Baker McKenzie advising on Uruguay railway financing
Baker McKenzie is advising consortium Grupo Vía Central on financing for the construction of the Uruguay Central Railway project, which has an estimated value of $1.07 billion and is the largest private investment made in Uruguay and will be the country’s largest infrastructure project.
Grupo Vía Central will handle the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of the 273km of railway lines linking the port of Montevideo to the city of Paso de Los Toros. The consortium is comprised of Spanish company Sacyr Concesiones, French company NGE Concessions, and Uruguayan companies Berkes Construcción y Montajes and Compañía Sudamericana de Empresas Eléctricas, Mecánicas y de Obras Públicas (SACEEM).
The project is part of a public-private partnership between the Ministry of Transportation, Public Works of Uruguay and Grupo Vía Central. Project lenders included Corporación Andina de Fomento, Fideicomiso Financiero CAF-AM Ferrocarril Central, Inter-American Development Bank, Inter-American Investment Corporation, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Intesa Sanpaolo.
The Baker McKenzie team is led by partner Margarita Oliva (pictured) and associate Cristobal Larrain and includes Rafael Berckholtz, Michelle Pfeffer and Carlos Suarez. The team is also supported by tax, environmental and labor lawyers.
