Martin Kavanagh
Martin is the Regional Head of Practice for Projects (UK, US, Middle East and Africa) and Chair of the firm’s global Africa Group.
He is recognised in the market as a senior leader on energy and infrastructure finance and project development, including landmark transactions in emerging markets. With 25+ years of experience, he has a strong track record advising clients globally on the financing and development of complex and large-scale cross-border projects. He has been ranked as a leading individual in Chambers Global since 2012. He was also ranked in Lexology’s Thought Leaders: Global Elite for Project Finance in 2025, which is awarded to only a very small percentage of practitioners worldwide, reflecting not just exceptional legal expertise but also the ability to innovate, inspire, and consistently deliver for clients.
Martin regularly advises international clients including energy companies, commercial banks, corporate sponsors, development finance institutions and multilaterals such as the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group. Martin is regularly appointed to advise on first-in-country deals where structuring and risk allocation are crucial to project success. He has extensive experience across a wide range of sectors and geographies, including Africa, the Indian subcontinent, central Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Southeast Asia. His experience spans a broad mix of major energy transition and decarbonisation projects, large-scale oil and gas projects and renewables and conventional power developments.
Experience & capabilities
Selected matters
- Woodside and its JV partners on the development of the Browse LNG project offshore Western Australia
- IFC and Government of Malawi in relation to the development and financing through a PPP model of the proposed 450MW Mpatamanga Hydropower Project in Malawi
- Tullow Oil on the development of its upstream assets in Kenya and the development and project financing of the proposed Kenya oil export pipeline
- Petrobras Oil & Gas BV on its up to US$1.4 billion reserve-based loan in respect of petroleum assets in Nigeria
- KOGAS in relation to its investment in, and the development and project financing of, the US$11 billion Coral Floating LNG Project offshore Mozambique
- Woodside and its joint venture partners on the development and financing of the $5 billion SNE/Sangomar offshore oil & gas project in Senegal
- Asian Development Bank in relation to the guarantee package being put in place for the development and financing by Masdar of the Zarafshan Wind & Solar Power Project in Uzbekistan (Middle East and Africa Central Asia Deal of the Year, PFI Awards 2022)
- EDF, International Finance Corporation and Government of Cameroon on the development of a 420MW hydroelectric power plant at Nachtigal in Cameroon (Global Multilateral Deal of the Year, PFI Awards 2018)
- Vitol on its US$7 billion oil and gas project in Ghana with Eni
- The Government of Nepal on the development and financing of five large-scale cross-border Hydropower projects, with combined value of approximately $7bn, the largest ever foreign investment in Nepal
- the lenders in relation to the multi-sourced project financing for the Yanbu 4 reverse osmosis seawater desalination project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Standard Bank on the development and project financing of the Kinangop, Kwale, Kipeto and Lake Turkana power projects in Kenya
- DEG, Proparco and FMO in relation to the project financing of the Achwa Hydropower Project in Uganda, and the LIMAK Cement Project in Cote d'Ivoire
Sectors
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