Overview
Steptoe & Johnson’s Renewable Energy Team provides a full range of services across the renewable energy spectrum, including wind, solar, biomass, hydroelectric, and cogeneration projects. Our attorneys assist with project development, site acquisition, financing, permitting, compliance, and negotiating power purchase and other commercial agreements. Team members advise clients on renewable energy credits, tax incentives, and energy efficiency and savings transactions.
Our team members have a wide range of business, government, and legal experience that they bring to develop practical, efficient solutions to suit each client’s needs. Among other positions, they have served as:
- General counsel to State Commerce Department
- General counsel to a regional franchisor with 120+ sites
- In-house counsel to state environmental protection agency
- Outside counsel to municipalities and zoning board
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Highlights
- Multidisciplinary approach pulls together the right team for each project, matching client needs with specific expertise
- Scalable, time-sensitive solutions keep projects moving forward
Representative Experience
Site Acquisitions
- Negotiated leases and easements from dozens of landowners for wind farm project
- Represented timber company in negotiating the lease of rural timberland to wind developer
- Provided title insurance for the purchase of 2,000-acre+ hydroelectric facility with recreational lake
- Negotiated property agreements for commercial and utility-scale solar arrays
Permitting & Siting
- Advised solar developer on siting and environmental compliance requirements for utility-scale solar project
- Represented hydroelectric facility operator in enforcing covenants and local ordinances against adjacent property owners to comply with FERC mandate
- Represented developers in obtaining certificates of public convenience and necessity for biomass electric generating facilities
- Served as environmental compliance counsel to the purchaser of a 1,600-acre hydroelectric facility
Financing
- Represented bond underwriter in issuance to finance four renewable power plants
- Provided title services and title insurance to wind developer for $300M+ financing
- Advised client regarding capital investment to reclaim and process methane gas from municipal landfills
Power Purchase & Commercial Agreements
- Led team negotiating multi-million dollar supply agreement for production and sale of biomass to electric generating plant
- Advised utility in negotiations for proposed cogeneration FOG digester and electric production facility
- Negotiated PPAs and related agreements between IPPs, power purchasers, utilities, and RTOs
- Represented utilities in negotiating commercial agreements with large waste digestion facility
- General counsel to developer of commercial-scale pyrolysis system to convert plastic bottles into diesel fuel
Renewable Energy Credits (RECs)
- Counseled clients on eligibility for RECs
- Negotiated REC purchase and sale agreements
- Represented client before state utility commission and FERC in REC ownership dispute
Energy Efficiency & Savings
- Represented purchaser of energy savings lease
- Represented municipality in financing construction of fire station with energy efficiency measures
- Negotiated energy savings transactions for large municipality
Net Metering
- Represented rural electric utility in net metering rate development
- Counseled clients on net metering eligibility
Event
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