and gas assets in the Midland Basin
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Sithe Global Power in connection with the sale of its interest in the Bujagali hydropower project in Uganda
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CSL Capital Management in its acquisition of Allied Oil & Gas Services, LLC
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Blackstone Tactical Opportunities Fund in connection with its preferred equity and warrant investment in Targa Resources Corp. (NYSE – TRGP)
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Patriot Coal in its sale of assets out of Chapter 11
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MRC Global Inc. (NYSE: MRC), the largest global distributor of pipe, valves and fittings (PVF) and related products and services to the energy industry, in its agreement to issue $363 million of 6.50% Series A Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock to an affiliate of Cornell Capital LLC
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Tudor, Pickering, Holt, & Co. as financial advisor to C&J Energy Services in C&J's $2.86 billion cash and stock acquisition of the hydraulic fracturing business of Nabors Industries Ltd.
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The Blackstone Group in its partnership with Black Rhino, an African infrastructure development company, to develop large-scale infrastructure projects across Sub-Saharan Africa with a focus on the energy industry
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Blackstone Energy Partners in its partnership with a senior management team to create Global Water Development Partners, a platform focused on the development of desalination facilities and large scale waste water treatment and related infrastructure development projects globally
Prior to joining Kirkland, Rhett represented:
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GeoSouthern Energy in connection with its $6 billion sale of Eagle Ford assets to Devon Energy
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Trafigura in connection with its strategic partnership with Mubadala Development Co. to acquire a majority stake in the Sudeste Superport (Brazil) from MMX
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Alta Energy Luxembourg S.à.r.l. in connection with its sale of Canadian oil and gas assets to Chevron Canada Limited
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Arch Coal, Inc. in connection with sale of its Utah coal assets to Bowie Resources, LLC
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Private investor in connection with joint venture investment in terminal and storage facility development in Mexico
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Private investor in connection with joint venture investment in pipeline development in Mexico
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Private investor in connection with investment in iron ore producer in Brazil
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Private equity fund in connection with the acquisition of oil and gas assets in the Marcellus Shale play
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Private equity fund in connection with acquisition of a minority interest in oil and gas assets in the Marcellus Shale play
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Private investor in connection with the proposed acquisition of significant oil and gas assets in East Texas
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Trafigura in connection with the development of its Corpus Christi terminal, storage and refining assets and associated Eagle Ford assets in South Texas
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Trafigura in connection with its agreement with Energy Transfer Partners and related project to convert a natural gas pipeline to transfer crude oil and condensate from the Eagle Ford Shale play
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Impala Terminals in connection with the development of its 15 million ton capacity coal terminal facility on the Mississippi River
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Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. in connection with its $3.9 billion acquisition of Gardner Denver
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The Blackstone Group in connection with its joint venture with LLOG Exploration LLC regarding the development of oil and gas assets in the Gulf of Mexico
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ITC Holdings Corp. in its proposed, but terminated $6 billion Reverse Morris Trust acquisition of the electric transmission business of Entergy Corporation
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Eaton Corp. in its $11.8 billion acquisition of Cooper Industries
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Arch Coal, Inc. in its $3.4 billion acquisition of International Coal Group, Inc.
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The Blackstone Group in connection with its proposed $4.7 billion acquisition of Dynegy
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First Reserve Corporation in the acquisition of $350 million of convertible preferred stock in Reliant Energy, Inc.
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Snow Phipps in connection with its sale of Excel Mining Systems to Orica Ltd.
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Genesee & Wyoming in its acquisition of CAGY Industries and associated railway assets
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Mars, Inc. in its $23 billion acquisition of Wm. Wrigley, Jr. Company
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Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. in its merger with Applied Materials
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Nets Sports and Entertainment and Forest City Ratner Companies in their strategic partnership with Mikhail Prokhorov for the sale of control of the New Jersey Nets and development of the Barclays' Center/Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, New York
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Texas Pacific Group in its $1.3 billion acquisition of American Tire Distributors
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The independent directors of Anheuser-Busch in responding to the unsolicited proposal from, and ultimate sale to, InBev
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Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. in the acquisition of First Data Corporation
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The Blackstone Group in its acquisition of Equity Office Properties Trust (prevailing in the largest leveraged buyout at the time against a deal jump by Vornado Realty)
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Kocher Plastik Gmbh in the sale of Holopack International to Olympus Partners
More
Thought Leadership
Seminars
Panelist, 10th Annual Mergers & Acquisitions Institute: The State of the Art in Private Company Acquisitions, University of Texas School of Law, October 16, 2014
Recognition
Texas Trailblazer, Texas Lawyer, 2020
Recognized by The Legal 500 as a leading attorney in the Private Practice Powerlist: US-Mexico, 2017, and as a leading Next Generation Attorney for Energy Transactions: Conventional Power, 2017–2020
Named to Law 360’s “Rising Stars” list for energy, 2017
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- Texas
- New York
Education
- University of Virginia School of LawJ.D.2005
- Williams CollegeB.A., Historycum laude2000