
Charlie Ofner
Partner
Areas of Focus
- Energy & Infrastructure
- Bioenergy
- Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage
- Commodities, Trading & Derivatives
- Conventional Power
- Corporate & Finance
- Energy Transition
- Financial Restructuring
- Joint Ventures & Strategic Alliances
- Liquefied Natural Gas
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Midstream Oil & Gas
- Oil & Gas
- Private Equity Transactions
- Project Development
- Projects & Energy Transition
- Refining, Petrochemicals & Processing
- Renewable Energy
- Upstream Oil & Gas
- Advises on a broad array of high-stakes energy & infrastructure transactions.
- Particular focus on the negotiation and administration of asset and equity purchase and sale agreements, joint venture arrangements and other energy-related agreements.
- Represents clients across the energy and infrastructure industry, including the upstream, midstream, downstream, trading and power sectors.
Charlie’s practice encompasses a broad range of energy & infrastructure transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, project development and corporate finance matters. He has extensive experience in the negotiation of asset and equity purchase and sale agreements, joint venture and related corporate agreements, joint development agreements, farmout agreements, joint operating agreements, marketing agreements, gathering and transportation agreements, terminal agreements and other energy-related matters.
Charlie regularly advises companies across the energy sector (including majors, independents, private equity (PE) funds and PE-backed portfolio companies in the upstream, midstream, downstream, infrastructure, power and related sectors) in acquisitions and divestitures of assets and equity interests, strategic joint ventures and investments, energy trading transactions, negotiation and implementation of commercial contracts, and corporate governance.
Prior to joining the firm, Charlie was a partner at a Houston-based law firm, and also previously served as senior counsel at Oasis Petroleum Inc., a publicly traded E&P company, where he was integral in the legal functions of multiple company divisions, including operations, land, midstream, marketing, finance and accounting. Prior to Oasis, Charlie was an associate in the Houston office of another leading energy law firm.
Energy Transition & Infrastructure
- Representation of Nexans, a leader in the global energy transition, on its $280 million sale of AmerCable Incorporated, a major manufacturer of electrical power, control and instrumentation cables for harsh environments, to a subsidiary of Mattr Corp., a materials technology company.
- Representation of TotalEnergies on its agreement to acquire 100% of Talos Low Carbon Solutions, an American company focused on carbon capture and storage.
- Representation of Ara Partners Group LLC, a leading private equity firm specializing in industrial decarbonization investments, on its majority interest investment of Lincoln Terminal Holdings LP, a prominent renewable fuel logistics and infrastructure provider in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.
- Representation of Origin International Inc., an international hydrocarbon oil recycling company engaged in collection, storage, processing and sale of used motor oil and used motor oil filters, in the sale of substantially all the assets of Origin Baltimore Recycling and Origin Texas Recycling (its operating entities for used oil recycling in Maryland and Texas) to Universal Environmental Services, a leading used oil collector and processing company.
- Ongoing representation in a range of legal functions for a California-based company that develops technologies and commercial projects for the production of green (drop-in) biofuel and biochar from lignocellulosic biomass such as agricultural biomass waste and forest residue and the unrecyclable fraction of MSW consisting of soiled paper and film plastics.
- Representation of a private company in the equity financing and formation of two joint venture entities with a private developer of open access fiber optic networks and related infrastructure. Each joint venture entity will construct a city-wide fiber optic network to be utilized by both businesses and residents in the continental United States.
- Representation of Last Mile Energy Solutions LLC, a developer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and distribution assets with headquarters in Houston, Texas, in its acquisition of CenterPoint Energy Mobile Energy Solutions Inc. from CenterPoint. Renamed Mobile Energy Solutions (MES), MES is a company that provides portable LNG and compressed natural gas to utilities, municipalities, pipeline operators, commercial and industrial companies.
- Representation of Triten Energy Partners LLC, a company specializing in downstream infrastructure through acquisitions and development projects in the renewable fuels, refined projects and petrochemical industries, in securing a $150 million equity commitment from Tailwater Capital LLC, an energy-focused private equity firm based in Dallas.
- Representation of Junction Energy Capital in its $125 million investment a Pennsylvania-based company that produces sustainable base oils from its facilities in the United States and Germany.
Upstream
- Representation of a privately held oil & gas company in a series of transactions involving the purchase and sale of oil & gas assets, including mineral interests, operated working interests, non-operated working interests and royalty interests.
- Representation of Kimbell Royalty Partners in its:
- $271 million acquisition of mineral and royalty interests in the Permian Basin from Hatch Royalty LLC.
- $230 million acquisition of mineral and royalty interests in the Permian Basin from a private seller.
- Representation of a privately held oil & gas company in numerous acquisitions of conventional oil & gas assets in various basins in the U.S.
- Representation of Continental Resources Inc. in its:
- $3.25 billion acquisition of certain assets in the Permian Basin from affiliates of Pioneer Natural Resources Company.
- Acquisition of certain oil & gas in North Dakota and Montana from White Rock Oil & Gas, a Quantum-backed portfolio company.
- Representation of Silver Creek Oil & Gas, LLC, a portfolio company of Old Ironsides Energy, in its acquisition of upstream oil & gas assets in Oklahoma from Titan Energy Holdings LP, a portfolio company of KKR & Co. Inc.
- Representation of each of OIE La Salle, a portfolio company of Old Ironsides Energy, and a fund of Grey Rock Investment Partners in its sale of oil & gas assets in the Eagle Ford Shale to Silver Hill Energy Partners.
- Representation of Pillar Oil & Gas, a portfolio of Old Ironsides Energy, in its acquisition of oil & gas assets in the Eagle Ford Shale from EOG.
- Representation of JPMorgan in the chapter 11 reorganization of its $500 million reserve-based lending facility with Rosehill Resources.
- Representation of Delek Group in its acquisition of a 22.45% working interest in the Caesar Tonga field in the Gulf of Mexico from Shell for $965 million, and a long-term purchase agreement with Shell Trading (U.S.) Company for the produced oil.
- Representation of Wayfinder Resources in multiple purchases of operated and non-operated working interests, as well as the entry into gathering agreements and various other commercial contracts. Wayfinder Resources is a portfolio company of Lime Rock Partners focused on the acquisition and development of oil & gas properties in the Merge / SCOOP / STACK trend of the Eastern Anadarko Basin.
- Representation of a private oil & gas company in the acquisition of Anadarko Basin oil & gas properties from major public oil & gas company for $385 million.
- Representation of Torrent Oil in its acquisition of upstream Gulf Coast oil & gas assets from Linc Energy. The assets were acquired in a 363 transaction arising out of Linc Energy's chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.
- Representation of multiple oil & gas companies (including majors, independents and private equity-backed portfolio companies) in connection with the negotiation and drafting of various commercial contracts related to the upstream and midstream sector.
- Representation of Oasis Petroleum in its acquisition of Bakken shale oil & gas assets from private sellers for $1.45 billion.
- Representation of Oasis Petroleum in its sale of Bakken shale oil & gas assets to Lime Rock Resources for $333 million.
- Representation of Reliance Industries in its acquisition of Marcellus shale oil & gas assets in a $1.7 billion joint venture transaction.
- Representation of Korea National Oil in its acquisition of Eagle Ford shale oil & gas assets in a $1.55 billion joint venture transaction.
Midstream
- Representation of TC Energy in the spinoff of its liquid pipelines business into South Bow Corporation.
- Representation of Infraestructura Marina del Golfo (IMG), a joint venture between TC Energy and Sempra, in its $1.56 billion unsecured refinancing for its natural gas pipeline Sur de Texas-Tuxpan, Mexico's first undersea pipeline connecting the country with the U.S.
- Representation of TC Energía Mexicana, S. de R.L. de C.V. (TCEM), a wholly owned subsidiary of TC Energy Corporation, in its $2.3 billion financing from a group of international banks. The credit facility refinances existing intercompany indebtedness through which TC Energy and CFE, Mexico's state-owned electric utility and largest power generator, will develop and construct the TGNH Southeast Gateway Pipeline, a $4.5 billion offshore natural gas pipeline project that supports the Mexican government's priorities to supply vital natural gas to the central and southeast regions of Mexico.
LanguagesEnglish, Spanish
English, Spanish
EducationJ.D., University of Texas School of Law, 2007
B.A., Vanderbilt University, 2004
J.D., University of Texas School of Law, 2007
B.A., Vanderbilt University, 2004
Bar AdmissionsTexas
Texas