Energy

But what truly distinguishes Pillsbury is our ability to staff energy matters with professionals who can cover the full range of corporate, finance, environmental, intellectual property, political, regulatory and tax challenges affecting the industry. Our multidisciplinary Energy practice of 125+ lawyers and in-house economists enables the firm put together client-focused teams of the most experienced practitioners for optimal results and efficiencies.

• Nuclear Energy
  • Pillsbury is widely hailed as the world’s top law firm for nuclear energy matters. Our 50-year track record is full of firsts: the first practice devoted to nuclear energy issues; the first buyer representation in a nuclear plant acquisition; the first nuclear plant license renewal; the first major nuclear complex in the GCC states; and the first licensing of an evolutionary nuclear plant in the United States at a greenfield site. We have been involved in virtually every U.S. purchase and sale of a nuclear power plant and have spearheaded the NRC licensing of 50—more than any other firm—with a 100 percent success rate. Our experience also extends to crisis response, having represented the owner and operator of Three Mile Island during and after the 1979 accident. We have successfully represented members of the nuclear industry in litigation and international arbitration and utilities pursuing spent fuel claims against the U.S. Department of Energy. Nearly half of our work is international, handling major nuclear procurements and working with inbound clients on investments and regulatory requirements in the U.S. nuclear energy market.
• Power Generation and Transmission Projects
  • Gas, hydro, coal, nuclear, renewable … we have completed hundreds of power generation and transmission projects in the United States and internationally. The firm is widely considered one of the top power project finance firms in the world and has consistently been at the forefront of innovative developments in the space, including projects that have involved agencies such as the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Pillsbury also helps guide clients as they capitalize on smart grid investment opportunities and address the developing regulatory scheme involving the build-out of the smart grid, from generation through transmission and distribution. With a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory environment that clients face, we are well positioned to advise project developers on compliance with the ever-changing “rules of the road,” including in the critical areas of market operations and market enforcement.
• Regulation of Energy Markets
  • Pillsbury’s multidisciplinary Federal Energy Regulatory (FERC) practice provides forward-thinking regulatory advice during a period of transformational change in the energy industry. Our lawyers are thought leaders driving the conversation on adaptation of U.S. electric market regulation for 21st-century technologies and climate change concerns. The firm has broad experience representing and advising clients in regulatory matters and proceedings before FERC and state public utility commissions arising under a spectrum of federal and state energy laws, including the Federal Power Act, the Natural Gas Act, the Natural Gas Policy Act, the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) and the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Pillsbury lawyers work closely with our in-house economists and public policy professionals to anticipate and evaluate regulatory issues and develop comprehensive public policy advocacy, regulatory, commercial and litigation strategies to achieve client objectives across all time horizons.
• Renewable Energy
  • Pillsbury has advised on pioneering renewable power generation and infrastructure asset transactions for decades. We have worked on projects that collectively have brought tens of thousands of megawatts of solar-and wind-generated power onto electric grids. Our work spans billion-dollar transmission lines, innovative offshore wind developments, large solar and wind farms portfolios, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, biofuel and landfill gas capture and energy storage projects. The industry’s leading participants—including sponsors and developers, commercial and investment banks, manufacturers and technology companies—turn to us for our industry insights, commercial awareness and solutions for the financial, tax, technical, business, regulatory and political aspects of their ventures. We provide our clients with the perspective to navigate their transactions efficiently.
• Hydrogen
  • Hydrogen and evolving energy technologies play a crucial role in the clean energy transition. We collaborate on regulatory, environmental and tax strategies and the large project development and finance transactions helping to monetize hydrogen technologies and mitigate the impacts of climate change. As new energy technologies advance and public policies make hydrogen even more cost-competitive, we are positioned with market intelligence to serve industry participants driving this next phase of growth.
• Oil and Gas
  • Pillsbury has a rich heritage as trusted legal advisor to participants in the upstream oil and gas sector, from major integrated oil companies, national oil companies, independent upstream businesses and the array of contractors and specialist businesses serving the sector, to host governments, financial institutions and private investors.
  • From advising companies on day-to-day exploration and production activities to major acquisitions of oil and gas assets, Pillsbury represents upstream, midstream and downstream clients on the critical legal issues that affect their businesses.
  • Oil and gas is now at the intersection where our energy lawyers thrive—challenging conventional constructs, reimagining the traditional, embracing disruptive technology, engaging fully in the global energy evolution.
• LNG
  • Pillsbury’s lawyers understand the challenges and opportunities created by the significant investment being made in natural gas and LNG infrastructure globally. Continued LNG and natural gas price and demand volatility worldwide means producers and suppliers are seeking flexibility to export to the highest-value markets. Customers are exploring alternatives to long-term contracts. Geographic and price diversity have become achievable goals for market participants at both ends of the production spectrum. We help clients to navigate the full range of legal challenges in this market.
  • Our experience covers the entire value chain, from upstream production and liquefaction through transportation and shipping to regasification and marketing. Our practice reflects our philosophy that LNG projects are more than just terminal facilities, tankers and pipelines, but are also significant components of the rapidly evolving global natural gas market.
• Energy Industry Suppliers and Service Providers
  • Pillsbury has a broad base of experience helping suppliers and service providers optimize their businesses. Our lawyers have negotiated a range of contracts from purchase agreements between vendors and utilities to the establishment of joint ventures to intellectual property transfers between manufacturing giants. Pillsbury has represented suppliers before the NRC, with the licensing of its designs, audits and internal investigations. We help suppliers comply with import and export regulations, and our firm is an industry leader in assisting with Part 810 compliance before the U.S. Department of Energy. We have also represented vendors in bet-the-company international arbitration.
• Sustainable Finance
  • Our global team of multidisciplinary sustainable finance attorneys work seamlessly with members of our renewable energy, private equity, trade, regulatory, litigation, environmental, tax, investment funds, capital markets and intellectual property practices to provide clients with comprehensive guidance on a full spectrum of sustainable finance matters. Pillsbury lawyers are developing innovative solutions and can advise on unique strategies gaining traction globally, such as sustainability-linked debt products, ESG, carbon credits and impact investing structures. These types of arrangements have been driving new capital investments into the market to support the cost of sustainable economic recovery.