Cliff W. Vrielink

CLIFF VRIELINK has over 30 years of experience advising private equity, infrastructure, and other financial investors, public companies, and private companies actively engaging or investing in the infrastructure and energy industries. He represents clients throughout North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe with respect to their interests in the oil and gas, power, telecommunications, waste and water, and other infrastructure sectors.

Cliff has deep experience in the growing range of traditional and emerging infrastructure sectors, including telecommunications, digital and data, water, waste, logistics, and transportation. He also has decades of experience spanning the energy spectrum, from the upstream oil and gas sector (onshore, offshore, and international) to the midstream sector (natural gas, crude oil, liquids and CO2 pipelines processing facilities, and gas and liquids storage assets) to the downstream sector (refining, marketing, and distribution), as well as spanning power generation, oilfield service, and energy trading. Cliff provides clients with essential guidance on their approach to the energy transition.

Cliff is a member of Sidley’s Executive Committee, serves as the co-managing partner of the Houston office, and is the global leader of the Energy, Transportation and Infrastructure practice. He is also a member of the firm’s M&A and Private Equity practices.

Cliff has advised on more than 30 transactions with a combined value of over US$22 billion since 2021. Recent representative matters include:

• Represented Stonepeak in the acquisition of a minority common equity interest and a preferred equity interest in CoreSite, a data center company with a significant presence in eight major U.S. markets, from American Tower for US$2.5 billion. 
• Represented GIC, OMERS Infrastructure, and Wren House in their purchase of Direct ChassisLink, Inc. (DCLI), from funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management and EQT. DCLI is one of the largest chassis lessors in the U.S. with over 151,000 marine and 100,000 domestic chassis in its fleet, operating out of strategic locations across key port and rail terminals in the U.S.
• Represented Enbridge, Inc., in its transaction with Encap Flatrock Midstream to acquire Moda Midstream Operating, LLC, including North America’s largest crude export terminal, for US$3 billion in cash.
• Represented Pinsly Railroad Co. in its proposed acquisition of Hondo Railway LLC, a short line railroad company in Hondo, Texas. 
• Represented Key Capture Energy, LLC, a developer of large-scale energy storage projects, in an agreement to be acquired by SK E&S Co., Ltd.

Strong leadership in advising clients has earned Cliff acknowledgment in numerous industry publications. He is currently ranked in Chambers Global as a leading lawyer in Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional)—USA (2022–2025), as well as in Chambers USA as a leading lawyer in Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional)—Nationwide (2021–2025), Corporate/M&A—Texas (2017–2025), and Private Equity: Buyouts—Texas (2021–2025). Additionally, Cliff has been recognized in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for his work in Energy Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, and Mergers and Acquisitions Law. He has been showcased in Euromoney’s 2018 Energy and Environment Expert Guide, and recognized in Oil & Gas Investor, Midstream Business, and E&P Magazine. He has also been featured in The Oil and Gas Investor, Midstream Business, Houston Business Journal, The Oil & Gas Journal, and other publications for his thought leadership.

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

Transportation Logistics

• Representing Wren House in its acquisition of a stake in SeaCube Containers (pending).
• 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 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

• Cenovus in the US$1.4 billion sale of its interest in joint venture WRB Refining to its joint venture partner Phillips 66.
• 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.

Midstream

• Represented Durango Midstream, a portfolio company of private equity funds managed by Morgan Stanley, in connection with the sale of its New Mexico Permian Basin gas gathering and processing business for US$765 million (combination of cash and stock in Kinetik (NYSE: KNTK)).
• 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.
• Representing Trace Capital on its investment in the Pelican Pipeline (pending).
• 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 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).

• Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, Executive Leadership Program Certification, 2024