Hunt, Paul J.

Paul J. Hunt

Partner

paul.hunt@lw.com
    Hunt, Paul J.

    Paul J. Hunt

    Partner

    paul.hunt@lw.com
    "Paul is very commercial, thoughtful and thorough."

    Chambers USA 2023

    “Extremely smart, very commercial and offers very high-quality representation with an in-depth knowledge of projects.”

    Chambers USA 2022

    “He is collaborative with counterparties in a way that helps get the transaction done with less friction while never compromising our positions.”

    Chambers USA 2022

    "Helps clients to understand the financing issues that developers face"

    Chambers USA 2020

    "Really handles our opposing parties well"

    Chambers USA 2019

    "Brings experience from other deals to help guide our actions on difficult issues"

    Chambers USA 2018

    "Focuses on the big picture"

    Chambers USA 2017

    Profile

    Paul Hunt draws on three decades of experience to advise clients on all phases of development, financing, and sale/acquisition of domestic and international energy and infrastructure projects.

    Mr. Hunt regularly advises:

    • Private developers and sponsors
    • Commercial banks and other financial institutions
    • Energy companies
    • Private equity funds
    • Offtakers, governments, and their national utilities

    He helps clients structure deals, navigate negotiations, and close development, financing, and M&A transactions for all types of energy and infrastructure projects, including:

    • Renewable energy (wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, etc.)
    • Renewable natural gas and other low carbon fuels projects, including sustainable aviation, renewable diesel, biodiesel, ethanol, electricity, and hydrogen
    • Carbon capture and sequestration, IGCC, and gasification
    • Energy storage
    • Conventional power
    • Transmission
    • LNG
    • Petrochemicals and refineries
    • Gas pipelines
    • Water

    Mr. Hunt draws on experience with hundreds of projects in dozens of countries, including six Project Finance deals of the year, and innovative projects such as the world’s first blue bond for the World Bank.

    He also advises clients on governmental stimulus measures in the energy sector, including those advanced through the United States Department of Energy.

    Mr. Hunt regularly appears highly ranked in Chambers Global, Chambers USA, and The Legal 500 US. Clients praise his skillful execution and calm manner, saying, “He brings experience from other deals to help guide our actions on difficult issues.”

    Experience

    Mr. Hunt’s experience includes representing:

    • Divert to develop and finance three separate food waste-to-biogas production facilities located in York, Pennsylvania, Longview, Washington, and Turlock, California; the biogas will then be upgraded to RNG for direct injection into utility pipelines
    • Matrix Renewables, in connection with the debt financing of two separate portfolios of solar power projects in Colombia, one portfolio totaling 81.7 MW and the other totaling 81.6 MW, named Solar Deal of the Year by Proximo
    • Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund, in connection with the financing of (i) the Orca and Mammoth direct air capture carbon capture and sequestration projects in Iceland owned and developed by ClimeWorks and (ii) the Freedom Pines Fuels Plant, a sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel production facility
    • Avantus (formerly 8minute Solar Energy), a solar and battery storage project developer/sponsor, in connection with multiple transactions, including (i) a US$325 million LC and revolving loan facility to support its 18 GW development pipeline of solar and energy storage projects and (ii) a US$400 million preferred financing and LC facility from a private equity investor
    • Inter-American Development Bank to sponsor The Republic of Ecuador’s issuance of a US$400 million social bond, the first of its kind to be issued by a sovereign — winner of Award for Innovation and Social Bond of the Year (Sovereign) by Environmental Finance
    • Blackstone to co-sponsor a US$3.6 billion term loan A facility to finance the Sabine Pass Liquefaction Facility — named Americas Deal of the Year by Project Finance International and North American Oil and Gas Deal of the Year by Project Finance
    • ContourGlobal to finance a 17-plant portfolio of quad-gen (heat, power, water, and CO2) plants in Europe and Africa — named European Project Finance Deal of the Year by IFLR and EMEA Power Portfolio Deal of the Year by Project Finance
    • DESRI, in connection with the acquisition, debt financing, and tax equity financing of two utility scale solar power projects in Texas: (i) the Midway Solar Project, a 182 MW project located in Pecos County, the largest solar power project in Texas (with a US$410 million debt financing package and a US$137 million tax equity financing), and (ii) the Ivory Solar (Lamesa II) Project, a 50 MW project located in Dawson County (with a US$70+ million debt financing)
    • The sponsors in connection with two adjacent 230 MW (460 MW total), petroleum coke-fired generation plants located in Mexico — the largest single foreign investment in the Mexican power sector and named Latin American Project of the Year by Project Finance International
    • Green Energy Libramiento Acquisition: Represented the Norddeutsche Landesbank as lender, to refinance existing debt in connection with Intergen’s acquisition of Green Energy Libramiento, a 65-km gas pipeline and compression station located in Queretaro, Mexico

    Qualifications

    Bar Qualification

    • District of Columbia

    Education

    • JD, University of Virginia School of Law, 1991
    • BA, Bucknell University, 1988

    Practices

    Industries

    Recognition

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    News & Insights

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