Overview
Our Electric Energy attorneys provide counsel and guidance to wholesale and retail market participants in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), and represent their interests before the Public Utility Commission of Texas and Texas Legislature.
We have worked closely on the development of many of the legislative and regulatory policies that define the Texas electric industry today. We understand the legal and commercial issues associated with Texas electric markets and are experienced in providing effective solutions for navigating regulatory, political and market structures.
Over the years, our clients have included electric cooperatives, wholesale electricity buyers and sellers, an electric utility trade association, and municipal utilities, as well as other participants in Texas power markets.
We represent these clients in business transactions, as well as regulatory permitting and administrative proceedings before the Public Utility Commission of Texas. We also provide legislative monitoring and advocacy, and when necessary, representation at civil trials and appeals.
Our collective experience includes:
- Financing, development and construction of generation, transmission and distribution facilities
- Permitting of electric transmission facilities and routing of electric transmission lines
- Developing and negotiating wholesale and retail power supply contracts, including renewable energy wholesale power purchase agreements
- Assisting with the acquisition of fuel supplies
- Handling private debt offerings and other complex financing transactions
- Developing operations and maintenance arrangements for electric facilities
- Facilitating equipment purchase and sales transactions
- Counseling on corporate governance
- Providing due diligence in connection with the purchase and sale of electric assets
- Monitoring state regulatory and legislative proceedings involving the electric market
- Handling retail service area disputes
- Negotiating electric service agreements with real estate developers and retail customers
- Counseling on mergers, acquisitions and consolidations among electric cooperatives
- Labor, employment and employee benefits counseling
- Acquisition of real property and easement rights
- Obtaining approval of Transmission Cost of Service rates
- Participating in retail rate cases
- Developing retail electric service tariffs
- Negotiating municipal franchise agreements
- Representing electric cooperatives in property tax litigation and relations with the Texas Comptroller’s Office
- Assisting electric cooperatives with deployment of broadband internet services
