Matthew Chow
Matthew Chow is a partner in Mayer Brown’s global Energy practice, splitting his time between Hong Kong and Singapore.
As a construction lawyer by training, he has advised project sponsors, contractors and lenders on some of the largest projects across Asia and the Middle East, ranging from power plants (both thermal and renewables) to LNG-to-power, LNG import facilities (both onshore and offshore), petrochemical facilities, mining and other major infrastructure.
Matthew’s core practice focuses on front-end project delivery, where he leads the drafting and negotiation of both standard form (including FIDIC) and bespoke construction contracts, tender documents, and related agreements. He also advises on other critical project documents including PPAs, concession and O&M agreements, supply and offtake agreements, FSRU construction contracts (both newbuild and conversion), and consultancy agreements.
With 18 years’ experience in the construction industry in both legal and commercial roles, he has a deep-rooted understanding of the challenges that typically arise during the development phase of construction projects. This experience enables him to foresee potential risks before they materialise and to work with clients to develop effective mitigation strategies, ensuring smoother project execution and minimising costly disruptions.
Almost all of the projects which Matthew has worked on involve project financing. He has worked both alongside and opposite major DFIs, MLAs and ECAs such as ADB, IFC, AIIB, MIGA, CDB, KEXIM, and KDB and is highly attuned to each of their specific bankability requirements. This expertise allows him to bridge the gap between sponsor, contractor, and lender interests, helping clients navigate the complexities of multi-source financings and achieve successful financial close.
Matthew’s track record includes advising on multiple first-in-market transactions across Asia and emerging markets, including the landmark 1,500MW Quang Ninh LNG-to-power project in Vietnam, which is set to be one of the first LNG-to-power projects in Vietnam to reach financial close; Honduras’ first LNG-to-power project; the first four LNG import projects in Bangladesh developed by Summit; the development of Hong Kong’s first FSRU/LNG import project; one of Senegal’s first land-based LNG import terminals; the Lotus wind power project, Vietnam’s first and largest financing of a wind power project to utilise long-term US$ limited recourse financing without export credit agency cover; Bangladesh’s first two solar power projects to be internationally project financed; the Shweli 3 hydropower project, Myanmar's largest hydropower project to date; the Deedoke run-of-river hydropower project, Myanmar’s first internationally developed hydro-IPP selling exclusively into the Myanmar market; the Myingyan 225MW gas-fired power project, Myanmar's first internationally competitively tendered power project and first (and to date only) multi-lender multi-sourced international project financing; the CPHGC 1320MW coal fired power project, Pakistan’s first power project to be developed under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative; and Mongolia’s first three solar power projects with battery storage solutions.
