Sébastien Gaudu Linkedin

Sébastien focuses on the development of mining projects.

He advises Governments, state-owned companies and private investors in all aspects of their mining projects, from the negotiation of concession agreements between sponsors and host governments to all kind of transactional, commercial and regulatory activities surrounding mining operations. In particular, Sébastien has more than 10 years’ experience on:

• the negotiation of mining and associated infrastructure concession agreements (roads, railways, ports, airports, processing plants and power generation units) as well as shared-infrastructure partnerships;
• the structuring, negotiation and development of joint-ventures, strategic alliances, divestments or acquisitions of mining assets, and other related transactional activities;
• the negotiation of commercial contracts associated with mining operations (off-take and other marketing arrangements, transportation and other various subcontracts); and
• the development and implementation of resettlement plans and environmental programs.

Sébastien has considerable experience in projects involving battery minerals, gold, copper or iron ore, as well the aluminium value chain, especially in Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Selected Experience:

• Advising the Republic of Senegal on the revision of its 2016 mining code and on the design and implementation of a five-year strategic development plan for the national mining company Somisen in the mining sector.
• Advising the State of Gabon on a landmark mining project, the “Belinga” iron ore project, including in negotiating and executing a significant mining convention between the State of Gabon and a joint-venture company comprised of Fortescue Metals Group and the African Transformation and Industrialisation Fund.
• Advising the government of the Republic of Burundi on training its administration, helping to define its mining strategy, drafting legislative and regulatory texts, and negotiating mining agreements.
• Advising the Government of Guinea in connection with the development of the Simandou-South iron ore project, developed by Rio Tinto and Aluminium Corporation of China (Chinalco).
• Advising the Government of Guinea in connection with the transfer by BHP Billiton, Orano Mining and Newmont of their interests in the Nimba iron ore project to High Power Exploration (HPX), and the negotiations related thereto.