Cliff W. Vrielink

Cliff’s extensive experience in assisting clients also includes the following representative matters:

Transportation Logistics

• Represented Macquarie Infrastructure Partners (MIP) in its acquisition of 100% of the equity interests of RailUSA, LLC, an independent U.S. holding company that operates the 430-mile Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad in Florida and the 228-mile Grenada Railroad in Mississippi and Tennessee. 
• Represented Evolve Transition Infrastructure LP, a portfolio company of Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, in its agreement to pursue the creation of Levo Mobility LLC, a proposed new sustainable infrastructure joint venture aimed at accelerating the deployment of electric fleets, including thousands of zero-emission electric school buses nationwide.
• Represented an affiliate of Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners in its investments in Lineage Logistics, the largest cold storage warehousing and logistics company and the largest automated cold storage company globally.

Digital Infrastructure

• Counsel to DigitalBridge Investment Management in the launch of the Xenith IG fiber platform in Asia. Xenith IG was jointly formed by DigitalBridge’s investment management arm and funds affiliated with Columbia Capital.
• Represented Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, a leading alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets, as principal legal advisor in connection with the company’s investing an additional US$570.0 million, which, together with its initial US$2.5 billion investment in August 2022, on a fully converted basis and based on the currently outstanding equity, represents an approximately 36% ownership interest in American Tower’s U.S. data center business.
• Represented Partners Group in connection with its investment in the Seabras-1 fiber optic telecommunications cable between the U.S. and Brazil. This is the first direct fiber optic cable between New York and São Paulo and is logged as the first project finance deal for a subsea cable project backed by an export credit agency. This deal was recognized as a 2016 “Deal of the Year” by Latin Finance.
• Represented a publicly traded telecommunications infrastructure company in its development of a communications network for one of the world’s leading destination resorts.

Power and Alternative Energy

• Represented a leading energy transition fund in its backing of a wind power developer.
• Represented Partners Group in its acquisition of a 25% interest in the Sentinel Energy Project, a 800-MW natural gas-powered electric generation facility in the Los Angeles Basin area of California.
• Represented an international energy company in its US$400 million acquisition of hydro and thermal generation assets in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, and Peru.

Other Energy and Renewable/Sustainable Fuels

• Represented Enbridge Inc. in its acquisition of a 10% stake in Divert Inc, a leading food waste management company expanding into Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) to help major food retailers manage their waste more sustainably.
• Represented Evolve Transition Infrastructure LP, a publicly traded limited partnership focused on the acquisition, development, and ownership of infrastructure critical to the transition of energy supply to lower carbon sources and a portfolio company of Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, in its agreement with HOBO Renewable Diesel, LLC (HOBO), a renewable fuel project developer, to fund HOBO’s initial project, expected to produce more than 120 million gallons of renewable fuels annually.  
• Represented affiliates of Royal Dutch Shell in the sale of much of their downstream business in Colombia, Uruguay and Paraguay to Petróoleo Brasileiro S.A. and in the restructuring and subsequent sale of their downstream businesses in Ecuador and Peru to a partnership controlled by ENAP, the Chilean national oil company.
• Represented the seller in the sale of its energy trading business to a leading financial institution for US$1.1 billion.

Water and Natural Resources

• Represented West Street Infrastructure Partners III, an investment fund managed by Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division, in its acquisition of Synagro Technologies, Inc., a provider of wastewater biosolids solutions, from EQT Infrastructure.
• Represented Denham Capital Management in making an equity investment of up to US$50 million in CariSal Investment Holdings, a company that through its affiliates is developing a manufacturing complex in Point Lisas, Trinidad that is expected to be the second largest dry calcium chloride plant in the Western Hemisphere and the largest caustic soda plant in the West Indies.

Upstream

• Represented Crescent Pass Energy, LLC, a private equity portfolio company, and certain of its affiliates in connection with the sale of their eastern Texas oil and gas properties and related facilities to Diversified Energy Company PLC for aggregate unadjusted consideration equal to US$106 million.
• Represented a sovereign wealth fund as co-investor in conjunction with other investors collectively making US$1.3 billion in equity commitments to a deepwater oil and gas exploration company.
• Represented Fairway Resources Partners in connection with its approximately US$132 million purchase from Samson Resources Corporation of its Central Anadarko oil and gas asset package under 363 of the Bankruptcy Code.
• Represented Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) in connection with its joint venture with California Resources Corporation in which MIRA has committed to fund US$300 million for the development of oil and gas properties in California, with a focus on development opportunities in the San Joaquin Basin.
• Represented Denham Capital in its “take private” acquisition of Colombia Energy Development Company, an oil and gas company operating in Colombia that was formerly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Midstream

• Represented DCP Midstream in connection with the US$3.8 billion acquisition of its public units by Phillips 66.
• Represented OMERS Infrastructure Management, Inc. in its acquisition of a 50% interest in the BridgeTex crude oil pipeline for approximately US$1.4 billion from, and its formation of a three-way joint venture for BridgeTex with, Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. and Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P., recognized as the “Best Oil & Gas Acquisition” by the 2019 IJ Investor Awards.
• Represented Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners in connection with a US$960 million equity financing for three joint ventures with Targa Resources that own interests in the Gulf Coast Express Pipeline, the Grand Prix NGL Pipeline and a new fractionation train located in Mont Belvieu, Texas.
• Represented Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets Inc. in its sale of 100% of the membership interests of Leaf River Energy Center LLC to a subsidiary of New Jersey Resources Corporation for US$367.5 million
• Represented ISQ Global Infrastructure Fund in connection with the negotiation, formation and funding of Shiprock Midstream LLC, a new portfolio company with a new management team, the majority of the proceeds of which were used to acquire a San Juan basin midstream gathering system from WPX Energy.
• Represented Energy Capital Partners in its US$1 billion investment and commitment to US Development Group (USDG), in support of USDG’s development and acquisition of rail terminals and complementary midstream assets. 

Oilfield Service

• Represented Carlyle Energy Mezzanine Opportunities Fund II, L.P., in its formation of a joint venture with CSL Capital Management to acquire the laboratory services business of Weatherford International PLC for US$205 million.
• Represented Morgan Stanley Energy Partners in its acquisition of a majority stake in XRI Holdings, a Permian Basin-focused water services provider to the oil and gas industry.
• Represented EIV Capital in its investment in Woodland Midstream, LLC, an independent natural gas midstream company. The investment will fund the build-out and acquisition of a natural gas pipeline and processing infrastructure throughout the eastern region of Texas and bordering states.
• Represented Denham Capital Management in the sale by Greene’s Energy Group of Devin International to National Oilwell Varco (NOV).