After more than a century of growth, the energy and infrastructure industries are at an important crossroads of opportunity and challenge. Global demand for energy continues to increase, as do calls for more efficient use of traditional and renewable power sources. New technologies hold great promise, while the underlying infrastructure that supported past economic development continues to age. Tightened credit markets are only beginning to thaw. At this critical time, energy and infrastructure clients need legal counsel that combines deep industry experience with a forward-thinking approach to business solutions.
Hunton & Williams' dynamic energy and infrastructure practice began advising electric utility companies and railroads as early as 1901. Over the years, our practice has grown to meet the needs of this key economic sector and is today ranked among the top energy and infrastructure teams worldwide. With more than 100 corporate, project finance, lending, environmental, litigation, regulatory and tax partners practicing from our offices across the United States and in Europe and Asia, the firm consistently receives top-tier rankings by leading legal and industry publications such as Chambers USA and Chambers Global. Our accolades include several recent "Deal of the Year" awards from leading publications, including International Financial Law Review (IFLR), Project Finance magazine (PFM) and Project Finance International (PFI), among others. In 2011, Thomson Reuters ranked Hunton & Williams' role advising Progress Energy in connection with its $26 billion merger with Duke Energy as the largest Power Industry deal of the year by value and the fourth largest overall.
Our clients include regulated and unregulated power companies and utilities, distributors and transportation companies, independent electric transmission companies and others involved in the oil, gas, LNG, coal, renewable and nuclear industries. In the project finance arena, we represent commercial banks and institutional lenders, development finance institutions, export credit agencies and project developers. We have counseled numerous federal, state and local governments, government subdivisions, and multilaterals throughout the world. The firm has advised on transportation, telecommunications, water and sewer, power generation, school and other infrastructure projects across the United States, Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America.
We provide comprehensive finance, development and infrastructure counsel at every step of a project, from initial conception through obtaining regulatory approvals; drafting, documenting and negotiating of joint venture, power-purchase and other agreements, intergovernmental arrangements and guidance on construction, operational and management issues. The individual lawyers of our lending practice have deep, focused experience in complex areas of finance, credit and lending, enabling the team to address the specific needs of commercial banks and other financial institutions, institutional lenders and investment funds. In addition, we regularly assist clients in obtaining federal and state aid, and in creating tax-efficient structures that provide access to the capital markets.