Carlos Ochoa
Partner
Overview
Carlos A. Ochoa Valenzuela is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Mexico City office. He focuses his practice on energy, infrastructure, real estate, corporate services, project finance, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), arbitration and litigation. Mr. Ochoa has more than 18 years of experience working in the energy and infrastructure sector. He has extensive experience in the areas of electricity, oil and gas.
Mr. Ochoa's practice includes a focus on local and cross-border energy, infrastructure and real estate transactions. In addition, he participated in the implementation of the 2013 Mexican Energy Reforms.
Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Ochoa served as the legal chief for international investment and legal affairs at the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) from 2011 to 2013. Mr. Ochoa also worked as the director of the Hydrocarbons Regulatory Department at the Ministry of Energy from 2010 to 2011. He served as the legal chief for commercial and real estate affairs at Luz y Fuerza del Centro (LyFC) from 2007 to 2009, and was the senior attorney appointed to the Legal Processes Area of the General Attorney's Office of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) from 2002 to 2007.
Representative Experience
- Represented a wide range of international entities at public bid contests and agreements related to infrastructure, electricity, oil and gas
- Executed independent power producer (IPP) (conventional and renewable energy) new generation projects and agreements
- Represented oil, gas and electricity entities in a wide range of disputes and negotiations regarding infrastructure, public contracts and energy matters
- Participated in the negotiation for the implementation of Manzanillo LNG port project
- Advised a state-owned entity for the signing of a credit facility agreement in the amount of US$ 391 million
- Advised on public bid processes regarding four natural gas pipelines in the northern part of Mexico
- Participated in the negotiation of new terms and conditions for a long-term services agreement (20 years) regarding natural gas supply for Northwestern Mexican territory
- Participated in the review and authorization of contracts for the acquisition of assets necessary for the development of an electric infrastructure in Central Mexico
- Counseling Advance Clean Energy in all legal matters involving the development, financing and sale of a 80-megawatt (MW) solar power project in the Mexican state of Sonora
- Representing Elite Energy in the financing and development of a 360-MW combined-cycle power plant in Mexico
- Advising a company in the financing and development of Mexico's second utility-scale solar park with private offtakers
- Counseling in the financing and legal matters related to a 1-gigawatt (GW) wind farm to be developed in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas
- Represented Buenavista Renewables, a Texas-based renewable energy developer, in a cross-border $30 million refinancing of a solar park project located in Chihuahua, Mexico
- Advised Oak Creek Energy Systems, Inc., a California-based wind projects developer, in the development, project finance and sale of the first two construction-ready stages of its Tres Mesas Wind Project to funds managed by Goldman Sachs and Corporativo GBM
- Represented a bilateral agency and a Mexican bank in the US $100 million project financing of a wind project in northern Mexico
- Represented a bilateral agency in a biomass project financing
- Represented an industrial conglomerate in the sale of its polymer business in Mexico and Latin America for an amount of US$ 450 million
- Represented diverse Mexican and foreign companies in general corporate matters
Credentials
- Universidad Panamericana, LL.M., Business Law
- Universidad Anáhuac, LL.M., Public Law
- Universidad Anáhuac, J.D.
- Mexico
- Mexican Academy for Energy Law
- International Bar Association
- The Best Lawyers in Mexico, Administrative Law, Energy Law, Project Finance and Development Practice, 2021-2025
- LACCA Approved, Energy, Latin Lawyer, 2025
- Stand-out Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, 2024
- Leaders League, Mexico: Projects & Infrastructure, 2023, 2024
- IFLR1000, The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms, Notable Practitioner, Project Development, Project Finance, 2019, 2023, 2024
- Latin American Corporate Counsel Association (LACCA) Approved Attorney, Energy, Mexico, 2017-2020, 2024
- The Legal 500 Latin America, Next Generation Partner, Energy and Natural Resources, 2020
- Holland & Knight Pro Bono All-Star, 2020
- Chambers & Partners Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year, Latin America, 2019
- Los 300: Líderes Más Influyentes de México, Líderes Mexicanos, 2018
- The Legal 500 Latin America, Energy and Natural Resources, Mexico, 2015-2019; Projects and Infrastructure, 2018, 2019
- Holland & Knight Public and Charitable Service All-Star, 2014
- English
- Spanish
