Pinsent Masons advises Fortescue Metals Group on £164m acquisition of Williams Advanced Engineering Ltd
26 Jan 2022 | 10:39 am | 1 min. read
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has advised Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (Fortescue, ASX: FMG) on the £164m acquisition of Williams Advanced Engineering Limited (WAE) from private equity firm EMK Capital and Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has advised Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (Fortescue, ASX: FMG) on the £164m acquisition of Williams Advanced Engineering Limited (WAE) from private equity firm EMK Capital and Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited.
The acquisition of WAE will provide critical technology and expertise in high performance battery systems and electrification, enabling Fortescue to accelerate and support the decarbonisation of its mining operations. They have worked closely with WAE since early 2021, designing and building a prototype battery system to power an electric mining haul truck – an important first step in the decarbonisation of their mining haul fleet.
The Pinsent Masons team acting on the transaction was led by Andrew Hornigold and Lisa Early and comprised a multidisciplinary team, including advice on complex intellectual property issues from Gina Bicknell and George Campbell. The team worked closely with Fortescue’s in-house legal team to undertake detailed due diligence and lead on the acquisition negotiations.
It is one of the first the first transactions to be conditional on clearance under the new National Security and Investment Act 2021.
Commenting on the deal Andrew Hornigold said:
“This transaction, Fortescue’s first acquisition in the UK, showcases our ability to bring together cross border, multidisciplinary teams working with critical technologies in the highly topical field of electric vehicle battery research and development. It is very rewarding to be supporting our clients around the world in their drive for decarbonisation and to be working with some of the leading engineers in this important field. Given the cutting-edge nature of the WAE business, the transaction required cross sectoral collaboration between the specialists in our technology and energy teams. We look forward to seeing where this acquisition takes Fortescue in the future.”
The transaction is expected to conclude by the end of March 2022, subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions precedent including United Kingdom foreign investment approval.
Key Contacts
Latest press releases
Show me all press releasesPinsent Masons advised La Banque Postale and Bpifrance
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons in Paris advised La Banque Postale and Bpifrance in connection with the financing of the repowering of two wind farms (Marsanne and Grand Bois) owned by funds managed by Octopus Energy Generation, for an amount exceeding €83 million.
Pinsent Masons advises INDY Cinema on its acquisition by VERSANT
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has advised international cinema technology business INDY Cinema (INDY) on its acquisition by New York-based VERSANT, an industry-changing media and entertainment company.
Pinsent Masons and Central Saint Martins unveil new exhibition celebrating emerging artists
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons, in collaboration with the world-renowned art and design college Central Saint Martins (CSM), University of the Arts London has announced the winner of its inaugural Prize celebrating emerging creative talent at an exhibition at its London headquarters, Crown Place.
People who viewed this press release also viewed
Show me all press releasesPinsent Masons advises INDY Cinema on its acquisition by VERSANT
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has advised international cinema technology business INDY Cinema (INDY) on its acquisition by New York-based VERSANT, an industry-changing media and entertainment company.
Pinsent Masons advises on acquisition of Alba Renewables
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has advised Southeast Asia-based clean energy developer Alba Renewables on its acquisition by a leading global investment firm.
Pinsent Masons advises Great British Energy, National Wealth Fund and Scottish National Investment Bank on Pentland Investment
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has advised Great British Energy (“GBE”), the National Wealth Fund (“NWF”) and the Scottish National Investment Bank (“SNIB”) on their acquisition of a stake in Pentland Offshore Wind Farm from Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (“CIP”) and agreed to provide an aggregate investment of up to £150,000,000 in the project.
For all media enquiries, including arranging an interview with one of our spokespeople, please contact the press office on
Location contacts
Europe: [email protected]
Asia: [email protected]
Middle East: [email protected]
Australia: [email protected]