Wouter Ghijsels

Experience - Stibbe successfully acted as counsel to Iret Develoment in its tendering procedure, development, and negotiations of the more than EUR 100 million public–private partnership (PPP) project, which is the new police headquarters building in Antwerp (Post X site) and is based on a DBFM contract.

Experience - Stibbe advised Wind aan de Stroom and Triodos on a project finance package for the development of the extension of its wind farm on the Antwerp left bank with five extra wind turbines.

Experience - Assisting a consortium composed of Belgacom, T-Systems International GmbH, Strabag AG, and Efkon AG in preparing its eventually-successful bid, in the negotiations and subsequent closing of the contract for the realization of the Electronic Toll Collection System (ETCS) PPP project in the three Belgian regions.

Experience - Stibbe assists United Investment Europe on corporate, real estate, tax and finance aspects of the development of the 90,000 sqm China-Belgium Technology Center (CBTC), the largest Chinese greenfield investment ever in Belgium.

Experience - Advising the Walloon Regional Transport Company (SRWT) on the EUR 380 million tramway network (17.5 km) project in Liège.

Experience - Assisting global private equity player The Carlyle Group in its acquisition of The Sniffers, a Belgian provider of fugitive emission monitoring and related services to the oil & gas industries. A separate finance team negotiated for Carlyle a senior secured acquisition finance loan with ING bank.

Experience - Assisting several large banks (i.e. KBC Bank, ING, Dexia and BNPP Fortis) in implementing a multimillion EUR acquisition finance package for one of the bidders for its acquisition of a broadcasting company from a German mass media company.

Experience - Assisting Belgian infrastructure funds DG Infra, Inframan, DHAM and PMF (PMV) as subordinated lenders in the EUR 850 million project finance of the Northwind offshore wind power project, financed by a large group of commercial lenders, the European Investment Bank, and several export finance agencies.

Experience - Assisting the European Investment Bank (EIB) with their EUR 100 million project finance loan to finance a new hospital in Brussels.

Experience - Advising the Port of Antwerp International (PAI), the international investment arm of the Antwerp Port Authority, regarding its strategic partnership with Essar Ports Ltd. (EPL), which is India’s second largest private sector ports operator, and regarding PAI's investment into EPL.