"First Solar pone un pie en Latino América con compra chilena"

Bahamondez, Álvarez & Zegers asesoró a los vendedores en la venta de Solar Chile a First Solar. Solar Chile es una compañía que desarrolla proyectos de energía solar fotovoltaica, la que era controlada por la Fundación Chile y un grupo de inversionistas.

Artículo completo publicado por «Latin Lawyer»

«First Solar gets a foothold in Latin America with Chilean buy»
Monday, 28 January 2013 (5 days ago) by Hugo Coelho

Chilean firm Claro y Cía and Squire Sanders in Washington, DC have helped First Solar acquire local solar power developer Solar Chile – the first foray into Latin America by the leading US manufacturer of photovoltaic solar panels.

Chile’s Bahamondez, Alvarez & Zegers and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, though its New York office, advised the sellers, which include public-private institution Fundación Chile and a group of investors, on the deal that closed on 4 January for an undisclosed amount.

First Solar is one of the first prominent foreign names in the renewable energy industry to make an acquisition in Chile. “This transaction is a big step forward for the solar power industry in Chile”, says Bahamondez Alvarez partner Matías Zegers.

Most solar power developments in Chile are still in the early stages and Zegers says the fact that First Solar – one of the largest makers of photovoltaic modules in the world – is willing to invest by acquiring a developer and then announce its interest in developing future projects sends an important message to the local and international community. “We will see other deals like this one in the future and there is a good chance that other companies will use Chile as their regional platform to develop solar projects in other countries as well,” he predicts.

Solar energy production has been made a priority by the Chilean government as it struggles to meet country’s rising energy needs. In the first eleven months of 2012, more than 3.1 gigawatts of solar energy projects were approved.

Solar Chile has power projects totaling about 1.5 gigawatts in a number of regions in northern Chile, including the Atacama desert, which has offers some of the highest levels of solar irradiance in the world.

Counsel to Solar Chile

Bahamondez, Alvarez & Zegers

Partners Matías Zegers and Rodrigo Alvarez and associates Jose Tomás Ureta, Nicolás Vial and Gonzalo Rivera in Santiago

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Partner Nicholas Kronfeld and associate Francisco Nuñez in New York

Counsel to First Solar

Claro y Cía

Partners Luisa Nuñez and Nicolás Eyzaguirre and associates Alejandra Mejía, Joaquín Rodriguez, José Domingo Ilharreborde, Pablo Hamilton and Trinidad Cifuentes in Santiago

Squire Sanders

Partners Alvaro Mestre and Kevin Levey and associates Natham Santamaria and Purvin Patel in Washington, DC