Shamilah Grimwood-Norley
Partner | Cape Town
Contact
T: +27 21 480 7855
E: shamilah.grimwood@bowmanslaw.com
Overview
Shamilah Grimwood-Norley is a Partner in our Bowmans’ Banking and Finance Department. Shamilah was previously Head of Banking and Finance and, Head of the Infrastructure Sector Group at Bowmans.
Prior to joining Bowmans in 2014, Shamilah was a partner at a leading international law firm where she worked for 15 years. Shamilah was admitted to practice as an attorney in the State of New York in 2001.
She is regarded as “incredibly thorough, hard-working and principled.” She advises on power and infrastructure projects, including IPP projects, handling both project financing and development. Clients find her to be “very responsive and insightful whenever required” (Chambers & Partners, 2020). She undertakes government, sponsor and lender-side work, in the infrastructure sector and has notable experience in public private partnerships (PPP) and independent power producer (IPP) projects. Shamilah’s transaction experience spans South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and Botswana.
She co-drafted the first issue of the Standardised Public Private Partnership Provisions for the South African National Treasury, which remains the principal practice guide on PPPs for departments, institutions and other entities in the National and Provincial Governments of South Africa.
Shamilah is a regular speaker and panelist at various conferences on power, infrastructure and project financing. Her expertise has been recognised by Best Lawyers (Lawyer of the Year for Project Finance), Chambers Global (Projects & Energy in South Africa and in Africa), Legal 500 (Projects and Infrastructure and Project Finance/ PPP) and Who’s Who (Public Procurement and Project Finance).
Experience
Shamilah has advised:
- The South African Standardised Public Private Partnership Provisions (including as principal co-drafter) pursuant to a project led by the South African National Treasury (with the assistance of the Department for International Development of the Government of the United Kingdom) to develop a national guidance document for PPP agreements. This project commenced in 2002 and included consultations with a wide range of stakeholders including local and international commercial banks, multilateral agencies, Provincial and National government departments, financial advisory firms. This guidance was published by the National Treasury in April 2004 and remains the primary guide for PPPs involving national or provincial departments and other organs of state in South Africa.*
- Zimborders Limited in respect of the Beitbridge Border Post Modernisation PPP Project in Zimbabwe. This PPP concession entails the upgrade and modernization of the existing physical and ICT infrastructure of the Beitbridge border post to increase speed of transit through and the revenues at the border post. Project capital value is circa ZAR 5 billion.
- MSC Cruises SA (MSC Cruises) in relation to the Durban Cruise Terminal PPP awarded to MSC Cruses by the Transnet SOC Limited, the South African state owned company with responsibility for port and rail infrastructure and services. This included revision and advice on the proposed port concession agreement, the provisions of the National Ports Act, governance matters pertaining to the bidder, environmental issues, competition law issues, financing of the project and all legal aspects pertaining to the tender process.
- Namibian Ministry of Mines & Energy and KfW Development Bank on the proposed Biomass to Energy GET Fit programme by the Government of Namibia including undertaking a pre-feasibility study project and the development of standard form agreements for an independent power producer programme including a power purchase agreement, biomass supply agreement and harvesting agreements.
- Gigawatt Mozambique, SA on the financing, development, design, engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, ownership, operation and maintenance of a 100MW gas fired power station in Ressano Garcia, Mozambique.
- Gigawatt Mozambique, SA on the expansion of its power plant at Ressano Garcia, Mozambique.
- The lenders on the financing of the development of a 250MW liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plant and LNG supply chain facilities in Walvis Bay, Namibia.
- Various debt funds on their participation in the debt financing of two powership projects in Ghana, Karadeniz Powership Aysegul Sultan, to be anchored at Port Tema, Ghana and Karadeniz Powership Osman Khan, to be anchored at Port Sekondi or Effasu, Ghana, each with a contracted capacity of about 225MW.
- Intex Construction in relation to its PPP for the construction, rehabilitation, operation and maintenance of Lot 33 of the 10,000 km Road Annuity PPP Programme procured by the Government of Kenya
- A leading cement, limestone and aggregates producer on the refinancing of various debt facilities.
- Eskom Holdings SOC Limited (Eskom), the South African state owned company with responsibility for electricity generation, transmission, distribution and supply, on its participation as single buyer and transmission service provider in connection with two peaking power IPPs in South Africa.*
- Eskom, as single buyer and transmission service on its participation as single buyer and transmission and distribution service provider, in Rounds 1 and 2 of the South African Renewable Energy IPP Procurement Programme.*
- As international counsel to an AIM listed company on a coal to power project in Mozambique.*
- A Brazilian developer on a hydropower project in Mozambique.*
- The sponsor on a 300MW coal to power project in Tete, Mozambique.*
- As international counsel to a Sino-US investor on its upstream investments in two solar photovoltaic projects in South Africa.*
- Sino-US investor on its upstream investment in the Mookane coal to power project in Botswana.*
- City of Johannesburg on the privatisation of the Kelvin Power Station.*
- City of Johannesburg on the privatisation of the City’s gas reticulation business, and the establishment of Egoli Gas.*
* Prior to joining Bowmans
Awards
- IFLR1000’s Financial and Corporate Guide consistently rated Shamilah as Highly Regarded (2023) for her work in Energy and Infrastructure, Project Development and Project Finance, as Expert Consultant (2022) and as a Notable Practitioner for four years (2018- 2021) in the same category.
- Chambers and Partners ranked Shamilah in Band 4 for Projects & Energy (2016, 2020) as well as in Band 3 (2017-2019) in the same category.
- Legal 500 Europe Middle East & Africa recognised Shamilah for South Africa for her work in both the Projects and Infrastructure category, as well as her work in Project Finance/PPP.
- Best Lawyers recognised Shamilah for Project Finance and Development Practice (2017).
- International Who’s Who of Public Procurement as well as Project Finance recognised Shamilah for her work in these categories.
- Listed in Best Lawyer – Lawyers of the Year for Project Finance
‘Grimwood-Norley has ‘deep knowledge of the infrastructure space‘ and acts for sponsors, lenders and government entities in PPP and IPP projects’– Legal 500, 2024
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Qualifications
- BA and LLB degrees from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
- LLM from Temple University, USA (Fulbright Scholar).
- Leading Professional Services Firms Programme run by Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom (2021)
INSIGHTS
Overview
Shamilah Grimwood-Norley is a Partner in our Bowmans’ Banking and Finance Department. Shamilah was previously Head of Banking and Finance and, Head of the Infrastructure Sector Group at Bowmans.
Prior to joining Bowmans in 2014, Shamilah was a partner at a leading international law firm where she worked for 15 years. Shamilah was admitted to practice as an attorney in the State of New York in 2001.
She is regarded as “incredibly thorough, hard-working and principled.” She advises on power and infrastructure projects, including IPP projects, handling both project financing and development. Clients find her to be “very responsive and insightful whenever required” (Chambers & Partners, 2020). She undertakes government, sponsor and lender-side work, in the infrastructure sector and has notable experience in public private partnerships (PPP) and independent power producer (IPP) projects. Shamilah’s transaction experience spans South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and Botswana.
She co-drafted the first issue of the Standardised Public Private Partnership Provisions for the South African National Treasury, which remains the principal practice guide on PPPs for departments, institutions and other entities in the National and Provincial Governments of South Africa.
Shamilah is a regular speaker and panelist at various conferences on power, infrastructure and project financing. Her expertise has been recognised by Best Lawyers (Lawyer of the Year for Project Finance), Chambers Global (Projects & Energy in South Africa and in Africa), Legal 500 (Projects and Infrastructure and Project Finance/ PPP) and Who’s Who (Public Procurement and Project Finance).
Experience
Shamilah has advised:
- The South African Standardised Public Private Partnership Provisions (including as principal co-drafter) pursuant to a project led by the South African National Treasury (with the assistance of the Department for International Development of the Government of the United Kingdom) to develop a national guidance document for PPP agreements. This project commenced in 2002 and included consultations with a wide range of stakeholders including local and international commercial banks, multilateral agencies, Provincial and National government departments, financial advisory firms. This guidance was published by the National Treasury in April 2004 and remains the primary guide for PPPs involving national or provincial departments and other organs of state in South Africa.*
- Zimborders Limited in respect of the Beitbridge Border Post Modernisation PPP Project in Zimbabwe. This PPP concession entails the upgrade and modernization of the existing physical and ICT infrastructure of the Beitbridge border post to increase speed of transit through and the revenues at the border post. Project capital value is circa ZAR 5 billion.
- MSC Cruises SA (MSC Cruises) in relation to the Durban Cruise Terminal PPP awarded to MSC Cruses by the Transnet SOC Limited, the South African state owned company with responsibility for port and rail infrastructure and services. This included revision and advice on the proposed port concession agreement, the provisions of the National Ports Act, governance matters pertaining to the bidder, environmental issues, competition law issues, financing of the project and all legal aspects pertaining to the tender process.
- Namibian Ministry of Mines & Energy and KfW Development Bank on the proposed Biomass to Energy GET Fit programme by the Government of Namibia including undertaking a pre-feasibility study project and the development of standard form agreements for an independent power producer programme including a power purchase agreement, biomass supply agreement and harvesting agreements.
- Gigawatt Mozambique, SA on the financing, development, design, engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, ownership, operation and maintenance of a 100MW gas fired power station in Ressano Garcia, Mozambique.
- Gigawatt Mozambique, SA on the expansion of its power plant at Ressano Garcia, Mozambique.
- The lenders on the financing of the development of a 250MW liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plant and LNG supply chain facilities in Walvis Bay, Namibia.
- Various debt funds on their participation in the debt financing of two powership projects in Ghana, Karadeniz Powership Aysegul Sultan, to be anchored at Port Tema, Ghana and Karadeniz Powership Osman Khan, to be anchored at Port Sekondi or Effasu, Ghana, each with a contracted capacity of about 225MW.
- Intex Construction in relation to its PPP for the construction, rehabilitation, operation and maintenance of Lot 33 of the 10,000 km Road Annuity PPP Programme procured by the Government of Kenya
- A leading cement, limestone and aggregates producer on the refinancing of various debt facilities.
- Eskom Holdings SOC Limited (Eskom), the South African state owned company with responsibility for electricity generation, transmission, distribution and supply, on its participation as single buyer and transmission service provider in connection with two peaking power IPPs in South Africa.*
- Eskom, as single buyer and transmission service on its participation as single buyer and transmission and distribution service provider, in Rounds 1 and 2 of the South African Renewable Energy IPP Procurement Programme.*
- As international counsel to an AIM listed company on a coal to power project in Mozambique.*
- A Brazilian developer on a hydropower project in Mozambique.*
- The sponsor on a 300MW coal to power project in Tete, Mozambique.*
- As international counsel to a Sino-US investor on its upstream investments in two solar photovoltaic projects in South Africa.*
- Sino-US investor on its upstream investment in the Mookane coal to power project in Botswana.*
- City of Johannesburg on the privatisation of the Kelvin Power Station.*
- City of Johannesburg on the privatisation of the City’s gas reticulation business, and the establishment of Egoli Gas.*
* Prior to joining Bowmans
Awards
- IFLR1000’s Financial and Corporate Guide consistently rated Shamilah as Highly Regarded (2023) for her work in Energy and Infrastructure, Project Development and Project Finance, as Expert Consultant (2022) and as a Notable Practitioner for four years (2018- 2021) in the same category.
- Chambers and Partners ranked Shamilah in Band 4 for Projects & Energy (2016, 2020) as well as in Band 3 (2017-2019) in the same category.
- Legal 500 Europe Middle East & Africa recognised Shamilah for South Africa for her work in both the Projects and Infrastructure category, as well as her work in Project Finance/PPP.
- Best Lawyers recognised Shamilah for Project Finance and Development Practice (2017).
- International Who’s Who of Public Procurement as well as Project Finance recognised Shamilah for her work in these categories.
- Listed in Best Lawyer – Lawyers of the Year for Project Finance
‘Grimwood-Norley has ‘deep knowledge of the infrastructure space‘ and acts for sponsors, lenders and government entities in PPP and IPP projects’– Legal 500, 2024
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