Damien Cronin
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OIL AND GAS CAPABILITY DAMIEN CRONIN Damien Cronin is the principal of Law capturing the upside electricity and Projects, a specialist legal and company gas price revenue as a component of secretariat consultancy to the resources the production fee payable to Blue and energy sectors. He is, and has been, a Energy for the gas extraction rights. specialist legal and commercial consultant to Blue Energy, Global Petroleum, Advised Blue Energy on the Queensland Gas, Sonoma Coal and restatement and amendment of the Sunshine Gas (serving as the Company Gas Alliance and Gas Extraction Secretary and General Counsel to Blue Agreement. Energy and Sunshine Gas (both listed public companies), a Non-Executive Advised Blue Energy on, and Director and Company Secretary of Global negotiated and documented, an Petroleum (a listed public company), the associated Farm-in Agreement with General Counsel to Sonoma Coal and the Stanwell. Secretary of the Operating Committee of Advised Blue Energy on the the Sonoma Coal Joint Venture). He has acquisition by Korea Gas of a 10% also been a specialist adviser to the Boards shareholding in Blue Energy and of Ergon Energy and Powerdirect Australia. negotiated and documented the Share He was a consultant to McInnes Wilson a Placement Agreement and an boutique commercial law practice. He was associated Farm-in Agreement with also a partner of, and remains a consultant Korea Gas and Mitsubishi. to, DLA Piper, the world’s largest international legal firm and a significant Negotiated and documented Sunshine presence in the Australasian legal services Gas’ purchase of the Overston Project market. Damien has over 40 years’ from Samson Australia and the sale of experience in private and corporate legal Sunshine Gas’ interest in the Roma practice, including over 30 years’ Joint Venture to Santos. experience in the resources and energy sectors. He has held senior legal and Undertook on behalf of Blue Energy commercial roles in the resources and due diligence investigations into the energy sectors, including roles with Rio acquisition of Molopo Energy’s Tinto, Comalco, Shell Coal, Incitec and Queensland CSG assets. Duke Energy. He is admitted to practice in every jurisdiction in Australia as well as in Negotiated and documented a unique Hong Kong, New Zealand and the United agreement between Sunshine Gas Kingdom. and Stanwell in respect of the Zero- Gen CO2 Sequestration Project. Areas of Expertise Assisted in Undertaking for Dalma Extensive ‘hands-on’ experience in all Energy a detailed commercial and aspects of the oil and gas industry, legal due diligence of Century Drilling, including exploration, field development and including a full review of its operations financing, operations, and sales and and suite of onshore and offshore transportation arrangements. drilling arrangements. Project Investment and Advised the Comalco shareholder Divestment interests on the legal and commercial aspects of Queensland Alumina’s Advised Blue Energy on the calciners’ conversion to gas. acquisition by Stanwell of a 20% shareholding in Blue Energy and Advised Shell Coal regarding surface negotiated and documented the Share rights and CBM drainage rights at its Placement Agreement and an Moranbah North Mine and Shell associated 25 year Gas Alliance and International Gas on gas fired Gas Extraction Agreement. This generation opportunities in Australia. involved innovative concepts for Assisted Global Petroleum in an application for Exploration four exploration blocks in the Adriatic Sea offshore Italy subsequently provisionally Undertook detailed commercial and legal due awarded to Global Petroleum by the Italian diligence regarding possible exploration Ministry of Economic Development. This acquisitions. involved making and finalising declarations subject to apostille certification. Prepared proposals for, and negotiated and documented, farm-in arrangements and Managed for Blue Energy an exploration due agreements, acquisition and divestment diligence process by Statoil. agreements, option agreements, licence and royalty arrangements and agreements, and joint Managed for Blue Energy an exploration due venture, alliance and study arrangements and diligence process by Total. agreements, and associated confidentiality agreements and assignment and assumption Undertook on behalf of Blue Energy due agreements, for on-shore and off-shore oil and diligence investigations into the acquisition of an gas exploration in Australia and overseas with interest in Arrow’s Queensland, Australian Oil Australian and foreign co-venturers. Managed and Gas’ Northern Territory, and Ignite Energy’s the orderly divestment of surplus tenements. Victorian CSG tenements. Advised on, and negotiated and documented, Advised Duke Energy on the Eastern (A$450 option, access, easement and compensation million) and Tasmanian Gas Pipelines (A$350 arrangements with impacted landholders for million) and on Bell Bay Power Station’s (345 access to land for gas exploration, appraisal, MW) conversion to gas fired generation. production and pipeline construction. Managed significant litigation relating to compensation and Documented for Korea Gas a Joint Venture access. Agreement with ENI, OMV, and Mitsui in respect of joint bidding arrangements for onshore and Advised on freehold sub-surface land ownership offshore exploration acreage. rights, including private mineral and coal rights, and on compensation agreements with the Negotiated and documented a Joint Venture freeholders of such sub-surface land for access Agreement between Duke Energy, Shell for exploration. Development and Woodside for the joint study of offshore and onshore gas development Advised on the conversion of exploration and opportunities. appraisal wells to water bores as compensation to landholders. Advised Delhi Petroleum on the sale of its interest in the Ballera to Mt Isa Natural Gas Advised on competitive tenders to Federal, State Pipeline and provided the sign off legal opinion and Territory Governments for exploration for the transaction. access to onshore hydrocarbon, coal and mineral reserve areas and offshore hydrocarbon Advised Blue Energy on the divestment of areas. offshore Petroleum Exploration Licences in Papua New Guinea. Advised on all dealings with governments regarding exploration tenements. This included Advised Blue Energy on the acquisition from liaison with government petroleum authorities in Drillsearch of Exploration Permits in the Cooper multiple jurisdictions, including Australia, Basin and the acquisition from Beach Petroleum Canada, France (Juan de Nova Overseas of Exploration Permits in the Maryborough Territory), Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Namibia, Basin. New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, the Advised Global Petroleum on the sale of its and Philippines, the United Kingdom and the United Texon’s interests in petroleum production wells States regarding the grant of tenements and in the United States to SV Resources, and on their renewal, the tenements’ work programme the sale of Global Petroleum’s interests in shale conditions and their re-negotiation. gas production wells in the United States to Advised on all aspects of environmental Millennial Energy. Advised on the Sale and compliance under environmental legislation, Purchase Agreements and all associated including advice on the conditions to documentation. environmental approvals, authorities and licences relating to exploration tenements. Successfully applied for Federal Government Research and Development Grants for exploration expenditure. Advised Clark Oil and Gas on critical aspects of contractual and commercial administration of its tenement management programme and those arrangements. procedures. Negotiated and documented a Farm-in Negotiated and drafted Drilling Services Agreement between Duke Energy and Victoria Agreements, Maintenance Agreements, Petroleum. Geophysical and Geological Services Agreements, Analytical Assaying and Laboratory Negotiated and documented a Volumetric Testing Services Agreements, Aircraft Charter Production Purchase Agreement between Duke Agreements and Reserves Certification Services Energy and the Fairview Joint Venturers for the Agreements for onshore and offshore oil and funding of CSG exploration and production and gas exploration, appraisal and development for the purchase of CSG from Tristar Petroleum projects for Blue Energy, Comalco, Duke and the Fairview Joint Venturers from the Energy, Geodynamics, Metgasco, Pacific Oil Fairview Gas Field. and Gas (Rio Tinto Exploration’s specialist oil and gas exploration unit), QER, Queensland Assisted Pacific Oil and Gas in relation to Gas, Sunshine Gas and Sunshine Oil. exploration aspects of the Bunya CBM Project. Specialist adviser to Global Petroleum on all Advised Comalco in relation to all commercial aspects of its frontier oil exploration and oil and legal aspects of its onshore and offshore production operations. regional based oil and gas exploration programme designed to secure an alternate low Specialist adviser to Blue Energy on all aspects cost fuel source for its Weipa mining and of conventional gas, CSM and shale gas processing operation. exploration and operations. Advised the Queensland Government, as part of Advised Blue Energy on its successful bids to its aid initiative to East Timor, on the the Queensland Government for large establishment of an on-shore coal and minerals, conventional, CSM and shale gas exploration and an on-shore and off-shore hydrocarbon, permits