Nick Baker
Nick advises clients on M&A, joint ventures and other strategic transactions via bi-lateral, competitive and pre-emptive processes.
Nick's clients include large publicly listed and private corporations, sponsors, portfolio companies and institutional investors and their related consortia.
Nick is recognised as a leading lawyer in various publications including Chambers, Legal500, Best Lawyers and Who’s Who. He is described in Chambers as “skilled, experienced, an effective communicator and a strategic thinker” and a “key port of call for some of the biggest clients in the energy and infrastructure sectors. His regular clients include AGL, Alinta, bp, Brookfield Infrastructure, CIMIC, Fonterra, Iberdrola, IFM, ENGIE, Macquarie Capital, Ofer Global/Echelon Resources and QIC.
Nick is the Managing Partner for our global Projects, Energy and Infrastructure practice group, a multi-disciplinary practice group comprising corporate, M&A, project development, project finance and environment and planning partners.
Experience & capabilities
Selected matters
- CTFE on its proposed A$6.5 billion sale of Alinta Energy to Sembcorp
- Fonterra on its proposed NZ$4.2 billion sale of the Mainland Group (Fonterra’s global consumer business) to Lactalis
- QIC on its acquisition of a 50% interest in Bluecurrent, Vector’s NZ$2.5 billion advanced metering business
- Brookfield Infrastructure on its $2.5 billion sale and restructure of its 50% holding in Patricks Terminals, its A$10.2 billion acquisition (in consortium with AIMCo, HOOPP, IMCO and Australian Retirement Trust) of electricity network business Ausnet, its A$420 million sale of Enwave Australia to ICG, its A$12 billion acquisition (in consortium with QIA, BCI and GIC) of logistics business Asciano and its acquisition of last-mile utility provider Inexus
- IFM as a consortium member on its bid for A$26 billion data centre business AirTrunk, as a consortium member on the A$32 billion acquisition of Sydney Airport, on its sale of Ecogen (owner of the Newport and Jeeralang gas-fired power plants), its A$16 billion acquisition with AustralianSuper of 50.4% interest in electricity network business Ausgrid, its bid (in consortium with APG and OMERS) for the WestConnex toll road portfolio and various acquisitions of additional stakes in the Brisbane and Melbourne airports
- bp on its acquisition of South Australian fuel retailer X Convenience, its acquisition of a controlling stake in the Australian Renewable Energy Hub and its subsequent exit from that project
- HMC Capital on its A$950 million acquisition of Neoen Victoria
- Macquarie Capital on the acquisition of the Lal Lal Wind Farms development project, sale of 60% of the equity in that project at financial close to InfraRed Capital and Northleaf Capital and then sale of 80% of the equity in that project by Macquarie Capital and InfraRed Capital to Igneo Infrastructure
- Grok Ventures, the investment vehicle for Mike Cannon-Brookes, on its investment into and restructure of SunCable
- Ofer Global and Echelon Resources on acquisitions of a 40% interest in the Victorian Otway Gas Project from Beach Energy, interests in the Mereenie, Dingo and Palm Valley gas projects in the Northern Territory, a 15% interest in the Ironbark WA offshore gas exploration asset and the proposed takeover of Cue Energy by Horizon Energy
- EnergyAustralia on the A$1.8 billion sale of the Iona Gas Storage Facility to QIC
- sale processes for a range of Australian renewable energy developers including Epuron, Firm Power, Terrain Solar, ESCO Pacific and Tetris Energy.
- bidders and sellers for a range of wind farm, BESS and solar farm projects and portfolios at all stages of development, construction and operation including Acacia Solar Farm, Bannerton Solar, Broadsound Solar Farm, Bungala 3 Solar Farm, Cooba Solar Farm, Coppabella Wind Farm, CWP Renewables, Glenrowan Wind Farm, Hexham Wind Farm, Kennedy Energy Park, Lincoln Gap Solar Farm, Lightsource bp’s NSW solar farm portfolio, Lotus Creek Wind Farm, Moonlight Range Wind Farm, Morton’s Lane Wind Farm, Stony Creek Wind Farm, Sunraysia Solar Farm and Willatook Wind Farm
- Alinta Energy on its A$1 billion acquisition of Loy Yang B
- Investors in large PPP projects including Northern Corridor Project, Waikeria Prison, Regional Rail, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Sydney Light Rail, Transmission Gully, and Canberra Metro on their joint venture arrangements and secondary sales of equity interests in those projects
Background
Nick has a Bachelor of Laws Degree (Hons) and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Otago. Nick is admitted to practice in Victoria and New Zealand. Prior to joining Herbert Smith Freehills he worked in New York for Cravath, Swaine & Moore, LLP and in New Zealand for Russell McVeagh.
