Powell Goldstein's Energy Practice Group is has assisted many financial institutions with regulatory and transactional issues involving a wide range of energy commodities and energy-related products. Our Energy Practice Group is able to efficiently aid financial institutions in a variety of matters relating to energy, such as:

• Providing analysis of how relevant wholesale electricity markets operate to facilitate the proper valuation of electricity generation and transmission assets, as well as providing strategic advice on methods for maximizing the value of such assets, including:
  • Providing legal analysis of how regional energy market tariff provisions affect the determination of costs associated with least-cost economic dispatch requirements, congestion management, and re-dispatch requirements;
  • Assisting in the evaluation and acquisition of Financial Transmission Rights ("FTRs") or Auction Revenue Rights ("ARRs") associated with wholesale electricity transmission service;
  • Explaining how implementation and modification of Resource Adequacy protocols in regional energy markets can significantly impact the profitability of generation assets; and
  • Monitoring and evaluating legal impacts of proposed changes to energy market tariff provisions which may affect the value of generation and transmission assets.
• Providing strategic advice on Regional Transmission Organization ("RTO") governance issues, including optimizing participation in RTO stakeholder forums
• Monitoring and providing advice on proposed federal and state energy legislation, including implementation of mandatory federal electric reliability standards
• Analyzing the impact of regional independent market monitoring protocols on the valuation of generation and transmission assets
• Assisting in the development, negotiation and interpretation of purchase/sale agreements relating to electricity, natural gas, coal, and other energy commodities, as well as their financial derivatives
• Assisting in the development, negotiation and interpretation of transmission/transportation agreements for such energy commodities
• Representing financial institutions before federal regulatory agencies, including FERC, and state public utility commissions, as well as before state and federal courts

Our Energy Practice Group can provide cost-efficient representation to financial institutions in these matters, in part, due to its unique experience in developing energy market provisions while representing RTOs and other market participants. Members of the Energy Practice Group were intimately involved in the development of all aspects of both the PJM Interconnection, L.C.C. and the Midwest ISO's energy market tariffs. In addition, the Energy Pratice Group has significant experience in the wholesale energy trading market.