
About Adam
Adam Blythe focuses on oil and gas related transactions. He has experience working on mergers and acquisitions, project development, joint venturing and other commercial arrangements in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors. Adam has particular experience in African and cross-border transactions.
Adam has been recognised by The Legal 500 United Kingdom as a “Next Generation Partner” in oil and gas (2017-2023). He has also been highlighted by IFLR1000 as a “Rising Star” and “Notable Practitioner” for M&A and Project Development in oil and gas (2017, 2019-2023).
Experience
Recent Notable Matters
Eni S.p.A. — disposal of Nigerian assets to Nigerian exploration and production company Oando
Eni S.p.A. — $934 million sale of a participating interest in the Egyptian Shorouk Concession, containing the Zohr gas field, to Mubadala Petroleum
Etablissements Maurel & Prom S.A. — acquisition of producing interests in Angola from Mitsubishi Corporation
Eni S.p.A. — $1.6 billion sale of a participating interest in the Egyptian Shorouk Concession, containing the Zohr gas field, to Rosneft
Energy Regulatory Authority of Tanzania — review of Tanzania’s downstream and midstream gas laws and regulations and preparation of a new regulatory suite for the downstream and midstream sector (an Africa Development Bank funded mandate)
Eni S.p.A. — $375 million sale of a participating interest in the Egyptian Shorouk Concession, containing the Zohr gas field, to BP
Mnazi Bay contractor group — Mnazi Bay gas project in Tanzania including the gas sale arrangements to the Tanzanian gas aggregator
Shoreline Natural Resources Limited — $534 million financing arranged by Vitol funding OML 30 in Nigeria, including the offtake agreement, alternative oil-evacuation arrangements and the upstream operations agreement
Eni S.p.A. — swap transaction with Lukoil in relation to the Area 10, Area 12, and Area 14 upstream shallow water production sharing contracts in Mexico
Ophir Energy plc — $2 billion floating LNG project offshore Equatorial Guinea, including host government arrangements, LNG sales agreements, chartering agreements, joint venture arrangements, project financing, and construction
SemGroup Europe Holding L.L.C. — sale of SemLogistics Milford Haven Limited, a petroleum terminal and storage business located in South Wales, to Valero Logistics UK Limited, a subsidiary of Valero Energy Corporation
EOG Resources, Inc. — various farm-ins, JOA and unitization arrangements in Trinidad
Lenders to Siccar Point Energy — M&A aspects of the borrowing base facility agreement to partially fund the acquisition of OMV's North Sea oil and gas business
Petroceltic International plc — proposed disposal of Egyptian upstream assets
Oando — $1.9 billion acquisition of ConocoPhillips' upstream position in Nigeria*
Puma Energy — acquisition of Exxon Mobil's downstream business across five Central American jurisdictions*
Valero — $1.7 billion purchase of Chevron's downstream business in the U.K. and Ireland, including the Pembroke refinery*
Murphy Oil Corporation — farm-in to two blocks in Namibia*
Explorer — farm-in into two blocks in Somaliland and amendments to the related production sharing agreement
Oando — acquisition of interests in two producing deep offshore fields in Nigeria from Shell/Eni and the acquisition financing for its purchase of producing interests in two fields in Nigeria*
Gas producer — gas supply arrangements to an emergency power generator in Cameroon*
Asia Oil Terminal Services — storage agreements and terms of operation in relation to its project to develop a crude oil storage terminal and jetty at Pahang, Malaysia*
International energy company — project to construct and operate an offshore mooring point, terminal and pipeline in Nigeria*
Valero — purchase of an interest in a Dutch refinery company*
The National Development Corporation of Tanzania — procurement of, and joint venture arrangements with a Chinese sponsor for the development of a $3 billion coal to power and iron mine and smelter project in Tanzania (winner of the FT Most Innovative Law Firm in Finance award 2012)*
Sponsor — acquisition of interests of Nigerian power generating and distribution companies and assets in the first Nigerian power privatization round
* Work completed prior to Bracewell
Publications and Speeches
"Assessing African Upstream M&A Activity in 2022: The Majors Lead the Charge," Energy Voice, December 28, 2022.
"Oil and Gas M&A in Africa: Key Trends and Prospects," Into Africa, May 2018.
"Oil and Gas Mergers and Acquisitions in Africa," Oil & Gas in Africa: A Legal and Commercial Analysis of the Upstream Industry, London: Globe Law and Business, 2015.
"The rise of African mergers and acquisitions," Middle East Oil and Gas, November 2014.