Michael Klaus

Practice Areas

Michael D. Klaus is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Milbank and a member of the Global Project, Energy and Infrastructure Finance Group.

Mr. Klaus’ practice focuses on the financing and sale of renewable energy projects.

Mr. Klaus has experience representing financial institutions and sponsors in all aspects of the acquisition, development and financing of energy and infrastructure projects. He has represented clients in the financing or sale of projects across a range of technologies, including solar, wind, battery storage, fuel cell, biomass, landfill gas, and advanced biofuels technologies.

Mr. Klaus is recognized as a leading renewable energy attorney by Chambers and Legal 500.

Experience

Select highlights of his recent experience include:

Solar and Battery Storage Projects

• Represented tax equity investor in the financing of a 690 MW solar and 380 MW/1,416 MWh battery storage project under construction in Nevada, which will be one of the largest solar plus storage projects in the United States.

• Represented tax equity investor in the financing of a 482 MW solar project, paired with a 394 MW battery storage facility, in California, which is one of the largest solar plus storage projects in California.

• Represented tax equity investor in the financing of a 100 MW solar project, paired with a 10 MW battery storage facility, in Arkansas, which was the first solar project in Arkansas to feature battery energy storage.

• Represented equity investors in the financing of utility scale, distributed generation and residential solar projects, including:

o a 156 MW project in Colorado, which was the largest solar project East of the Rockies when constructed;

o a 130 MW project in California, which was the largest project with a power purchase agreement with a Community Choice Aggregator (CCA) when constructed;

o a 200 MW project in Illinois, which was the largest project in Illinois when constructed;

o a 49 MW project in Hawaii, which was the largest solar project in Hawaii when constructed;

o a 182 MW project in Texas, which was the largest solar project in Texas when constructed; and

o a 26 MW project in Connecticut, which is one of the largest solar projects in New England.

• Represented sponsors in the term financing of utility scale and distributed generation projects in New York, Vermont and the Caribbean.

• Represented technology and financial services company in its acquisition of an interest in a joint venture formed to own, develop, construct and operate a 20 MW battery energy storage project in California.

• Represented sponsors in the acquisition and sale of solar projects in California, Minnesota, Nevada and Oregon.

Wind Projects

• Represented equity investors in the financing of utility scale wind projects in California, Colorado, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas.

• Represented lender in a $100 million senior secured bridge loan to finance a 249 MW wind project in Texas.

Other Power Generation and Biofuels Projects

• Represented syndicate of lenders in an approximately $125 million senior secured nonrecourse credit facility to provide financing for a portfolio of landfill gas to energy projects.

• Represented developer of fuel cell energy projects in a partnership with a utility company to develop a 14.9 MW fuel cell power plant in Connecticut (the largest fuel cell project in North America when completed).

• Represented a US biofuels company in connection with obtaining a Department of Energy loan guarantee for a cellulosic ethanol facility.