New FERC Electric Regional Transmission Rule: Framework for Long-Term Planning and Cost Allocation

Ms. Rwejuna is a partner in the Energy, Infrastructure, Project and Asset Finance Group (EIPAF) where she Co-Heads the Energy Markets & Regulatory practice. She also serves as Co-Deputy Head for the North American Region of the White & Case Global Power Industry Group and Co-Head for the White & Case Global Green Policy, Regulation and Incentives Strategic Specialty Area. As an entrepreneurial and commercially-minded advisor who is formally trained in psychology, management, and public policy, Ms. Rwejuna has developed a dynamic, multidisciplinary practice focused on innovation, value creation and problem solving in highly-regulated, fast-paced industries. Within EIPAF, her practice focuses on advising clients on commercial, regulatory, compliance, litigation, and enforcement matters. Ms. Rwejuna has experience with a variety of clean energy technologies, including solar, onshore and offshore wind, hydroelectricity, waste-to-energy, and other advanced and evolving energy technologies. She counsels developers, sponsors, utilities, independent power producers, pipelines, natural gas distribution companies, technology companies, financial institutions and other traditional and emerging energy industry participants on compliance with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulations, cross-border and multijurisdictional transactions and regulatory matters, and advises them on project development, drafting and negotiating complex and bespoke commercial agreements, mergers and acquisitions, dispute resolution, and state regulatory compliance.

Mr. Paradise is a partner and a member of the firm’s global Energy, Infrastructure, and Resources practice area where he focuses on helping clients navigate and shape a complex legal landscape. With over 23 years of experience both in private practice and in-house roles, he has represented clients across the United States and Europe in a wide range of proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), as well as other federal and state agencies, such as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Department of Energy (DOE). Mr. Paradise is a recognized thought leader on matters of transmission planning and development for offshore wind, an area where he has been a frequent industry speaker and participant in state and federal legal, policy, and technical forums. His background counseling organizations on business and energy project development strategies in both traditional areas and new fields such as floating offshore wind, provides him with insights and an understanding of the practical business realities clients face and the range of interrelated regulatory, corporate, tax, stakeholder, and environmental issues that he can help coordinate for efficient and effective representation. Mr. Paradise's background includes legal oversight of regulatory planning, operational matters for a northeastern RTO where he oversaw the development of several tariff provisions, and led teams in charge of generator interconnection and matters related to North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) compliance. He also served as the head of the ISO-RTO Counsel’s Legal and Regulatory Committee where he coordinated the legal and policy positions of all North American organized market grid operators in joint filings. His experience also encompasses the west coast, where he was outside counsel to the system operator in California and more recently a participant in offshore industry trade groups focused on renewable energy and transmission development in the deeper waters of the Pacific Ocean. Mr. Paradise has represented clients in both outside counsel and in-house roles through hearings, settlements, rulemakings, technical conferences, complaints, and energy market rule filings before FERC, has qualified a European offshore wind developer before BOEM and led the process for Wind Energy Area lease area nominations in the Atlantic region. He has worked on transmission project development and bids in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern US, and has over two decades of experience navigating ISO and RTO stakeholder processes. Mr. Paradise has also interfaced on behalf of clients with the DOE policy and technical offices, including facilitating meetings with national labs related to offshore wind technology and as a member of various offshore study advisory committees. 

Mr. Wright is a member of the firm’s Environment and Energy and Corporate practices, and counsels clients on a diverse range of transactional and regulatory matters. He counsels developers, investors and lenders in the development and financing of energy infrastructure assets, as well as mergers and acquisitions, with a particular focus on renewable generation and battery storage facilities. Mr. Wright also assists clients in the sports industry in structuring and negotiating financing transactions, as well as a broad range of corporate clients in sustainability-linked financings. In addition, he counsels clients on electric and natural gas matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, where he previously served as an Attorney-Advisor in the Office of the General Counsel. Mr. Wright specializes in matters involving electric generation interconnection, wholesale electric market design and participation, mergers and acquisitions involving jurisdictional assets, and natural gas pipeline rate proposals.

Mr. Murphy focuses his practice on federal energy regulation, particularly FERC regulation of electricity and natural gas transmission, markets, and transactions. He also counsels on FERC and NERC reliability issues, advising clients making acquisitions or investments that implicate the Federal Power Act, the Natural Gas Act, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, and the Public Utility Holding Company Act (“PUHCA”) of 2005, and issues related to the market and reliability impact of the ongoing transition to clean energy resources in the power sector. Mr. Murphy has concentrated on representing Independent System Operators in their dealings with FERC and NERC, and on providing regulatory support to the firm’s transactional lawyers in connection with various energy sector deals.