Philip K. Lau

Philip Lau is a partner in the Real Estate, Energy, Land Use & Environmental Practice Group in the firm's Houston office.

Areas of Practice

Phil's practice centers on energy-related commercial transactions and construction, primarily in the midstream and downstream segments. He represents US and foreign energy companies in drafting and negotiating crude oil and natural gas gathering agreements; natural gas processing, fractionation and transportation services agreements; natural gas liquids purchase, sale and export agreements; source water supply agreements; produced water disposal agreements, and storage and terminalling agreements for various bulk hydrocarbon products.

Phil also works on engineering, procurement and construction (“EPC”) contracts for natural gas pipelines and processing plants, chemical production facilities and storage terminals. Finally, he represents both buyers and sellers in the acquisition and divestiture of crude oil, natural gas and produced water midstream assets and has worked on the development of greenfield and brownfield energy projects, including pipelines and export terminals.

Experience

• Represented a US biofuels company in drafting and negotiating biodiesel production, storage and terminalling agreements for facilities located at the Houston ship channel.
• Represented a publicly traded US energy company in drafting and negotiating multiple operations and maintenance agreements for natural gas liquids pipelines in Texas.
• Represented a privately held international energy trading and marketing company in drafting and negotiating EPC contracts for an injection station and pipeline in the Mont Belvieu area.
• Represented a privately held US midstream energy company in drafting and negotiating EPC agreements for multiple natural gas pipelines in the Eagle Ford Shale.
• Represented a US bioproducts company in drafting and negotiating a biofuels supply agreement for the production of biocarbons to be used in steel production.
• Prepared forms of construction services agreements for an international oil and natural gas exploration company.
• Represented a US private equity backed midstream company in drafting and negotiating commercial agreements for natural gas pipeline and processing facilities in the Permian Basin.
• Represented an international energy trading and marketing company in the acquisition of a West Texas natural gas liquids pipeline.
• Represented an international energy trading and marketing company in the acquisition of a Louisiana natural gas liquids pipeline.
• Represented a privately held commodities trading and infrastructure asset investment firm in negotiating processing agreements for condensate splitters located in the Texas Gulf Coast.
• Represented a U.S. private equity backed midstream company in drafting and negotiating multiple water services contracts for source water supply and produced water disposal assets in the Permian Basin.
• Represented a private equity backed midstream energy company in drafting and negotiating multiple produced water gathering and disposal agreements in the SCOOP/STACK play in Oklahoma.
• Represented a multinational energy company in negotiating construction and procurement documentation for the expansion of a crude oil refinery located in Port Arthur, Texas.
• Represented a US bulk liquids storage and distribution company in negotiating multiple hydrocarbon terminalling services agreements for crude oil and related hydrocarbon products in North America.
• Represented a global life sciences company in the construction of a fertilizer manufacturing facility in Luling, Louisiana.
• Represented the US affiliate of a PRC based petrochemicals conglomerate, in negotiating agreements for the transportation and export of ethane from Nederland, Texas.
• Represented an international chemicals company in connection with the construction and financing of a reservoir in Brazoria County, Texas.
• Represented a publicly traded US energy company in connection with multiple carbon capture projects in Texas and Louisiana.
• Represented an international energy company in drafting and negotiating a terminal services agreement for a crude oil terminal in Mississippi.
• Represented an international exploration and production company in drafting and negotiating an operations and maintenance agreement for a crude oil transportation pipeline in Angola.
• Represented a US manufacturer of high-strength, spherical ceramic proppants used primarily in hydraulic fracturing in drafting and negotiating an EPC agreement for a proppant production facility in Georgia.
• Represented a publicly traded US energy company in drafting and negotiating multiple natural gas liquids terminalling, transportation, storage and export agreements.
• Represented a privately held US midstream company in its bid to acquire gas gathering assets in the Marcellus Shale.
• Prepared form construction services agreements for the construction group of a major US energy services company construction group.
• Represented a publicly traded US energy company in the acquisition of fuel oil storage facilities in Channelview, Texas.
• Represented a publicly traded US energy company in drafting and negotiating a gas processing agreement for facilities in the Piceance Basin, Colorado.
• Represented a privately held midstream energy company primarily focused on the gathering, processing, treating, disposal, and transportation of produced water in drafting and negotiating multiple produced water gathering and disposal agreements in the SCOOP/STACK play in Oklahoma.
• Represented a Japanese turbine manufacturer in the sale of gas turbines to several US-based power generation facilities, and negotiated related long-term services agreements.
• Represented a multilateral development bank in drafting and negotiating various financing and security documents in connection with the limited-recourse financing of a 56 MW combined cycle power plant in Senegal.
• Represented a Texas-based energy company in drafting and negotiating an EPC contract for a PDH facility in Mont Belvieu, Texas.
• Represented an affiliate of an international commodity trading and logistics company in connection with the acquisition of a coal terminal in Louisiana.
• Represented a publicly traded US energy company in drafting and negotiating gathering and transportation agreements for crude oil production in the Bakken Shale.
• Represented a publicly traded energy company in drafting and negotiating natural gas gathering agreements in the Marcellus and Utica shales.
• Represented a US affiliate of a Venezuelan energy company in drafting and negotiating an LPG feed gas purchase and sale agreement and related processing agreements.
• Represented a US publicly traded energy company in drafting and negotiating natural gas gathering and fractionation agreements for Eagle Ford shale production.
• Represented a publicly traded US energy services company in drafting and negotiating a terminal services agreement for a proposed methanol terminal in Louisiana.
• Represented a privately held US construction company in connection with the design and construction of electrical interconnects for power stations in Texas and Mississippi.

Articles

• "Illinois Paves Way for Carbon Capture and Sequestration with SAFE CCS Act," August 1, 2024
• "An Update on Carbon Capture Legislation Following Louisiana’s 2024 Regular Legislative Session," June 21, 2024
• "State of Louisiana Granted Primacy Over Class VI Wells," February 29, 2024
• "Texas Produced Water Ruling Helps Clarify Oil, Gas Leases," September 6, 2023
• "Court of Appeals Holds that Mineral Lessee Owns Produced Water in O&G Operations," August 16, 2023
• "Pratt's Energy Law Report," October 2022
• "CCUS: Texas Takes Steps Toward Class VI Primacy," September 13, 2022
• "Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage: US Federal Guidance for Carbon Storage on Public Lands," June 30, 2022
• "Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage: Class VI Wells and US State Primacy," June 9, 2022
• "Carbon Capture Sequestration Utilization and Storage Projects and US Federal Environmental Laws," April 22, 2022
• "US – Storing CO2 And Lowering Emissions (SCALE) Act," March 18, 2021
• "Energy Evolution," March 16, 2021
• "Energy Evolution," March 12, 2021
• "Biden Administration Takes Action on Oil & Gas Permits but Policy Still Evolving," January 29, 2021
• "Biden Executive Order on Energy Regulation," January 24, 2021
• "Biden Executive Order on Energy Regulation," January 22, 2021
• "Do Performance Assurance Provisions in Midstream Contracts Provide Real Assurance?," May 5, 2020

Media Mentions

Speaking Engagements

• "Chemical Industry Forum 2022," October 20, 2022
• "Carbon Capture Use and Sequestration - An Expanding Market," June 2, 2021
• "Carbon Capture," May 25, 2021
• "Permian Basin Landmen’s Association Spring Education Seminar," April 7, 2021
• "Carbon Capture Use and Sequestration: An Expanding Market," April 6, 2021

Memberships

Past Member, Board of Directors, Asian American Bar Association, Houston

Past Member, Board of Directors, Western Academy

Member, Advisory Board, Business Ethics Forum