Carey appoints new partner
Rachel Hall

Chile’s Carey has boosted its energy practice through the promotion of an associate to the partnership.

José Miguel Bustamante, 43, joined two other partners, Juan Francisco Mackenna and Maria Fernanda Carvajal, in leading the energy department on 12 June.

Bustamante, who has been with the firm since 2007, has experience in energy regulatory matters and in the development of various types of energy projects as well as litigation. Prior to joining the firm in 2007, he worked for eight years as part of the in-house team at Chilean energy company GasAtacama.

Carey managing partner Jaime Carey says that Bustamante’s promotion is the result of a firm-wide drive to capitalise on expected future growth in Chile’s energy sector. The newly inaugurated president, Michelle Bachelet, recently unveiled a new energy agenda aimed at prioritising renewables with a view to plugging the country’s energy shortage. “The energy sector is one of the most dynamic and crucial industries in Chile today, both for its key role in the country’s economic growth and competitiveness, and due to the increasing level of sophistication of the different stakeholders which is a direct consequence of Chile’s long lasting economic development and improved living conditions of its population,” he explains. Carey’s practice is particularly strong in renewables, and Bustamante has been seen on a number of key recent deals. Last year, he worked alone to advise Spanish wind farm owner Acciona in selling renewable non-conventional energy (RNCE) credits to electricity company Colbún, as well as advising SunEdison on a contract to sell solar energy from a plant located in the Atacama desert to Chile’s largest producer of iron ore, CAP.