Anton Barnes-Webb
Senior Banking and Finance Partner | Johannesburg
Contact
T: +27 11 669 9303
E: anton.barnes-webb@bowmanslaw.com
Overview
Anton Barnes-Webb is the Senior Banking and Finance partner in our Johannesburg office’s Project Finance practice in the Banking and Finance Department and is head of Bowmans’ Africa-wide Infrastructure Sector Group.
He specialises in project and other financing transactions and mergers and acquisitions. In project finance, Anton advises lenders, borrowers, sponsors and shareholders. He has advised on the financing of large-scale renewable energy projects, projects involving the manufacture and sale of bio-ethanol, and public infrastructure developments involving public private partnerships. Much of his work involves acting for clients in African jurisdictions outside of South Africa including Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia.
Experience
- Grand Inga Hydroelectric project: advised the IPP Office of the South African Department of Energy.
- Lead counsel to the consortium awarded preferred bidder status in the South African Government, City Of Tshwane (Pretoria) Metropolitan office accommodation PPP. The Project consists of the construction, testing, commissioning, completion, operation and positioning of the buildings and other facilities, together with all supporting infrastructure (including any temporary works) pursuant to the provision by the Project Company of serviced accommodation under a 27 year concession to City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality at the project site, which is located in the Pretoria central business district, South Africa.
- Gautrain Rapid Link Project: Acted as South African counsel to the mandated lead arrangers and lenders for the Public Private Partnership for the design, construction, partial financing, operation and maintenance of a rapid rail system linking the metropolitan cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria and the Johannesburg International Airport. This project was at the time the world’s second largest rail PPP after the London Underground, and the largest green field rail project then under construction globally.
- Advising the lenders on the financing for the development of the Walvis Bay LNG-to-power project in Namibia together with Bowmans.
- Advising the DBSA on their funding of GDF Suez’s BEE Partners in the two Peaker IPP Power Plants in South Africa.
- Advising Eskom on financing for its new coal-fired power station being constructed at Medupi.
- Advising a range of South African Lenders on the following projects forming part of the South African renewable energy programme:
- Round 1 wind farm, Hopefield, Western Cape;
- a Round 1 solar PV project in Eastern Cape;
- a Round 2 wind farm, Gouda, Western Cape; and
- a Round 2 solar PV project, Sishen, Northern Province.
- Advising Standard Bank, First National Bank and Barclays Africa on their funding of Morupule Colliery in Botswana, for the purposes of supplying fuel to the new coal fired power plant constructed by Botswana Power Corporation at Morupule in Botswana, including advising Lenders on the coal supply agreement concluded with BPC.
Awards
- Chambers and Partners consistently ranked Anton in Band 2 (2024) and prior to that, in Band 1 for nine years (2017-2023) for his work in Project & Energy (South Africa) as well as in Band 5 for Projects & Energy (Africa-wide) (2018-2020).
- IFLR1000’s Financial and Corporate Guide consistently rated Anton as a Highly Regarded lawyer for six consecutive years (2018 to 2023) for his work in Energy and Infrastructure, Project Finance and M&A and prior to that, as a Leading Lawyer in the same category (2015-2016).
- Legal 500 ranked Anton as a Leading Individual for Projects and Infrastructure for the past seven years (2018-2024), as a Recommended Lawyer (2017) and in Tier 1 (2015).
- Who’s Who Legal recognised Anton for his work in Energy- Power/ Electricity as a Global Elite Thought Leader- South Africa (2024) and recognised him as well as in 2018 in the same category
- Best Lawyers for Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law and Project Finance and Development Practice (2017).
“He has extensive experience in the handling of restructuring and corporate transactions in the energy and infrastructure spaces.” – Chambers and Partners, 2024
Ranked as “ Leading Individual” in the 2024 Legal 500 rankings – Legal 500, 2024
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Qualifications
- B.Com and LLB degrees from Stellenbosch University.
- LLM from Cambridge University, UK.
INSIGHTS
Brochures
Overview
Anton Barnes-Webb is the Senior Banking and Finance partner in our Johannesburg office’s Project Finance practice in the Banking and Finance Department and is head of Bowmans’ Africa-wide Infrastructure Sector Group.
He specialises in project and other financing transactions and mergers and acquisitions. In project finance, Anton advises lenders, borrowers, sponsors and shareholders. He has advised on the financing of large-scale renewable energy projects, projects involving the manufacture and sale of bio-ethanol, and public infrastructure developments involving public private partnerships. Much of his work involves acting for clients in African jurisdictions outside of South Africa including Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia.
Experience
- Grand Inga Hydroelectric project: advised the IPP Office of the South African Department of Energy.
- Lead counsel to the consortium awarded preferred bidder status in the South African Government, City Of Tshwane (Pretoria) Metropolitan office accommodation PPP. The Project consists of the construction, testing, commissioning, completion, operation and positioning of the buildings and other facilities, together with all supporting infrastructure (including any temporary works) pursuant to the provision by the Project Company of serviced accommodation under a 27 year concession to City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality at the project site, which is located in the Pretoria central business district, South Africa.
- Gautrain Rapid Link Project: Acted as South African counsel to the mandated lead arrangers and lenders for the Public Private Partnership for the design, construction, partial financing, operation and maintenance of a rapid rail system linking the metropolitan cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria and the Johannesburg International Airport. This project was at the time the world’s second largest rail PPP after the London Underground, and the largest green field rail project then under construction globally.
- Advising the lenders on the financing for the development of the Walvis Bay LNG-to-power project in Namibia together with Bowmans.
- Advising the DBSA on their funding of GDF Suez’s BEE Partners in the two Peaker IPP Power Plants in South Africa.
- Advising Eskom on financing for its new coal-fired power station being constructed at Medupi.
- Advising a range of South African Lenders on the following projects forming part of the South African renewable energy programme:
- Round 1 wind farm, Hopefield, Western Cape;
- a Round 1 solar PV project in Eastern Cape;
- a Round 2 wind farm, Gouda, Western Cape; and
- a Round 2 solar PV project, Sishen, Northern Province.
- Advising Standard Bank, First National Bank and Barclays Africa on their funding of Morupule Colliery in Botswana, for the purposes of supplying fuel to the new coal fired power plant constructed by Botswana Power Corporation at Morupule in Botswana, including advising Lenders on the coal supply agreement concluded with BPC.
Awards
- Chambers and Partners consistently ranked Anton in Band 2 (2024) and prior to that, in Band 1 for nine years (2017-2023) for his work in Project & Energy (South Africa) as well as in Band 5 for Projects & Energy (Africa-wide) (2018-2020).
- IFLR1000’s Financial and Corporate Guide consistently rated Anton as a Highly Regarded lawyer for six consecutive years (2018 to 2023) for his work in Energy and Infrastructure, Project Finance and M&A and prior to that, as a Leading Lawyer in the same category (2015-2016).
- Legal 500 ranked Anton as a Leading Individual for Projects and Infrastructure for the past seven years (2018-2024), as a Recommended Lawyer (2017) and in Tier 1 (2015).
- Who’s Who Legal recognised Anton for his work in Energy- Power/ Electricity as a Global Elite Thought Leader- South Africa (2024) and recognised him as well as in 2018 in the same category
- Best Lawyers for Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law and Project Finance and Development Practice (2017).
“He has extensive experience in the handling of restructuring and corporate transactions in the energy and infrastructure spaces.” – Chambers and Partners, 2024
Ranked as “ Leading Individual” in the 2024 Legal 500 rankings – Legal 500, 2024
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