Tan Lu is a partner in Willkie’s Corporate & Financial Services Department, where he focuses on M&A and energy transactions. He is based in Willkie’s Houston office.
Tan advises private equity firms, public companies and financial institutions on complex transactions involving a range of energy and infrastructure assets. His practice focuses on upstream and midstream acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, private equity investments, and drilling and oilfield services. In addition, he drafts and negotiates agreements for stock and asset purchases and sales, farmouts, joint ventures, oilfield services, onshore and offshore drilling, and management-related matters.
Tan has advised on acquisitions across the major natural resource basins of the United States, as well as cross-border deals, having acted for clients in China, Japan, U.K. and Thailand, and on acquisitions in Canada, Brazil, Nigeria, Gabon, Congo, Papua New Guinea, U.A.E. and Bahrain. He is fluent in Mandarin.
Tan advises private equity firms, public companies and financial institutions on complex transactions involving a range of energy and infrastructure assets. His practice focuses on upstream and midstream acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, private equity investments, and drilling and oilfield services. In addition, he drafts and negotiates agreements for stock and asset purchases and sales, farmouts, joint ventures, oilfield services, onshore and offshore drilling, and management-related matters.
Tan has advised on acquisitions across the major natural resource basins of the United States, as well as cross-border deals, having acted for clients in China, Japan, U.K. and Thailand, and on acquisitions in Canada, Brazil, Nigeria, Gabon, Congo, Papua New Guinea, U.A.E. and Bahrain. He is fluent in Mandarin.
Experience
- Mitsui & Co., Ltd. in the divestiture of its Kaikias assets in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico to Shell Offshore Inc.
- Pan Energy Infrastructure Fund in its investment in Trinity Gas Storage, LLC
- OneRock Energy Holdings, LLC in the acquisition of Northwoods Management Company and certain related entities
- Antero Resources Corporation in a $402 million structured overriding royalty interest transaction with an affiliate of Sixth Street
- Ward Energy Partners, LLC in its sale of assets located in Adams and Weld Counties in Colorado to an undisclosed buyer
- QEP Resources, Inc. in its $740 million sale of its natural gas properties in southwest Wyoming to Pinedale Energy Partners
- Flywheel Bakken (formerly Valorem Energy) in the $285 million acquisition of LINN Energy, Inc.’s Williston Basin interests
- Devon Energy in the $2 billion sale of certain non-core upstream assets to multiple buyers in east Texas, the Anadarko Basin, the northern and central Midland Basin, and northern Oklahoma
- QEP Resources, Inc., in two agreements to sell oil and gas assets in the Cana-Woodford and Granite Wash plays in the Western Anadarko Basin in Texas and Oklahoma for a combined price of approximately $772 million
Upstream Oil & Gas
- Wishbone Energy Partners in the $300 million sale (via $270 million cash and $30 million common stock) of its North Central Basin Platform assets located primarily in Texas and New Mexico to Ring Energy
- Double Eagle Energy Holdings III in the formation of DoublePoint Energy with FourPoint Permian and DoublePoint’s subsequent acquisition of assets from undisclosed sellers
- TH Exploration III, LLC as the section 363 stalking horse bidder for the Appalachia Assets marketed for sale in the chapter 11 case of Stone Energy filed in Houston, Texas
- Quantum Energy Partners in its $1 billion equity commitment to LINN Energy to fund future oil and natural gas acquisitions and development on those acquired assets
- Parsley Energy, Inc. in its $252 million acquisition of oil and gas interests in Reagan County, Texas, from Cimarex Energy Co.
- SandRidge Energy in $1.12 billion sale of its Gulf of Mexico offshore and Gulf Coast assets to Fieldwood Energy, LLC
Midstream Oil & Gas
- Trinity CO2 in Sixth Street’s structured investment in Trinity Midstream in partnership with Trinity CO2
- Meritage Midstream Services II, LLC in an acquisition of a 500-mile natural gas gathering, treating, and processing system in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming from Devon Energy Corporation and PVR Partners, L.P.
Offshore & Oilfield Services
- Erin Energy in connection with the execution of a drilling services contract with Pacific Drilling for use of the Pacific Bora drilling rig
- An international E&P company in the negotiation of a long-term drilling contract for a drillship in offshore Nigeria
- An international energy company in the negotiation of a long-term $650 million offshore drilling contract for a purpose-built, ultra-deepwater semi-submersible rig
- SCF Partners in the acquisition of a majority stake in CDF Perforating, a downhole services provider to the oil and gas industry
* Tan advised on some of these matters prior to joining Willkie.
Credentials
Education
Duke University School of Law, J.D. (cum laude), 2011 Vanderbilt University, PhD, 2008 Nanjing University, B.S., 2002