Darren Murphy

• Williams on its first LNG investment through the US $250 million acquisition of interests in the Louisiana LNG project (a 27.6 Mtpa permitted LNG facility near Lake Charles) and Driftwood Pipeline (developer of the pipeline supporting the project) from Woodside Energy, advancing Williams’ Gulf Coast LNG initiative and strengthening its wellhead-to-water strategy.
• Chevron New Energies on its agreement with Mitsui Energy Development Co (MOECO) for the pilot testing of advanced geothermal technology, specifically advanced closed loop technology in the Niseko region of Hokkaido, Japan.
• PTTEP on the acquisition of 34% of the shares of E&E Algeria Touat B.V. from Engie International Corporation B.V. The transaction will result in PTTEP acquiring an indirect 22.1% interest in the Touat gas production project in Algeria. The remaining interests in the Touat project are held by ENI and the Algerian National Oil Company, Sonatrach.
• IMCD N.V., a global leading distribution partner and formulator of specialty chemicals and ingredients, on its acquisition of ResChem Technologies Australia and New Zealand.
• An Indian energy company on various LNG SPAs, both as buyer and seller.
• An international energy company on its participation in a major carbon capture and storage (CCS / CCUS) project in the Asia Pacific, including advising on joint ventures and the structuring of commercial arrangements.
• Chevron on acquisition of 25 fuel retailing sites in South Australia from Viva Energy. In exchange, Chevron transferred 13 Caltex-branded sites in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia to Viva Energy.
• Lazard Asset Management in the acquisition by Lazard Global Sustainable Private Infrastructure Fund of a 50% shareholding in Shawton Energy Limited, a solar PV project developer, installer and operator with a portfolio of existing projects that delivers renewable energy directly to commercial and industrial businesses.
• Risco Energy on the sale of Tap Oil to an independent energy company. Tap Oil engages in oil and gas exploration and production in Australia and South East Asia and has a 30% joint venture interest in the Manora oil field in the Gulf of Thailand.
• Chevron on a wide range of downstream energy projects and matters throughout Asia Pacific and the Middle East, including asset sales and purchases, crude oil sales, various joint ventures, lubricants supply arrangements and the marketing and branding of retail products, among other matters.
• An international bidder for rights to develop a major offshore wind project in Victoria, Australia.
• An international energy company on the decommissioning of a significant upstream oil and gas project in Asia, including advising on international law obligations.
• Macquarie Asset Management ("MAM"), via Macquarie Green Investment Group, on its acquisition of shares in Island Green Power Limited, a UK-based renewable energy developer focused primarily on the development of utility-scale solar plants.
• PTTEP on entering into an Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement with the Ministry of Oil and Gas of the Sultanate of Oman for Block 12, which is a large onshore exploration block in Oman with an acreage of around 10,000 square kilometers.
• An equipment supplier in respect of multiple wind farm projects in Australia.
• An aluminum smelter on a range of energy related issues, including gas and power purchases and investments in energy projects.
• Suntory on its partnering with Anellotech, Inc., a U.S.-based biochemical company, in the development of a plastics recycling technology. The partnership seeks to produce bio-based paraxylene from woodchips allowing 100% plant-derived PET bottles.
• A bidder for the John Laing wind farm portfolio, comprising interests in assets across South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, Australia, with a total capacity of 514MW.
• A multinational energy company on joint venture arrangements to cover the future decommissioning of facilities.
• A corporate power buyer in negotiating a long term power purchase arrangement with the developer of a greenfields wind farm in Australia. The arrangements involved a Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (“VPPA”) with an innovative proxy revenue swap.
• An Australian energy utility on negotiating gas sales and gas transportation agreements in multiple Australian states.
• Sapura Upstream on its farm-in to three Australian offshore oil and gas permits and the associated formation of a joint venture with Finder Exploration Pty Ltd.
• An international energy company on an upstream oil and gas bid round in India.
• An international energy company on commercial arrangements for a downstream refinery joint venture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Singapore-based Biomass Ventures in securing an investment from InfraCo Asia for the development of a biomass business in Sri Lanka. The business will create a supply chain for biomass and produce biomass pellets for power generation, both for domestic use and export.
• Pan Pacific Petroleum NL on the sale of a 5% interest in Block 07/03 in the Nam Con Son Basin offshore Vietnam to Repsol Exploracion SA. Block 07/03 contains the Ca Rong Do $1.1 billion development stage oil and gas project.
• TonenGeneral on its US$14 billion business integration with JX Group to form the largest oil refiner in Japan. The combined business, now known as ENEOS, conducts exploration, importation and refining of crude oil and the manufacture and sale of lubricants, chemicals and other petroleum products and invests in renewables and other energy businesses.
• ENEOS on its investment in Carbon Asset Solutions (“CAS”), a soil carbon sequestration business. CAS issues carbon credits based on the increase in carbon content in soil following sustainable agricultural practices.
• TotalEnergies on the $3.2 billion sale of specialty chemical affiliate Atotech B.V., a global manufacturer of high technology plating solutions, to The Carlyle Group.
• An international LNG buyer on the on-sale of cargoes from the Sabine Pass LNG project in Louisiana, USA
• Lundin Energy on the sale of certain upstream oil and gas interests in Indonesia to Medco Energy, including Lundin Energy's interests in the Lematang, South Sokang and Cendrawasih VII oil and gas blocks.
• Chevron on its sale of its upstream oil and gas interests in Vietnam to State-owned energy company Petrovietnam. The interests comprised two Production Sharing Contracts and a transmission pipeline project.
• TotalEnergies on the €1.74 billion (US$2.2 billion) acquisition by the French group Arkema, one of the world’s major players in specialty chemicals, of its Bostik affiliate, a global adhesives company.
• A multinational energy company on its rights and potential remedies under a bilateral investment treaty and several production sharing contracts with a Southeast Asian State.
• Chevron on its sale of its entire issued share capital in Chevron Overseas Petroleum, which held Chevron's interest in Cambodia Block A offshore oil and gas project, to KrisEnergy Ltd.
• A Singaporean company on its application to the International Seabed Authority for a deep sea mineral exploration license and associated joint venture arrangements.
• A Japanese utility on its LNG purchase arrangements, including designing a pro forma LNG purchase agreement and conducting a bid round involving LNG producers from around the world.
• An Indonesian state-owned enterprise on contractual arrangements for a significant on-shore natural gas pipeline.
• A multinational energy company on a proposed U.S.-based LNG export project, including advising on project development issues, joint venture arrangements, transportation arrangements, and LNG sales into Asian and other markets.
• Nusantara Regas on the purchase of LNG for its regas terminal in Indonesia.
• Esprey (a subsidiary of Ilwella) on the sale of Delta Electricity which owns the 1,320MW Vales Point power station in New South Wales, Australia, to Sev.en Global Investments.
• Macquarie Asset Management on its acquisition of Euston Solar Farm Limited, a UK-based renewable energy developer focused primarily on the development of utility-scale solar plants.
• Macquarie Asset Management on its acquisition of Suez Recycling and Recovery UK Group, a significant UK waste management business and producer of biomethane transport fuel made from landfill gas.
• A private Indonesian energy company in relation to the sale of certain shale gas interests in Indonesia, and its investment in an Australian energy company.
• Kansai Electric on its acquisition of an equity interest in and offtake from Pluto LNG project in Australia, which involved the acquisition of upstream oil and gas interests and facilities as well as long term LNG supply.
• Chevron and its partners PetroVietnam, PTTEP and MOECO, on the development of the Block B gas project in Vietnam.
• A confidential bidder for ConocoPhillips' oil and gas interests in Vietnam.
• A confidential bidder for certain ExxonMobil oil and gas interests in Indonesia.
• Pertamina on commercial arrangements for its Central Java floating LNG regas project.
• Höegh LNG on its proposal to partner with DSME EnR and Petromin on a floating LNG production and export project in Papua New Guinea.
• A State Owned Enterprise in developing a suite of pro forma energy services contracts for the Indonesian market.
• Inpex on its engineering, procurement and construction contracts for the Masela Floating LNG Project in Indonesia.
• MedcoEnergi, an Indonesian energy company, in relation to its North Sumatra Block A gas development.
• ConocoPhillips in relation to its US$9 billion acquisition of an interest in Origin Energy’s Queensland CBM assets, and the consequent formation of the APLNG joint venture.
• A potential investor into a Bangladesh power project, including review of power purchase agreement and investment agreement with the Government of Bangladesh.
• Tiger Energy Trading on a range of Indonesian coal sales agreements.
• An international energy company on the negotiation of a new Production Sharing Contract in Indonesia.
• A Singapore power buyer on the negotiation of power purchase arrangements with a Singapore utility.
• A Singapore refinery on its power purchase arrangements.
• A Singapore power generator in respect of licensing and contracting for connection to the Singapore electricity grid.
• Mitsubishi Corporation on the sale of in its interest in the Weda Bay nickel project in Indonesia to Eramet for approximately US$90million.
• Shell on a range of upstream oil and gas matters over many years in Australia, including in relation to its Crux, Echuca Shoals, and Prelude projects.
• The North West Shelf JV in Australia on both pipeline gas and LNG sales contracts.
• TEPCO (now JERA) on its participation in and offtake from the Wheatstone LNG Project.
• Central Petroleum, an ASX-listed energy company, on a range of farm-out and joint venture transactions.
• Dampier Bunbury Pipeline on its acquisition of the Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline, and subsequent expansion of that pipeline, which involved in excess of US$1 billion in capital works.
• Aquila, Inc. for many years in relation to its acquisition of major energy businesses in Australia, including interests in Alinta, Multinet Gas and Ikon Energy, as well as the subsequent divestment of those interests and other major utility and power generation businesses in Europe and the United States. The combined value of the transactions was in excess of US$10 billion.

Darren Murphy acts on major energy transactions across the US, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Europe and Africa. His almost 30 years of experience spans upstream and downstream oil and gas, LNG, pipelines, chemicals, mining and power as well as energy transition including renewables, battery storage, hydrogen, geothermal, waste-to-energy, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) and decommissioning.  He has acted on many landmark mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals, joint ventures, long term offtake arrangements and development projects.

Darren has received extensive recognition in Chambers Global, Chambers Asia-Pacific, and Best Lawyers in the areas of energy/projects and corporate/M&A, and has been ranked at different times in Singapore, Australia, Vietnam and Indonesia. He was named the 2024 \"Lawyer of the Year\" Oil and Gas Law (Melbourne) by Best Lawyers.
 
Darren has lived and worked in the United States, Singapore, and Australia, including working in-house for a NYSE-listed energy company in Kansas City, Missouri. He has previously served as the Australia-Pacific Chapter Regional Director for the Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN), as co-chair of the Energy Committee of AmCham Singapore and as a member of the Singapore AIEN Committee.  He is a regular speaker and commentator on energy industry issues.