Robert Jacobson

Willkie represented NGP in connection with its investment in Cloverleaf Infrastructure as part of an approximately $300 million fundraise for the recently formed digital infrastructure company. On July 17, Cloverleaf announced that it secured capital commitments totaling over $300 million from NGP and Sandbrook Capital, alongside contributions from its management team. Cloverleaf is a developer of large-scale digital infrastructure sites powered by low-carbon electricity. The company collaborates with regional U.S. utilities and data center operators to deliver scalable clean electricity through strategic investments in transmission, grid interconnection, land, onsite power generation and electricity storage. NGP is a premier private equity firm with over $20 billion of cumulative equity commitments that backs portfolio companies focused on developing secure and sustainable energy. The Willkie team was led by partners J. Holt Foster, III and Tony Johnston and included partner Robert Jacobson and associate Rachel Hudson.

Jul 17

1 min

Willkie represented Mitsui & Co., Ltd. in the divestiture of its Kaikias assets in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico to Shell Offshore Inc. On December 14, Mitsui announced that it agreed to divest all of its assets owned through MOEX North America LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui, which holds a 20% interest in the Kaikias field, to Shell, the operator of the Kaikias field. The Willkie team was led by partners Brad Honeycutt and Tan Lu, and included senior counsel Michael Niebruegge, partners Jennifer Hardy, Robert Jacobson, Andrew English and Jordan Wall, counsel Jason Nasra and Jonathan Konoff, and associates Sidney Nunez, Hayden Kursh, Rishika Nallapareddy, Colby Gardner and Jacob Bell.

Dec 14

1 min

Willkie advised Silver Hill Energy Partners, LP on its acquisition of oil and gas assets in the Bakken Formation in North Dakota from Liberty Resources II, LLC. On January 31, Silver Hill Energy Partners announced that it signed definitive agreements with Liberty Resources II, LLC, a privately held, oil and gas company, to acquire Liberty’s interests in oil and gas properties, rights and related assets in North Dakota and 100% of Liberty Midstream Solutions, LLC, a midstream oil and gas company. The acquisition includes 84,000 net acres and features over 300 gross operated drilling locations. Silver Hill intends to use the transaction as a springboard for future growth in the area through additional bolt-on acquisitions and related investments in upstream, midstream, minerals and royalties. Silver Hill plans to fund the acquisition with a combination of equity from Silver Hill Energy Partners III, LP – its third partnership and first institutional private equity fund with $1.02 billion of capital commitments – and another Silver Hill-sponsored partnership, as well as senior bank debt from each partnership’s credit facilities. The acquisition is expected to close March 14, 2024. Headquartered in Dallas, Silver Hill Energy Partners is a leading private oil and gas company founded in 2011 by Kyle D. Miller to provide a long-term vehicle for profitable energy development across the U.S. Mr. Miller and his team previously assembled what was, at the time, the largest privately held contiguous acreage position in the Delaware Basin of West Texas through multiple operating companies and strategic joint ventures that successfully acquired, developed and ultimately sold large-scale unconventional oil, natural gas and related infrastructure assets. Liberty Resources II LLC is a Denver-based upstream operator focused on the acquisition and development of oil and gas assets. The Willkie team was led by partner Sarah McLean and included partner Robert Jacobson and associate Joe Laurel.

Feb 5

1 min

Willkie recently advised Sentinel Midstream LLC (Sentinel) on a joint venture investment with ExxonMobil, to form Enercoast Midstream Louisiana LLC, a project company founded to operate certain midstream assets in Louisiana. Sentinel, a midstream solutions provider for crude oil transportation, storage, and terminaling, is a portfolio company of Cresta Fund Management, an investment manager with over $1.4 billion of assets under management funding specialized middle market energy infrastructure opportunities. As part of the transaction, Sentinel will operate significant pipeline systems previously controlled by ExxonMobil. The Willkie team was led by partner Archie Fallon and counsel Jason Nasra, and included partners Jeffrey Clancy and Robert Jacobson, counsel Jonathan Konoff, and associates Devin Crisanti, Hayden Kursh and J. Zane Altemus.

Dec 1

1 min

Willkie advised Layne Water Midstream Holdings, LLC in the sale of its interests in Layne Water Midstream Resources, LLC and its subsidiaries (collectively, Layne Water Midstream) in an all-cash transaction. Layne Water Midstream is backed by Post Oak Energy Capital, LP and Genesis Park, LLC, through investment partnerships each company separately manages. Layne Water Midstream is a full cycle water midstream business providing water solutions for its customers through responsibly created water infrastructure, including produced water gathering and disposal, source water delivery, and produced water redelivery, treatment and recycling services. Post Oak Energy Capital, which was established in 2006, is a Houston-based private equity firm primarily focused on making domestic investments in the upstream, midstream and oilfield services sectors of the energy industry. Genesis Park is a Houston-based debt and equity investment platform. Genesis Park supports growth and later stage lower middle market businesses through flexible debt and equity capital solutions and strategic guidance. The Willkie team was led by partners Sarah McLean and Robert Jacobson and associate Erin Kaufman.

Jul 11

1 min