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Gerard Kneppers

Partner
Advocaat
Strongest skills are that he is able to discuss and explain content well without losing sight of the commercial relationship.
Chambers Europe, 2022
About

Gerard Kneppers is a partner in the Banking (Finance & Projects) department of DLA Piper in Amsterdam and has more than 20 years of transactional experience in the Netherlands, England and Wales as well as in South Africa (being a qualified and admitted lawyer in all of the aforesaid jurisdictions). He focuses on (Renewable) Energy, PPP, DFI and leveraged finance / corporate lending products, and also has substantial experience in the field of mergers & acquisitions, thereby giving him a deep understanding of the full transactional cycle of project- and leveraged finance transactions.

He is recognised as a leading banking and finance lawyer by both Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 and his clients include parties across the spectrum such as sponsors, project companies, financial institutions and (strategic) purchasers (borrowers) and vendors.

Professional QualificationsAdvocaat admitted with the Nederlandse Orde van AdvocatenAttorney of the High Court of South AfricaSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

Highlights

EXPERIENCE

  • Advised Powerfield in connection with their EUR 500 million equity and debt raise for purposes of facilitating the expansion of its solar, battery and EV charging portfolio.
  • Advised BASF on the financing of the construction of offshore wind park Hollandse Kust Zuid (at the time of completion envisaged to be the largest offshore wind park in the world) by a group of international lenders.
  • Advised BASF on the sale of 25.2% of the wind park Hollandse Kust Zuid to Allianz.
  • Advised Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A. in its capacity as mandated lead arranger in relation to the project financing of solar park Vloeivelden (116 MW and at the time of commencement of construction the largest field based solar park in the Netherlands) by Solarfields / ibVogt.
  • Advised a large international bank in relation to the financing and construction of Solar Carport Biddinghuizen (at the time of commencement of construction the largest solar carport development in the world) by Solarfields and ib Vogt and the subsequent sale thereof to a large European investment company.
  • Advised a large international bank in relation to the construction and financing of solar park Dorhout Mees (147 MW) (at the time of commencement of construction the largest solar park in the Netherlands) by Solarfields / ibVogt.
  • Advised a large international bank in relation to the financing (and subsequent sale) of solar park Vlagtwedde (110 MW and at the time of commencement of construction the largest field based solar park in the Netherlands) by an international investor.
  • Advised a large international bank in relation to the financing (and subsequent sale) of solar park Scaldia (54 MW and at the time of commencement of construction the largest field based solar park in the Netherlands).
Languages
  • Dutch
  • English
  • Afrikaans
Education
  • University of Johannesburg, LLB, 1995
  • University of Johannesburg, B Proc cum laude, 1993

Awards and Recognitions

  • Chambers 2019: Gerard Kneppers acts for an impressive array of financial institutions on financing mandates, particularly within the renewable energy sector. Clients describe him as a “straightforward and constructive thinker” who is “trying to find solutions and is open minded.”
  • He has been recommended by Chambers Europe 2019 and Chambers Global 2019 for Banking & Finance and by Legal 500 EMEA 2019 for Banking & Finance and Energy

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