Omar Samji is a partner in the firm’s Houston office and leads the firm’s global Energy Innovation team. Omar represents energy companies and investors in mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, project development, equity and debt financings, and commercial arrangements in hydrogen, carbon capture & sequestration, energy storage, and industrial decarbonization. He also counsels clients on corporate governance matters. He is a frequent speaker on the topic of low carbon energy and energy transition. Clients describe Omar as a “very measured” lawyer who delivers “fantastic results” (Chambers USA).

M&A and Project Development

• Integrated Energy Company’s development of a hydrogen and ammonia production and export facility in California
• Ethanol plant owner’s development of on-site carbon capture and sequestration facilities in the Midwest
• Microgrid operator’s development of a renewable energy powered microgrid to serve a municipality in California
• Midstream company’s development of facilities to store carbon dioxide captured from its natural gas treaters in Texas
• SJ Industries’ acquisition through its renewables business of two fuel cell energy projects in New York
• NextEra Energy’s decarbonization venture’s acquisition and financing of multiple data centers
• ESM Acquisition Company’s US$300 million public stock offering to seek to acquire a low carbon energy business
• The Energy and Minerals Group (EMG) and Vision Blue Resources in their investment in Serra Verde, a Denham Capital portfolio company, that is developing an integrated rare earth element mining and processing operation in Brazil
• Phoenix Park Energy Marketing’s acquisition of Twin Eagle’s energy trading business
• StratosFuels, Inc.’s financing and development of a hydrogen mobility fueling project
• Private equity backed company in the development of a series of carbon capture facilities for commonly owned ethanol facilities
• Publicly traded integrated midstream operator in current negotiations to provide carbon capture and sequestration for upstream natural gas producers.
• Rangeland Energy in connection with four consecutive equity commitments from EnCap Flatrock Midstream
• DT Midstream (formerly DTE Pipeline Company) in connection with
  • Its acquisition of private equity backed M5’s Louisiana assets for US$2.65 billion
  • Its acquisition of private equity backed M3’s Appalachia assets for US$1.3 billion
  • Its acquisition of a 30% equity stake in Stonewall Gas Gathering for US$275 million
• Rangeland Energy in connection with
  • Its sale of Rangeland Energy I to Inergy
  • Its sale of Rangeland Energy II to Andeavor
• Titan Energy’s sale of substantially all its assets through a series of transactions
• WhiteHawk Income Corporation in its purchase of up to a 25% undivided interest in assets of Three Rivers Royalty

Joint Ventures

• Humble Midstream’s (a portfolio company of EnCap Flatrock Midstream) joint venture with Enbridge to develop a low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia production and export facility
• SJ Industries’ joint venture with Captona to acquire and operate renewable energy projects
• American Energy Partners’, in connection with
  • Its US$4 billion joint venture with Energy Transfer Partners
  • Its US$500 million joint venture with Regency Energy Partners
• The Energy & Minerals Group’s (EMG) US$600 joint venture with Tailwater Capital
• Frontier Midstream IV’s (a portfolio company of Energy Spectrum Capital) joint venture with Concho Resources
• OGE Energy’s joint venture with CenterPoint and ArcLight to create an US$11 billion master limited partnership
• Rangeland Energy’s joint venture with Delek Logistics Partners
• Targa Resources Partners’ two joint ventures with Sanchez Energy

Professional Affiliations

• Member, Institute for Energy Law advisory board
• Past Member, Texas Journal of Oil, Gas & Energy Law advisory board
• Past member, Law360's Energy editorial advisory board

Awards & Accolades

• IFLR1000, recognized as a “Notable Practitioner” (2022)
• Chambers USA, recognized as a leading lawyer in Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional) – Nationwide (2022)
• Chambers USA, recognized as an “Up and Coming” lawyer in Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional) – Nationwide (2021)
• Texas Lawyer, named a “Most Effective Dealmaker” (2020)
• Legal 500 US, recommended in energy transactions (2015)
• Law360 “Rising Star” (2013)

Speaking Engagements

• Maximizing Opportunities in Clean Hydrogen and Carbon Capture Under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, Shearman & Sterling Webinar (November 17, 2022)
• Delivering the North American Hydrogen Economy, Reuters Energy Transition North America Conference (November 9-10, 2022)
• Upstream A&D & Consolidation Strategies: Picking Out the Good From the Bad, Energy Council’s Northam Energy Capital Assembly (November 2-3, 2022)
• U.S. Energy Production: Where are the Best Investment Opportunities?, Hart Energy’s Energy Capital Conference (October 25, 2022)
• Town Hall: Accelerated Uptake, Energy Transition Capital Conference (May 10, 2022)
• Representations and Warranties Clauses in Commercial Contracts: Avoiding Drafting and Negotiation Pitfalls, Strafford (March 22, 2022)
• Thriving in a Low Carbon Era: Oil & Gas Companies of the Future, Northam Energy Capital Assembly (October 14, 2021)
• Survival of The Fittest: New Ways to Capitalize on New Opportunities, NAPE Summit Global Business Conference (August 18, 2021)
• ESG Opportunities in Midstream and Infrastructure, Energy Infrastructure Council (February 24, 2021)
• Energy Restructurings and the Impact on Midstream Companies, Energy Infrastructure Council (September 15, 2020)
• Buying Assets Out of Bankruptcy, IPAA Industry Insights (July 29, 2020)
• Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law Symposium (February 21, 2020)

Publications

• Contracts, Financing Are Key To 2023 Clean Hydrogen Growth, Law360 (January 26, 2023)
• Facilitating Clean Hydrogen in the U.S.: The Draft Clean Hydrogen Production Standard, Shearman & Sterling Publication (October 26, 2022)
• LatAm H2: The Growing Importance3 of Hydrogen in Latin America, Shearman & Sterling Publication (September 21, 2022)
• Inflation Reduction Act A Boon To Hydrogen, Carbon Capture, Law360 (September 7, 2022)
• A Look At 2 Frameworks For Decarbonizing Heavy Industry, Law360 (August 10,2022)
• Developing and Energy Transition-Conscious Legal Roadmap for the Chemical Roadmap for the Chemical Industry, Shearman & Sterling Publication (May 9, 2022)
• Gulf Coast Offshore Wind Opportunities and Challenges, Law360 (September 3, 2021)
• Key Considerations for Midstream Contracts in Today’s Distressed Environment, State Bar of Texas Newsletter – Currents (Summer 2020)