Meridian Energy Group, Inc. Announces Agreement with Kirkland as Principal Legal Advisors for the Davis Refinery
Meridian Energy Group, Inc., a leading innovator in the petroleum refining industry, announced today that the company has engaged Kirkland & Ellis, a prominent international law firm with a leading practice in project development and financing of energy and infrastructure projects, to serve as Meridian’s principal legal advisors in connection with the completion of development and financing for Meridian’s Davis Refinery in North Dakota and beyond as the company expands its footprint of greenfield oil refineries in West Texas and Oklahoma.
“Kirkland & Ellis is a world-class law firm in every respect and is uniquely well-suited to be Meridian’s trusted advisors with respect to the immediate tasks of completing the development and financing of the Davis Refinery and well beyond. My goal was to engage the best law firm and the best committed resources and leadership within the firm. I am pleased and honored that Kirkland & Ellis has answered the challenge with resources in several of its U.S. offices, led by Rohit Chaudhry in Washington, D.C.,” said Charles Schwenck, Meridian’s Executive Vice President Law and Chief Commercial Officer.
“We are delighted to partner with Meridian Energy Group on their bold vision to develop the first full-conversion greenfield refinery project in the United States in decades,” said Rohit Chaudhry, the Kirkland & Ellis partner who will lead the engagement. “They are an exceptional company with innovative ideas and strong leadership. They are developing marquee projects in the U.S. and we look forward to a long-term relationship with them.”
William Prentice, Meridian Chairman and CEO, added, “Meridian has assembled an experienced, world-class management team and engaged the best financial and technical advisors and commercial partners to develop and operate a new generation of efficient and environmentally and socially benign refineries. I asked Charlie to bring his years of experience and contacts at major law firms and clients in the energy and natural resources industries to bear in order to find the right legal advisors to work with us. I welcome Kirkland & Ellis to our team.”
About Meridian Energy Group, Inc.
The Mission of Meridian Energy Group, Inc. is to provide long-term shareholder value through the development and operation of the cleanest, most environmentally compliant and profitable crude oil refineries in the world, with refinery developments in North Dakota, Texas and Oklahoma. Established in 2013, Meridian has offices in Belfield, North Dakota, Houston, Texas and Irvine, California. Connect with Meridian Energy Group: Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and for more information, visit: http://www.meridianenergygroupinc.com
About Kirkland & Ellis
Kirkland & Ellis is an international law firm with more than 2,700 attorneys representing clients in energy, capital markets, debt financing, private equity, M&A and other complex corporate transactions, litigation and dispute resolution/arbitration, restructuring, and intellectual property matters. The nearly 300 lawyers in Kirkland’s market leading Energy & Infrastructure Practice Group have a strong presence in Houston, Dallas, New York and Washington, D.C., and handle an array of sophisticated energy transactions. These attorneys cover all of the practice areas necessary to drive successful outcomes for clients, including corporate M&A, private equity, capital markets, debt and project finance, oil and gas transactions, restructuring, fund formation, litigation, tax, environmental, real estate and energy regulatory practices, among others.
