Bill Andrews concentrates his practice on the commercial and financial aspects of energy, capital-intensive industrial, and infrastructure projects.
During the past several years, Bill has been responsible for leading project teams representing the CapX 2020 Utilities, Prairie State Generating Company, the Indiana Municipal Power Agency, Louisville Gas & Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, and the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission, among others, in connection with the development, construction or financing of large scale energy generating or transmission facilities, sports venues, and other industrial facilities. In the last year, Bill has been engaged by clients in connection with engineering, procurement, and construction contracts for wind, coal, and gas-fired energy generating facilities, pollution control facilities, and transmission assets valued at more than $10 billion.
Transmission
Bill is project counsel to the 11 load serving entities that are participants of the CapX 2020 Transmission Expansion Projects. In that capacity, Bill has led the negotiation among the participants of key project agreements including the Construction Management Agreement, and the Operation and Maintenance Agreement, among others. The CapX projects are designed to substantially enhance the transmission grid in Minnesota and surrounding states. In December 2012, the seventh and last CapX 2020 Project closed. The aggregate construction cost of the projects exceeds $2.0 billion. Bill and his partner, Lori Green, were selected by The American Lawyer as one of its “Dealmakers of the Year 2011” for their work on the CapX 2020 Transmission Expansion Projects and are featured on the magazine’s April cover.
Bill also represents Southern Cross Transmission LLP in connection with its HVDC 3000 MW transmission project that will stretch from the eastern boundary of ERCOT through the states of Louisiana and Mississippi. He also represented the developer of one of the CREZ projects in Texas in connection with the engineering, procurement, and construction of the project. In May 2007, Bill concluded the successful negotiation of the engineering, procurement, and construction contract between Trans Bay Cable, LLC, Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution, Inc., and Prysmian Construction Services, Inc. for a 55-mile HVDC sub-marine transmission cable under the San Francisco Bay capable of transmitting 400 MW between Pittsburg, CA, and the City of San Francisco.
Generation
Bill currently represents the Prairie State Generating Company LLC in connection with the development of a new approximately 1600 MW, mine-mouth, pulverized coal-fired power plant now under construction in southern Illinois. During 2010, Bill led a team in the $4 billion restructuring of the Prairie State Energy Campus transaction from a Target Price agreement to a fixed price turnkey contract. During 2006, Bill was counsel to the Indiana Municipal Power Agency, which led the team negotiating a participation agreement among six participants and Peabody Energy.
Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, both investor-owned utilities located in Kentucky, engaged Bill during 2012 in connection with the development of a new large scale gas-fired generating facility and the development and construction of several large scale air quality control projects for generating stations in the utilities’ fleet. In 2010, Bill negotiated the equipment procurement and turnkey EPC Contract for a new SCR pollution control facility for one of the units at Kentucky Utilities Company’s E.W. Brown Generating Station. During 2007, Bill successfully completed negotiating the engineering, procurement, and construction contract for the new Trimble County 2750 MW coal-fired generating facility, which is now in service. In the past several years, Bill has also represented LG&E and Kentucky Utilities Company in connection with the engineering, procurement, and construction of six other power plants located in Texas, Georgia, and Kentucky as well as participation agreements with municipalities for joint ownership of generating assets, and the procurement of major engineered equipment including boilers, turbines, and pollution control equipment.
Coal Gasification
Bill has represented Green Rock Energy, LLC in connection with:
- the negotiation and drafting of an engineering, procurement, and construction agreement for a new gasification polygeneration facility being developed by Faustina Hydrogen Products, LLC that will use pet coke and high sulfur coal as feedstocks to produce saleable anhydrous ammonia, methanol, industrial grade CO2, and sulfur. The project will be constructed in St. James Parish, Louisiana; and
- the negotiation and drafting of an engineering, procurement, and construction agreement for a new gasification polygeneration facility being developed by Southeast Idaho Energy, LLC that will use coal as a feedstock to produce ammonia and urea.
In April 2006, Bill concluded the successful representation of the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission in connection with a participation agreement for and acquisition of an interest in the Plum Point Energy Project. The project is a 660 MW subcritical pulverized coal generating facility currently under construction in City of Osceola, Arkansas. The Project was named Mid-West Deal of the Year by The Bond Buyer.
Bill also represents the firm’s investor-owned utilities, independent power producers and municipalities in the acquisition of power generation, air pollution control equipment, and long-term maintenance and service agreements. Bill assists these clients in the development of template procurement and construction documents and is often a key participant in the negotiation of these agreements.
Infrastructure Facilities
Bill has represented clients in the structuring and financing of public infrastructure facilities, including a public/private partnership venture with the City of Anaheim, California, to construct and operate the arena for professional basketball and hockey. Bill handled the lease negotiations with the facility’s anchor tenant, the NHL Mighty Ducks. During 2006, Bill was engaged in connection with the financing of the new Yankee Stadium and the New York Mets Stadium, both of which are currently under construction.
Bill has represented the governmental entities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in connection with the development, operation, and maintenance of new entertainment and hospitality facilities, including the Coliséo de Puerto Rico in San Juan and the Puerto Rico Convention Center in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico. He also represented a public benefit corporation that was the first New York State entity actively seeking to create a public/private partnership with private independent energy developers and has been a consultant to the state of Florida regarding privatization of the state’s correctional facilities.
Prior to joining the firm, Bill served as Legislative Assistant and Administrative Assistant to U.S. Representative James M. Collins (Texas). He frequently is invited to make presentations to governmental entities and at conferences on the subjects of the EPC contracting and energy project development, particularly in a multiparty setting.