KWM advises on the financing of Amazonas Nexus satellite

King & Wood Mallesons has advised Hispasat on the financing of the construction and launch of its satellite Amazonas Nexus, one of the most advanced of the spanish aerospace company to date.

The KWM Spain team leading the work has been coordinated by the partner and director of the finance and banking practice area Joaquín Sales. With over 20 years of experience, he advises banks, financial institutions, investment funds, and corporations on all kinds of financing transactions: project finance, acquisition finance, corporate, and asset finance. He also has experience in structured finance transactions and securitisation deals, both domestic and international

The project has been carried out with an investment of about 300 million euros. The financing has been provided by several top-tier international financial institutions and includes tranches with ECA guarantees (BPI France and US Exim Bank) and complex agreements between the different groups of creditors.

It is a high-performance geostationary satellite that will enable high-speed internet access throughout the Americas, the North and South Atlantic corridors, and points as remote as Greenland and the Amazon rainforest. It is specially designed to offer high-quality connectivity on airplanes and ships and will effectively contribute to an expeditious and efficient reduction of the digital divide in Latin America.

The focus on mobility, both air and sea, is one of the distinctive elements of Amazon Nexus compared to other satellites of the company, which were more focused on the broadcast of audiovisual content. Since its commissioning, Hispasat has reached several commercial agreements for the long-term lease of 60% of the Amazonas Nexus capacity with operators and service providers in the governmental sector and the connectivity sector for aviation.

Hispasat, Redeia’s satellite communications operator, offers broadband and satellite connectivity solutions that include Internet access, mobility, and extension of cellular networks, as well as other value-added proposals to governments, corporations, and telecommunications operators in America, Europe, and North Africa.