BLP Leads Legal Counsel on $60 Million Educational Project: San Cristobal Green Academics and Sports Campus, a Landmark Project in Sustainability and Inclusion

BLP acted as legal advisor for the financing of the San Cristobal Green Academics and Sports Campus (CSC) project, led by the Montesquieu Foundation and its subsidiaries Corporación Educativa Montesquieu and High Learning Operations, advising IDB Invest and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) and providing comprehensive support in all legal aspects of the financing. The advisory services included: reviewing the bankability of the project and all relevant documentation; conducting legal due diligence on the participating entities and project assets; designing and structuring the local guarantee package; negotiating and drafting the financial documents; as well as legal support during closing, ensuring the correct regulatory and contractual alignment of the academic and sports project.

The operation marks a milestone in the region’s social infrastructure. With a total investment of US$60 million, the campus will have more than 29,000 m2 of infrastructure to serve 1,400 elementary school students, 10,000 university students, and 2,000 users of Olympic-level sports facilities.

This is the first social infrastructure in Guatemala with a climate-resilient and sustainable design, the first in Central America, and one of the first in Latin America and the Caribbean to obtain the Fast-Infra international seal of approval. In addition, the project incorporates concrete measures to foster the educational inclusion of women in STEM and indigenous students, as well as scholarship programs, academic support services and a strong corporate governance plan.

Pablo Umaña, partner at BLP, commented "This innovative project reflects BLP’s ability to lead complex legal transactions with high social impact. BLP’s participation in this landmark transaction highlights our deep experience in structuring project financings with ESG components, our regulatory knowledge, and our ability to integrate legal solutions that enable transformative initiatives. The San Cristobal project is positioned as a benchmark in Central America for its comprehensive approach to sustainability, inclusion and educational development, setting a precedent for future investments in social infrastructure in the region."

The transaction was led by Pablo Umaña (Partner), Julio Castellanos (Partner), Jorge Arenales (Partner), Rodolfo Salazar (Partner), Adriana Acuña (Director), Ana Ávila (Senior Associate), Anneliss Wohlers (Senior Associate), Alejandro Fallas (Senior Associate), Javier Figueroa (Associate), Adrián Urbina (Senior Paralegal) and Paola Fernández (Senior Paralegal).