Industries: Energy & Climate Change Team

Latest News:

Beyond CAIR: EPA Proposes Tough New Transport Rules (8/3/2010)

Fourth Circuit Reverses $1 Billion Injunction Related to Air Emissions in State of North Carolina v. TVA (8/2/2010)

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Recognizing that energy issues and their economic and environmental impacts have never been more important than they are today, the multidisciplinary Energy and Climate Change Team brings together legal, policy and business expertise to meet the challenges our clients are facing, both today and tomorrow.

Experienced attorneys from our Energy, Environmental, Mergers & Acquisitions, Public Finance, Capital Markets, Real Estate Development and Litigation practice groups, along with representatives from McGuireWoods Consulting, work together to help our clients with a wide range of issues, including:

We represent the full spectrum of energy clients, from major electric and natural gas utilities, independent generation developers, and traditional energy suppliers, such as coal and oil companies, to green tech start ups. As a result, McGuireWoods’ attorneys and consultants understand the energy business and the challenges facing businesses, especially those challenges driven by initiatives to address climate change.

McGuireWoods provides our clients with the knowledge and experience to tackle complex energy and environmental issues and to capitalize on the economic opportunities those issues provide.

Representative legislative and regulatory activities:

• Represented coalition of electric generators in major climate change legislation before the United States Congress.
• Represented major electric utility before state utilities commission in obtaining approval to construct a multi-state 500 KV transmission line.
• Represented major electric utility in gaining approval to construct a new 585 MW coal generation facility.
• Represented major national gas utility in gaining approval of a decoupling and conservation plan.
• Helped craft state regulations to implement Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS).
• Helped craft state law to regulate previously deregulated electric generators.

Representative transactions:

• Represented issuers of more than $63 (USD) billion of debt and equity financings in 2008.
• Represented one of America’s leading producers and transporters of energy in the ongoing development and financing of a 750 MW wind farm, one of the largest wind farms in the United States, located on a 50,000-acre site.
• Closed first $100 million in committed capital for a green investment fund and began development of a series of renewable energy projects in Eastern Europe, including hydro, biomass, wind and solar.
• Represented an ethanol company in the development of two 132 million gallon/yr ethanol plants in the Midwest.
• Represented a corn and cellulosic ethanol start-up company in the private placement of $15 million of equity and related going-public transaction.
• Represented a windpower company and its principal shareholders in connection with the $98 million sale of the company to a large international oil company’s alternative energy sub.
• Represented developers of landfill gas-to-energy projects in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Maine.
• Represented a biomass development company in the development of wood-fired and wood-waste fired power generation facilities.
• Represented the acquiring company in $6.5 billion convergence merger of electric and natural gas public utility holding companies, involving public utilities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina.
• Represented the seller in competitive auction for four coal and gas facilities, including structuring the sale, managing the bid process and handling of all bidder diligence.
• Represented electric and gas public utility clients in $21 billion of debt financings and $4 billion of equity financings since 1995.
• Represented the purchaser in the $220 million acquisition of a 568 MW nuclear power plant in Wisconsin.
• Convergence merger of major electric and gas public utility holding companies to form the largest fully integrated electric and gas company in the United States.
• Represented seller of two natural gas public utilities for $910 million.
• Represented seller in competitive bid auction for sale of natural gas companies, including all aspects of auction.
• Sales and acquisitions of public utility companies operating in Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Illinois.