LEXPERT MAGAZINE
|
MAY 2018 43
| INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS |
and lucrative projects, there's the potential
for there to be undue influence."
Aldcorn is oen lead counsel for Van-
tage Airport Group Ltd., which are in-
ternational airport operators. at means
when new airports are being built they are
part of a consortium and, especially in un-
familiar parts of the world, Aldcorn says
the client has to pay very close attention to
the other partners, "which is something I
worry less about here in Canada. I've had
to go through that with my client because
there's always potential issues, or for the
optics of an issue."
Even international projects in more po-
litically stable parts of the world (Aldcorn
has worked on large airport projects in the
Bahamas, Chile, Honduras, the UK and
the US) have challenges.
While Vantage is Canadian, it can be
building an airport in the Caribbean or
South America with a Spanish sponsor, and
the way the parties negotiate, the language
issues and cultural differences, can be at
play in negotiations — even though the dif-
ferences aren't always immediate apparent.
"Understanding what they really want can
sometimes be difficult," Alcorn says. So is it
fair to say what she doesn't know is the thing
that trouble her the most? "Absolutely."
When the client or a major party that
has never done this kind of project before,
it brings its own set of challenges that can
be troubling if not handled properly e
risk of delay on a giant infrastructure mega
project can send the deal wrong in a hurry,
says Ahab Abdel-Aziz, the global director
of the nuclear power generation practice
group at Gowling WLG.
When Moscow-based Rosatam, Russia's
State Atomic Energy Corporation, was
invited to submit a proposal to construct
the largest new-build nuclear power con-
struction project in the world, the US$30
billion El Dabaa project in Egypt, it used
