James Orme

Primary Focus & Experience

His experience includes advising:

• multiple lenders providing senior, mezzanine and bond financing in connection with the $2.25 billion acquisition by EMR Capital and Adaro Capital of the Kestrel coal mine in Queensland, Australia sold by Rio Tinto;
• JBIC and the nine Commercial Lenders on the $4.3 billion project financing for the 2 x 1000 MW Central Java IPP in Indonesia. This is one of Asia’s largest coal-fired power projects;
• JBIC, KEXIM and NEXI and the commercial lenders in the development and financing of the $2.1 billion 1000 MW Cirebon Expansion Power Project in Java, Indonesia;
• eight Mandated Lead Arrangers (including DBS Bank, Ltd., The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation) in connection with the $2.5 billion multi-jurisdiction acquisition of the Darajat and Salak geothermal projects in West Java, Indonesia sold by Chevron Corporation;
• the mezzanine lenders and warrant holders in connection with the $800 million acquisition financing of the Martabe Gold Mine in North Sumatra. The Martabe mine is one of the largest gold mines in the world;
• KKR and York Capital in connection with the restructuring of an approximately $650 Senior Secured MLA Credit Facility provided to Gold Bridge Shipping Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of PT Berlian Laju Tanker Tbk (BLT). BLT was subject to US Chapter 11 and 15 Proceedings, Singapore "Schemes of Arrangement" and an Indonesia PKPU Proceeding pursuant to which approximately $2 billion of outstanding debt was restructured;
• An Indonesian coal services provider in connection with the restructuring of indebtedness comprising an $800 million senior secured facility provided by a bank syndicate comprising 10 lenders and other bilateral loan agreements and equipment leases;
• four leading Japanese trading houses in connection with the $1.5 billion financing (involving JBIC and NEXI) to Venezuelan state oil company, PDVSA, for the expansion of the El Palito oil refinery and Puerto La Cruz oil refinery;
• PT Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara (a mining company controlled by Medco Energi and PT AP Investments) in connection with various financing activities, including its senior secured development loan used to develop Phase 7 at the Batu Hijau mine in Indonesia;
• a syndicate of twelve international banks acting as mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners providing a $1.75 billion term loan facility to Indonesia’s state-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina (Persero), Indonesia’s state-owned oil and gas company and one of Southeast Asia’s largest producers of crude oil; and
• DBS Bank, Ltd. in connection with a $890 million senior secured bridge loan financing provided in connection with the acquisition by Jiangsu Changjiang Electronics Technology Co Ltd of STATS ChipPAC Ltd. STATS ChipPAC Ltd was a listed company on the Singapore stock exchange and is a leading provider of advanced semi-conductor packaging and test services.

Recognition & Accomplishments

James is recognized by Chambers Asia Pacific for his work in Singapore in Projects and Infrastructure where clients say that "he shows a great grip on all elements of the transaction and a remarkable ability to anticipate commercial issues" and that there is "no problem he couldn't solve. Lots of issues come in and he always finds solutions. He's a great communicator, and very good at handling difficult counterparties in negotiations."

He is also named by Legal 500 Asia Pacific as a Next Generation Lawyer for his work in restructuring and insolvency in Singapore.

He has co-authored a chapter in “The International Comparative Legal Guide to Project Finance”, an oil and gas chapter in the “International Project Finance Law and Practice” (published by the Oxford University Press) and is recognized as a leading lawyer in the International Who’s Who of Project Finance Lawyers.