Ayesha Waheed practices principally in the project finance, infrastructure, and natural resources practice. She represents developers and lenders in oil and gas, power generation, and infrastructure projects, and has experience in all aspects of structuring, negotiating, and drafting finance and commercial documents in connection with international project financings and privatizations. She counsels companies that are developing and deploying new energy resources, including renewable energy.
Ayesha is recognized as a “leading lawyer” for Project Development and Banking and Finance by IFLR 1000; a “thought leader” and “global leader” by Who's Who Legal, and a recognized practitioner by Chambers UK. She has been described in Legal 500 UK as “commercial and pragmatic in approach and always a pleasure to work with” and “strong on large multi-source project financings.”
Before joining Morgan Lewis, she was a partner at another global law firm.
Selected Representations
Oil & Gas
Commercial banks in connection with a $2.55 billion syndicated facility for the Australia Pacific LNG project
Purchasers in connection with a $1.4 billion US private placement for the Australia Pacific LNG project
Lenders in connection with a bank and bond financing for the $42 billion expansion to the Tengizchevroil Project in Kazakhstan
Mining
Yildirim Holding as sponsor in connection with the $260 million acquisition and capex facilities provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for a chrome ore mine in Kazakhstan
Yildirim Holding as sponsor in connection with the $100 million acquisition financing of the Tikhvin ferroalloy plant in Russia
Power
EBRD as lender under TL denominated facilities equivalent to $225 million made available to EnerjiSA Enerji, a major Turkish utility, for purposes of upgrading its electricity distribution assets
Akfen Renewables in connection with the project financing in the development, construction, operation, and maintenance of a portfolio of solar power plants in Turkey financed by EBRD and Turkish commercial banks
Akfen Renewables in connection with the project financing in the development, construction, operation, and maintenance of four greenfield wind farm projects in Turkey financed by EBRD and commercial banks with export credit agency cover
A potential investor in the financing of a South African solar project
Infrastructure
Yilport Holding in connection with an Export Credit Agency (ECA) covered loan for its port in Ecuador
Yilport Holding in connection with the acquisition and capex financing provided by the European Investment Bank and commercial banks for its portfolio of ports in Portugal
DenizBank as lead arranger in connection with the financing provided to an SPV set up by TAV Airports for the concession to operate and maintain Bodrum Airport
Sinohydro in connection with the concession agreement for the development of an elevated expressway PPP in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Education
Georgetown University Law Center, 1991, LLM
University of Cambridge, 1990, BA, Law
Admissions
England & Wales (Solicitor)
New York
Awards and Affiliations
Ranked, Projects, UK-wide, Chambers UK (2017–2021)
Recommended, Industry Focus: Emerging Markets, The Legal 500 UK (2021)
Recommended, Projects, Energy and Natural Resources: Oil and Gas, The Legal 500 UK (2021)
Recommended, Banking and Finance: Lender or Arranger Side, Russia, The Legal 500 EMEA (2021)
Highly Regarded, IFLR1000 Financial and Corporate (2020, 2021)
Global Elite Thought Leader, Project Finance, Who’s Who Legal (2019–2020)
Best in Project Finance Award, Euromoney LMG (2019)
