Allens has advised leading international private capital manager Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners on the acquisition of a 49% stake in a private haul road from ASX-listed Mineral Resources, for a total consideration of up to $1.3 billion.
Connecting the Onslow Iron Project at Ken's Bore mine to the Port of Ashburton in Western Australia, the haul road is a significant transport solution designed to unlock billions of tonnes of stranded iron ore in the West Pilbara and represents the first new major infrastructure corridor in the region in more than a decade.
'Private capital has a significant role to play in unlocking infrastructure opportunities in Australia. Our long-standing client Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners is a global innovator in this regard. It's been a pleasure supporting MSIP on this infrastructure solution,' said M&A Partner and Private Capital Sector Leader, Emin Altiparmak.
'This unique asset and investment structure opens a critical transport corridor in the West Pilbara mining region and we look forward to continuing to support our clients in what should be an increasingly active investment sector,' Igor Bogdanich, M&A Partner and Mining Sector Leader.
'We are delighted to have been given the opportunity by MSIP to bring our best-in-class experience on structuring and executing debt financing solutions for complex investments in the infrastructure sector,' said Leveraged Finance Partner David Couper.
Allens advised on all aspects of the transaction, drawing on a cross-practice team of experts in M&A, mining, leveraged finance, environment, funds, real estate and others.
Completion of the investment is conditional on the satisfaction of certain conditions.