About Lisa Zhou
Lisa specialises in renewable energy and infrastructure project finance, real estate finance and corporate and acquisition finance.
She advises financiers, sponsors and borrowers across a range of sectors, including renewable energy, infrastructure, real estate, funds, healthcare and telecommunications.
Lisa's transactional experience includes advising:
Renewable energy and storage
- CWP Renewables portfolio acquisition and financing with Squadron: the financiers on the renewables portfolio financing—the largest renewables portfolio transaction completed in Australia at the time and one of only several vendor stapled financings taken to completion in Australia.
- Metlen Energy/Mytilineos solar projects: the sponsor in relation to the portfolio development and project financings of two solar portfolios—first, the Corowa, Junee and Wagga Wagga Solar Farms with Coles Group Limited as an offtaker; and second, the Kingaroy, Moura and Wyalong Solar Farms with NBN as an offtaker.
- Uungula Wind Farm: the financiers on the development project financing by Squadron Energy of the 414MW Uungula Wind Farm.
- Powering Australian Renewables Fund/Tilt Renewables: the sponsors on the original establishment of the PARF fund and then advising the sponsors on the sale and project finance of a series of solar and wind projects, including the Broken Hill and Nyngan solar power stations, Silverton Wind Farm and Coopers Gap Wind Farm.
- FRV solar and BESS portfolio refinancing: the financiers on the refinancing of FRV's renewables portfolio.
- Foresight/ICG renewables portfolio: the lenders to Foresight/ICG on its acquisition and project financing of a portfolio of wind and hydro power projects from Meridian.
- Snapper Point Gas Power Station, and Lincoln Gap Wind and Battery Projects: the financiers to RATCH/Nexif on the portfolio refinancing.
- Hazelwood Battery: the sponsors on the Macquarie Capital/ENGIE development of the Hazelwood Battery storage project.
- ACCIONA: on various project financings, including of the Gunning and Waubra Wind Farms, and the Royalla Solar Farm.
Infrastructure
- Northeast Link: the Capella Capital led consortium on its successful bid and project financing of the largest PPP in Victoria's history.
- ConnectEast: on its A$705 million refinancing for EastLink—the longest tollway in Victoria, connecting the Eastern Freeway to Peninsula Link and Frankston Freeway.
- New Melton Hospital PPP development and the Frankston Hospital redevelopment PPP: the financiers to the Exemplar Health consortium (comprising Capella, Lendlease, Honeywell and Compass) on its successful bids and project financings for both developments.
- Sydney Desalination Plant: the sponsors in relation to several refinancings, including conversion of the document structure to a common terms deed platform to allow for diversification of debt to include short-medium term bank debt and long-term Samurai debt.
- Hawaiki submarine internet cable system: the financier on the development financing of the 14,000 kilometre Hawaiki submarine internet cable system with 30 Tbps of capacity, connecting Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
- Lane Cove Tunnel: the private placement investors on Transurban's A$460m refinancing of its bank and private placement debt facilities for the Lane Cove Tunnel.
- Global Switch: in relation to the sale of its Australian data centre business to HMC Capital.
Real estate and corporate financing
- Golden Age build-to-rent: in relation to its Skye Square build-to-rent development in Box Hill, Victoria.
- Irongate: the financier in relation to debt facilities to Irongate for the acquisitions of warehouse and industrial properties in NSW and Queensland.
- Fawkner Property: the financier in relation to the financing of Fawkner Property's acquisition of Willows Shopping Centre in Queensland.
- Broadmeadows Shopping Centre: the senior financier on the acquisition by Milemaker of a co-ownership interest in the shopping centre (including co-ownership arrangements with Vicinity Centres).
- Vocus: on the refinancing of the group's A$1.07bn and NZ$160m bank debt facilities.
- Vicinity Centres: the lenders on the refinancing of A$5.1bn of bank debt facilities for the Federation Centres and Novion merged group (now known as Vicinity Centres).
- Growthpoint Properties: the lenders on the group's syndicated bank debt facilities.
- The financier to ISPT and Galileo Group: on the construction financing of three residential apartment towers known as 'Metro Apartments', comprising more than 500 apartments in Chatswood Transport Interchange in NSW.
- Institutional lender: on a number of property financings across Australia, including the A$425m acquisition of The Complex office towers, A$200m acquisition financing of Figtree shopping centre (NSW) and A$170m acquisition financing for 'K1'—a commercial office tower in Fortitude Valley, Queensland.