Biography

Omar Samji is a partner in Weil’s Private Equity practice and is based in Houston. Omar advises energy companies and investors in mergers & acquisitions, equity and debt financings, joint ventures, project development, and commercial arrangements in hydrogen, carbon capture & sequestration, energy storage, renewable fuels, and other energy transition areas. He also counsels clients on corporate governance matters. He is a frequent speaker on the topic of energy transition and energy infrastructure. Omar is recognized as a leading lawyer for Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional) in the U.S. by Chambers USA where clients describe him as a “very measured” lawyer who delivers “fantastic results.”
Experience*
Energy Transition
- StratosFuel in its financing and development of a hydrogen mobility fueling project
- Humble Midstream (a portfolio company of EnCap Flatrock Midstream) in its joint venture with Enbridge to develop a low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia production and export facility
- 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
- NextEra Energy’s decarbonization venture in its acquisition and financing of multiple data centers
- Integrated Energy Company in its development of a hydrogen and ammonia production and export facility
- Private equity portfolio company in its development of a series of carbon capture facilities for commonly owned ethanol facilities
- Ethanol plant owner in its development of on-site carbon capture facilities and entry into a sequestration agreement
- Microgrid operator in its development of a renewable energy powered microgrid for a municipality
- Midstream company in its development of facilities to store carbon dioxide captured from amine treaters
- Publicly traded midstream operator in negotiations to provide carbon capture and sequestration services to natural gas producers
- ESM Acquisition Company in its $300 million public stock offering to seek to acquire a low carbon energy business
- SJ Industries in its joint venture with Captona to acquire and operate two fuel cell energy projects
Conventional Energy
- Titan Energy in its sale of substantially all its assets through a series of transactions post-chapter 11 restructuring
- DT Midstream (formerly DTE Pipeline Company) in multiple matters, including,
- its acquisition of an additional 26.25% equity interest in Millennium Pipeline Company and related financing
- its acquisition of private equity backed M5’s Louisiana assets for $2.65 billion
- its acquisition of private equity backed M3’s Appalachia assets for $1.3 billion
- its acquisition of a 30% equity stake in Stonewall Gas Gathering for $275 million
- Rangeland Energy in multiple matters, including,
- its sale of Rangeland Midstream Canada Ltd. to Kingston Midstream Alberta Limited
- its four equity commitments from EnCap Flatrock Midstream totaling $900 million
- its sale of Rangeland Energy I to Inergy
- its joint venture with Delek Logistics Partners
- its sale of Rangeland Energy II to Andeavor
- its sale of Rangeland Energy III’s STEPS facility
- WhiteHawk Energy in multiple transactions to acquire mineral interests in the Marcellus and Haynesville shale plays
- Frontier Midstream IV (a portfolio company of Energy Spectrum Capital) in multiple matters, including,
- its joint venture with Concho Resources and development of the BCC system
- its sale of its 50% operating interest in Beta Holding Company to ConocoPhillips
- Phoenix Park Energy Marketing in its acquisition of Twin Eagle’s energy trading business
- American Energy Partners in multiple matters, including,
- its $4 billion joint venture with Energy Transfer Partners
- its $500 million joint venture with Regency Energy Partners
- The Energy & Minerals Group (EMG) in its $600 million joint venture with Tailwater Capital
- OGE Energy in its joint venture with CenterPoint and ArcLight to create an $11 billion master limited partnership
- Targa Resources Partners in two joint ventures with Sanchez Energy
Omar received his J.D. from Columbia University, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and his B.Com. from McGill University.
Omar is active in the Houston community. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Performing Arts Houston, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Fay School, a member of the Aga Khan Conciliation and Arbitration Board, and President-Elect of the Texas Association of Mediators. He is also a past member of the Texas Journal of Oil, Gas and Energy Law’s Advisory Board and the Law360 Energy Editorial Board.
*Includes matters handled prior to joining Weil.
Firm News & Announcements, Speaking Engagements, Latest Thinking, Awards and Recognition
Firm News & Announcements
- Weil Advised WhiteHawk Energy in $54M Acquisition of Core Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Mineral and Royalty Assets Deal Brief — November 16, 2023
- Weil Advises Rangeland Midstream Canada in Sale of Clearwater Assets to Kingston Midstream Deal Brief — September 05, 2023
Speaking Engagements
-
The Conference Board’s Annual Sustainability Conference
Speaker(s):
Omar Samji and
Humzah Qamar Yazdani
July 14, 2023 — Weil Private Equity partner Omar Samji and Associate Humzah Yazdani spoke on a panel titled “Demystifying the Inflation Reduction Act: Incentives and Tax Credits for Decarbonization” as part of The Conference Board’s Annual Sustainability Conference.
-
Institute for Energy Law’s 2nd Conference on Renewable Project Development
Speaker(s):
Omar Samji
April 27, 2023 — Weil Private Equity partner Omar Samji spoke on a panel titled “Emerging Legal and Commercial Issues across Lower Carbon Hydrogen Value Chains” as part of the Institute for Energy Law’s 2nd Conference on Renewable Project Development.
Latest Thinking
-
DOE Selects Seven H2Hubs Across the U.S. – What’s Next?
Blog Post — Global Private Equity Watch
— By
Omar Samji,
Irina Tsveklova and
John O'Loughlin
— October 20, 2023
On October 13, 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) selected seven regional clean hydrogen hubs (“H2Hubs”) for award negotiations to receive up to $7 billion in federal funding in accordance with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law”. The goal of H2Hubs is to accelerate the development of […]
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... - Mapping the Regulatory Landscape for CCUS in Texas Publication — The Texas Lawbook — By Chris Bennett, Omar Samji and Sarah George — PDF — October 11, 2023
-
Navigating the Void of Pore Space Regulation
Blog Post — Global Private Equity Watch
— By
Chris Bennett,
Omar Samji and
Sarah George
— October 10, 2023
Energy Private Equity partners Chris Bennett and Omar Samji and associate Sarah George recently hosted a webcast for The Texas Lawbook titled “Navigating the Void of Pore Space Regulation,” in which they discuss the opportunities and challenges in the evolving CCUS space and the impact of regulatory uncertainty on these projects. Key takeaways include: Watch […]
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... - Empty Space—Navigating the Void of CO2 Sequestration Regulation in Texas Publication — POWER — By Omar Samji and Sarah George — August 01, 2023
-
Navigating the Landscape for Investments in Hydrogen Storage
Blog Post — Global Private Equity Watch
— By
Omar Samji
— July 05, 2023
Energy partner Omar Samji and associate Sarah George co-authored the article “Using Agreements To Cover Gaps In Hydrogen Storage Regs” for Law360. The piece argues that the Inflation Reduction Act's incentives for energy storage have spurred investment in hydrogen storage and production, but given the lack of comprehensive regulations surrounding the sector, developers should carefully craft project and financing agreements to mitigate uncertainties. ...
Awards and Recognition
- Omar Samji Named a “Leading” Lawyer for Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional) in the U.S. Award Brief — Chambers USA
- Omar Samji Recognized as a “Notable Practitioner” in the U.S. Award Brief — IFLR1000