Morrison & Foerster has been handling major matters in greater China for over twenty-five years, having opened our Hong Kong
office in 1982. With offices now in Beijing and Shanghai, and our global network of lawyers in offices worldwide, we provide
international clients with comprehensive coverage for investment, finance, and regulatory matters, and give PRC companies
a readily accessible local source of support for their international activities. Key areas of the firm’s practice in China
are private equity and venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, securities and capital markets, real estate, foreign direct
investment, technology and sourcing, and Japan-China practice. We have expertise in the representation of PRC-based energy
companies in their acquisitions, financings, and investment activities and are in a unique position to assist the industry
as it moves toward greater energy efficiency.
Morrison & Foerster is also a founding member and sponsor of the Joint US-China Cooperation on Clean Energy (JUCCCE). JUCCCE
is a non-profit organization focused on promoting cleantech and sustainable development in China. The firm is a member of
the JUCCCE brain trust, a group of advisors that together form a network of multi-disciplinary leaders in energy efficiency
and clean energy supply within China and the United States. Other founding members include IHS, Owens Corning, Virgin Group,
U.S. Department of Energy, Seth Design Group, and Mustang Ventures.
Representative Matters
- Solargiga Energy Holdings Limited/HKSE IPO. We are representing BNP Paribas as sole book runner and lead sponsor of the initial public offering of Solargiga Energy Holdings
Limited on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The listing is expected to raise up to US$128 million. Solargiga will be the first
solar power company to list in Hong Kong.
- Arcadia Biosciences/Intellectual Property Matters. We are working with Arcadia Biosciences to develop and implement its intellectual property strategy including patents, trademarks
and trade secrets with respect its technologies and programs and provide general corporate, financing and advice regarding
mergers and acquisitions. Arcadia Biosciences is working to establish the groundwork for a carbon credit methodology in China
and other countries applicable to nitrogen efficient crops.
- China City Natural Gas Holdings Limited/Acquisition of Natural Gas Companies. Represented China City Natural Gas Holdings, a Hong Kong listed company, in its acquisition of several natural gas companies
and the rights to negotiate nine additional natural gas projects across China. The acquisition was structured as a HK$90 million
investment into two BVI companies and a capital contribution to a Sino-foreign joint venture in China.
- Photovoltaic Cells Manufacturer/Supply Agreement. Represented one of the world’s leading solar energy companies measured by production output and capacity of solar cells and
modules, in the supply, banking, and intercreditor aspects of its supply agreement to purchase polysilicon.
- China Resources Power Holdings/Stake Purchase. Represented CR Power, one of the largest Hong Kong-listed power generation companies in Mainland China, in the HK$555 million
acquisition of controlling stakes in a hydropower plant and a coal-fired power generation facility located in Yunnan and Anhui
province, respectively.
- Private Equity Fund/Multiple Investments. Representing a private equity fund with respect to its investment in multiple companies in the People's Republic of China,
each of which will operate a cycle power plant utilizing coke oven gas to produce electricity and will be authorized to trade
Clean Development Mechanism credits on the global market.
- DT Capital/Investment in Sierra Solar Power. Represented DT Capital Partners in its Series A Preferred Shares investment in Sierra Solar Power, Inc., a provider of affordance
thin-film Photovoltaic products based in Silicon Valley.
- Goldman Sachs/Investment in Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. Represented Goldman Sachs (Asia) Finance as the lead investor in a US$80 million Series A financing, subsequent NYSE listing
and global IPO of Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd., a leading PRC-based manufacturer of photovoltaic solar cells.
- Photovoltaic Cells Manufacturer/Acquisition of Production Equipment. Represented one of the world's leading manufacturers of photovoltaic cells and modules in the acquisition of equipment for
the production of thin film solar cell modules.
- Photovoltaic Cells Manufacturer/Acquisition of Polysilicon. Represented one of the world's leading manufacturers of photovoltaic cells and modules in a long-term supply agreement for
the acquisition of polysilicon.
- Solar Energy Company/HKSE IPO. Acting as U.S. counsel to the underwriters in the initial public offering of a solar energy company on the Hong Kong Stock
Exchange.
- Investors/Polysilicon Production Facility. Represented a consortium of investors in connection with the proposed establishment of a polysilicon production facility
in China.
For more information about our practice, see also the Cleantech page on the Morrison & Foerster global site.
