Biography: Project Finance

Sébastien Vilder is a partner in the financial services group of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. He specialises in bank and project financing and has been involved in numerous bank and project financings in Canada, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Mr Vilder also has extensive expertise in national and international energy and infrastructure projects.

Mr Vilder acts for government agencies, financial institutions, pension funds, development banks, sponsors and public and private companies. He has advised clients on a wide range of issues, including recently: the sponsor for the financing of a 90MW project of wind farms in Canada; the lenders for a PPP highway project in Canada; a lender for the financing of a LNG project in India; the sponsor for a €250 million financing of wind farms in France; the lender for the financing of telecommunication networks in Chad and Laos; the lender for the financing of a biomass power plant in Thailand; the lender in connection with the financing of a gold mine in Niger; and the sponsor for the financing of a gold mine in Mexico. He has also advised an investor on the acquisition of the largest software firm in Egypt and a member of a consortium with respect to its investment in an electricity transmission company in Chile.

Mr Vilder has a BA (honours in economics) and law degrees (BCL/LLB) from McGill University.

He is a member of many organisations, including the Quebec Bar, the Canadian Bar Association, the New York State Bar, the International Bar Association and the Institute for Public-Private Partnerships.