Where We Excel

Vinson & Elkins works closely with oil and gas refiners, petrochemical companies, trading houses, investors, and lenders to downstream participants around the world. From environmental and regulatory concerns to a full spectrum of transactional and corporate advice, V&E lawyers have a detailed understanding of the market conditions that affect the downstream sector.

V&E projects lawyers are well regarded for their development and finance work, receiving several recent accolades on international downstream projects involving unique performance guarantee arrangements and complex financing arrangements. V&E represents sponsors, consortia and project companies, and lenders, as well as a variety of counterparties, including feedstock providers, offtakers, EPC contractors, and licensors.

V&E has in recent years worked on groundbreaking transactions. Our lawyers have significant experience in mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and investments in the refining and petrochemicals sector. We advise downstream clients in their initial public offerings (including master limited partnerships) and follow-on debt and equity offerings, in addition to providing corporate governance and securities advice to both public and private companies.

Experience

  • Sunoco LP (NYSE: SUN) in its $9.1 billion acquisition of Parkland Corporation (TSX: PKI)

  • OCI Global in its entry into a binding equity purchase agreement for the sale of 100% of its equity interests in its clean ammonia project under construction in Beaumont, Texas for purchase price consideration of $2.35 billion, on a cash-free, debt-free basis

  • Sunoco in the $1 billion sale of 204 convenience stores to 7-Eleven

  • Dyno Nobel Inc. in all aspects of the development of an $850 million anhydrous ammonia plant in Louisiana, one of the first ammonia plants to be built in the United States in twenty years

  • Freepoint Eco-Systems in project agreements for the engineering, procurement and construction of an advanced recycling facility in Ohio with the capacity to convert 240 metric tons per day of waste plastic into naphtha, distillates and fuel oil

  • Gulf Coast Ammonia as project counsel in the development and financing of a world-scale ammonia project in Texas 

  • Chevron Phillips Chemical Company in connection with a joint venture with QatarEnergy to develop an $8.5 billion integrated polymers facility in Orange, Texas

  • Sunoco LP in its $7.3 billion acquisition of NuStar Energy L.P.

  • The Sinclair Companies in the combination of Sinclair Oil’s refining, renewable diesel and logistics assets with those of HollyFrontier Corporation and Holly Energy Partners, L.P.

  • U.S. Oil & Refining Co.’s private equity sponsor in its $358 million divestiture of U.S. Oil & Refining Co. and certain affiliated entities, including a refinery, marine terminal, a rail loading terminal and refined product and crude oil storage, to Par Pacific Holdings 

  • Western Refining in the $2.4 billion take private of Northern Tier Energy, an independent downstream energy company with refining, retail and logistics operations

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At Vinson & Elkins, we bring decades of knowledge, skill, and experience to our clients’ most complex legal matters.

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Client Alerts

Supreme Court Curbs Agency-Head Removal Protections in Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v. Cook: Implications for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

In a pair of decisions issued on June 29, 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States addressed the constitutional …

July 1, 2026

July 1, 2026 • 9-minute read

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Events

Vinson & Elkins Sponsoring and Speaking at Kayo’s 2026 Energy & Infrastructure Summit

Vinson & Elkins is a Silver Level Sponsor of the Kayo Women’s 2026 Energy & Infrastructure Summit, taking place June …

June 23, 2026

June 23, 2026 • 1-minute read

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Articles

5 Strategies for Venue Selection in Energy Disputes

1. Understand the Stakes In energy contracts, venue selection clauses — language specifying how and where disputes will be heard …

May 18, 2026

May 18, 2026 • 2-minute read

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Client Alerts

When Energy Prices Spike: Emerging Claims and Remedies in Times of Conflict

The regional conflict in the Middle East, which began in late February 2026, led to significant volatility in global oil …

April 20, 2026

April 20, 2026 • 7-minute read

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Client Alerts

IEEPA Refunds: Protesting Liquidated Entries in the Wake of CAPE Phase 1

On April 8, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) issued guidance on the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries …

April 17, 2026

April 17, 2026 • 3-minute read

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Articles

Force Majeure and LNG Contracts

Introduction Recent attacks on LNG facilities in the Gulf have sent shockwaves through the LNG industry and are already having …

March 23, 2026

March 23, 2026 • 4-minute read

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CLE Events

Venue Selection for Energy Disputes

On Tuesday, March 17, Jim Thompson, Nick Shum, Stephanie Noble, and Matt Hoffman will lead a CLE program focused on venue selection considerations in energy sector contracts.

March 17, 2026

March 17, 2026 • 1-minute read

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