Christopher Hutchison

Chris’ experience prior to joining Latham includes advising:

Debt & Project Finance

• BrightNight Power on the construction and letter of credit financing of the 120 MW Frontier Solar Project in Kentucky
• The lead arranger on the construction and back-leverage term financing and related letter of credit facility for a merchant battery storage project in ERCOT
• A joint venture of two private equity sponsors on a US$580 million term loan B financing for a large CCGT project in PJM
• I Squared Capital on the acquisition term loan B and revolving credit facilities for its going-private acquisition of Atlantic Power Corporation
• Nexus Renewable Power on multiple financings across its solar and battery storage portfolio, including:
  • A warehouse/portfolio financing facility with a private credit lender for the development, construction, and operation of its project pipeline
  • A tax equity and tax credit transfer bridge loan financing with a bank lender for the Hoke Solar and Storage Project
• A renewable sponsor on a US$400 million development warehouse and letter of credit financing for its project pipeline
• A large private equity sponsor on a US$462 million term loan B refinancing for a 700 MW CCGT project in PJM
• The construction lender for a natural gas-fired project in Colorado
• A sponsor on the construction and term financing of a 300 MW solar project in Texas
• A strategic corporate lender in providing mezzanine financing to the owner of a large gas-fired project
• The lead arranger on the back-leverage term financing of a utility-scale solar project in ERCOT
• A large private equity fund and a hydroelectric company on US$170 million of senior secured notes for a 250 MW hydroelectric portfolio in North Carolina and New York
• A sponsor on the refinancing and extension of existing back-leverage debt for a solar project
• The lender in the refinancing of credit facilities for a biofuels plant in Ohio
• A renewable sponsor on the back-leverage term financing of a distributed generation solar portfolio
• Fundamental Renewables, as development lender, on debtor-in-possession and bridge financings and related project-level matters in the chapter 11 restructuring of Pine Gate Renewables
• A private credit lender on workouts and restructuring-related matters involving development and construction financings in the solar and storage sector
• A development lender on the workout and acquisition of a distressed development-stage combined-cycle gas project
• A mezzanine lender on a consensual foreclosure and related project debt and tax equity arrangements for a 250 MW solar project in Texas

Tax Equity & Tax Credit Transactions

• Ørsted on the tax equity financing and related tax credit sale for the 250 MW Badger Wind Project in North Dakota
• Ørsted on the tax equity financing and 10-year production tax credit sale for the 468 MW Mockingbird Solar Center in Lamar County, Texas
• Nexus Renewable Power on a preferred equity financing (with Goldman Sachs) and a related tax credit sale for the Goody Solar and Storage Project
• GE Energy Financial Services, as tax equity investor alongside Berkshire Hathaway, on the tax equity financings of a greenfield 250 MW wind project, a repowered 146 MW wind project, and a repowered 278 MW wind project, each in Texas
• A tax equity investor in a wind project in Illinois
• A tax equity investor in a wind project portfolio in Texas
• A renewable developer on the tax equity financing of a utility-scale solar project in South Carolina
• A private equity sponsor on the tax equity financing of a large PV solar project in West Texas
• A sponsor on the tax equity financing of a repowered wind project in California
• A renewable energy developer on the tax equity financing of a utility-scale solar energy project in Oahu, Hawaii
• A large private equity investor with respect to a preferred equity investment in a merchant battery storage project in ERCOT
• A global commodities trading firm on multiple purchases of Section 45X advanced manufacturing tax credits

M&A & Joint Ventures

• EnCap Investments and Triple Oak Power in the sale of Triple Oak Power — a wind development platform with a pipeline exceeding 8 GW of predominantly utility-scale wind projects — to Energy Capital Partners
• GE Vernova Financial Services on the formation of a joint venture with Kindle Energy (a Blackstone portfolio company) to develop and commercialize Wolf Summit, an approximately 600 MW, US$1.2 billion combined-cycle gas project in West Virginia
• Fundamental Advisors in connection with (i) its Section 363 credit-bid acquisition of Pine Gate Renewables’ utility-scale solar and battery storage development platform and pipeline, and (ii) the sale of the 1.2 GW Sunstone solar-and-storage project in Oregon to Amazon
• I Squared Capital on its approximately US$961 million going-private acquisition of Atlantic Power Corporation
• I Squared Capital on the approximately US$580 million sale of Lincoln Clean Energy — a US onshore wind developer, owner, and operator, together with its management team, with more than 800 MW operating and under construction and a development pipeline exceeding 1.5 GW — to Ørsted
• I Squared Capital on the US$1.123 billion sale of its 385 MW hydropower platform, Cube Hydro Partners, and related assets to Ontario Power Generation
• Harrison Street on its controlling investment in several portfolios of community and C&I solar projects in Minnesota and California
• Triple Oak Power on the sale at NTP of the 160 MW Prairie Switch Wind project near Houston, Texas, to Fengate
• A strategic investor on the sale of a portfolio of tax equity and cash equity interests in 24 wind generation facilities with aggregate capacity exceeding 3 GW
• A renewable energy developer on the sale of a partially constructed 300 MW solar project in ERCOT
• A renewable energy sponsor on the formation of a joint venture to invest in operating and in-construction solar projects and to monetize associated environmental credits
• A renewable energy sponsor on the acquisition and repowering of an operating wind project in Minnesota
• A global private equity firm on the sale of its interests in a microgrid platform and related joint venture arrangements
• GE Energy Financial Services on joint venture arrangements and three sell-downs of its partial interests in the 805 MW Towantic Energy Center in Connecticut, from construction through its full exit from the project
• GE Energy Financial Services and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec on the acquisition of Southern Star Central Corp., a natural-gas pipeline company, and GE Energy Financial Services on subsequent sell-downs and its exit from the business

Project Development & P3/District Energy

• Harrison Street on a series of long-term public-private partnerships for university district energy and utility systems, including:
  • A 50-year long-term utility agreement, build-transfer agreement, and related EPC arrangements for the development, construction, and operation of a new carbon-zero district energy system, incorporating geothermal, solar, and wind, serving Appalachian State University’s Innovation District
  • A project financing to support the construction and operation of the new district energy system at Appalachian State University
  • A 40-year utility concession and subsequent expansion of utility infrastructure at the Illinois Institute of Technology
  • A 40-year utility concession to lease, operate, develop, and finance the on-campus utility system at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• A strategic corporate in developing a program for the origination and financing of C&I solar projects
• A private equity investor on competitive bids to acquire district energy, transmission, and other utility infrastructure systems across multiple US jurisdictions
• Renewable developers on multiple EPC, O&M, equipment purchase, and other project development matters, as well as letter of credit and surety matters