Bio
King & Spalding practice deals with energy sector regulation, energy-related transactional matters and energy project development, financing, and privatization in North and South America, the Middle East, Europe and Africa. Jim has counseled clients in project development matters, commercial negotiations, mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, energy sector reorganizations and U.S. and international transactions involving assets and companies that produce, transmit and store natural gas, liquefied natural gas, petroleum, petrochemicals, electric power, renewable energy, hydrogen and other alternative energy sources, as well as companies engaged in the water/wastewater and district cooling sectors.
His clients include public and investor-owned utilities, industrial enterprises, natural gas and electricity marketers, energy pipelines and storage operators, local distribution companies, independent power producers, financial institutions, investors and governments. Jim has acted in U.S. and Canadian federal regulatory proceedings involving the permitting and construction of pipeline, storage and electric generation projects. Jim counsels financial institutions and project developers in connection with U.S. and international energy project financings. Jim has also assisted with the negotiation and documentation of energy supply, transportation and storage arrangements.
Jim has handled the sales and purchases of ownership interests in energy pipeline and storage facilities, the development, permitting and expansion of a dozen high-performance natural gas storage projects, the sale of energy trading books, the evaluation of electric generating facility portfolios for potential purchase, reviews of energy companies’ compliance with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regulations, the reorganization of one of the largest gas and electric utilities in North America under the Bankruptcy Code, the outsourcing of electricity distribution, water distribution and wastewater operations in the Middle East, and the development of a regulatory regime governing district cooling in the Middle East.
Specialties:
— Natural gas, NGLs, oil and petrochemicals storage and pipeline project development, LNG project development, energy facility permitting and construction
— Energy asset purchases and dispositions
— Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Department of Energy compliance matters
— Negotiation and documentation of energy sector commercial contracts
— Energy project finance