Elaine M. Walsh

Department Chair - Global Projects (Washington D.C.) & Practice Group Chair - Power (Firmwide) Partner

[email protected]

Washington, D.C.

P: +1.202.639.1141
F: +1.202.585.1042
Elaine Walsh Photo

Elaine is the Partner-in-Charge of Baker Botts' Washington, D.C. office, the Washington, D.C. Global Projects Department Chair, and the firmwide Power Practice Chair. Elaine counsels clients regarding energy company mergers, energy asset acquisitions, divestitures and investments, as well as, the development of electric generation and fuel transportation and storage projects. She advises independent power producer, renewable energy, oil and gas companies, utility, coal company and power marketer clients in electricity and fuel trading and marketing activities. She negotiates physical and financial power, fuel, cross-commodity and retail supply contracts.

Elaine was recognized as a Band 1 lawyer for Energy: Electricity Transactional (Chambers USA 2021), which noted that "She's good at getting people to come around and understand the nuances...She's able to home in on what's most important." In Chambers USA 2018 - a client commended her as "very business-savvy, commercially minded and sharp."

Related Experience

Mergers & Acquisitions

  • BKV-BPP Power's purchase of the Temple I generating facility
  • Private equity fund's purchase of Foundation Solar Partners
  • Private equity fund's purchase of 31 hydroelectric projects in the U.S.
  • Private equity fund's investment in brownfield energy terminal with 485 MW on-site generation and data center campus
  • NRG's acquisition of over 12 retail energy businesses, including Direct Energy, Reliant Energy, Stream Energy, Cirro Energy, EnergyPlus, and Green Mountain Energy
  • Independent power producer's sale of its residential solar business
  • NRG's acquisition of 2.1 GW of solar and wind utility scale and distributed generation portfolios from SunEdison
  • NRG's sale of its Canal 3 gas-fired generation project to Stonepeak
  • NRG's $2.6 billion acquisition of Edison Mission Energy in bankruptcy
  • Independent power producer's unwinding of four sale leaseback transactions for several generating facilities in the Midwestern U.S.
  • Independent power producer's asset swap for Mid-Set, Salina River, Sargent Canyon, Sunrise, and Sycamore cogeneration projects
  • Consolidated Edison Solutions' sale of its competitive retail business to Exelon
  • Crius Energy's purchase of USG&E, a national energy retailer
  • An institutional investor's acquisition of an interest in the West Deptford power project
  • NRG's acquisition of the 550 MW Gregory Power cogeneration facility in Corpus Christi, Texas
  • Crius Energy's purchase of TriEagle Energy, a national energy retailer
  • An institutional investor's participation in the acquisition of the Polaris Generation portfolio from Energy Investors Funds
  • Constellation's $7.9 billion merger with Exelon
  • National Grid's sale of its shale gas business to PDC Mountaineer
  • BP's divestitures of several midstream assets
  • NRG's sale of its Padoma Wind portfolio to Enel North America
  • Macquarie's selldown of its district energy business to John Hancock
  • DTE's acquisition and conversion to biomass of the Stoneman generating facility
  • Constellation's acquisition of AES NewEnergy

Development & Trading

  • Structured JVs for the development of battery storage, biomass, solar and wind generation facilities
  • Development of 1,600 MW coal-fired generation facility
  • Development of a start-up retail and wholesale energy marketers
  • Regularly negotiate electricity, capacity, natural gas, crude, fuel oil, propane, coal, petroleum coke, transportation, steam, renewable energy credit and emissions allowance and offset agreements
  • Negotiated $25 million swap based on availability of nuclear generating facility
  • Negotiated secured swaps to complete financing of $1.7 billion acquisition of power plant portfolio
  • Advise wholesale and retail clients on energy management agreements, credit sleeves, PPAs, and structured trades
  • Represent developers in interconnection, O&M agreements, transition services agreements, shared facilities agreements, precedent agreements, EPC and energy management arrangements

Awards & Community

Recognized as a "Leading Lawyer" by The Legal 500 U.S., 2013, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023

Recognized in Chambers Global, 2013-2024

Recognized in Chambers USA, 2009-2023

Recognized as a Washington D.C.-Super Lawyer, 2013-2018

Transatlantic Elite, 2011 Star Partner

News

results Page of

Thought Leadership

results Page of

Events

Upcoming

results Page of

Recent

results Page of