Demonstrating the ability to advise across a wide array of energy assets, Norton Rose Fulbright‘s client roster comprises a host of investment partnerships, global asset managers, infrastructure funds and major industry developers. The practice, which has an impressive record on renewable energy projects, is under the joint leadership of Austin’s Becky Diffen and New York’s Kessar Nashat. Diffen handles M&A, joint venture and project development mandates, particularly with regard to developers navigating sell-side M&A, while Nashat has notable strength working alongside investors and financial sponsors. The Los Angeles-based Elizabeth Sluder brings wider expertise to the fore through her tax equity financing acumen and ability to consider the environmental and regulatory issues that underpin the firm’s diverse portfolio of transactions. Chicago-based Sameer A. Ghaznavi has been the leading figure on major renewable portfolio deals, advising both domestic and international clients, whereas Anastasia Slivker has overseen investments in both projects and companies from the New York office.

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Key clients

  • IRG Acquisition Holdings
  • Belltown Power Development
  • Matrix Renewables USA LLC
  • Ullico Infrastructure Fund
  • BCPG Public Company Limited
  • EDF Renewables
  • Leeward Renewables
  • Jupiter Power
  • Fengate Asset Management
  • BluEarth Renewables

Work highlights

  • Represented IRG Acquisition Holdings (IRG), a partnership between Invenergy, CDPQ and funds managed by Blackstone Infrastructure, in the purchase of a 1,365-megawatt (MW) unregulated, contracted renewables portfolio from American Electric Power (AEP) for an enterprise value of US$1.5 billion.
  • Represented Perennial Power Holdings, Inc. (Perennial Power), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (SC Group), in a joint venture transaction with Advantage Capital (AC) to establish Perennial Renewables LLC (PR), a limited liability company that develops renewable energy projects with a focus on solar power generation.
  • Advised NextEra Energy in an agreement to sell Florida City Gas from subsidiary Florida Power & Light Company to Chesapeake Utilities Corporation for US$923m.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Becky Diffen, Kessar Nashat

Other key lawyers

Elizabeth Sluder, Sameer Ghaznavi, Anastasia Slivker