Michael Didriksen

Department Chair - Global Projects (New York) Partner

[email protected]

New York

P: +1.212.408.2507
F: +1.212.259.2507
Michael Didriksen Photo

"[A]n exceptional lawyer who brings thoughtful and practical guidance, hard work, responsiveness and creative thinking to the table."

The Legal 500 U.S. 2015

Michael Didriksen is the New York Global Projects Department Chair and Co-Head of New York Transactional Group. Coupling legal ingenuity with business acumen, Michael Didriksen is who clients call when they need to forge new ground. His skill set is why energy clients trust him to structure some the most cutting-edge transactions of the last decade.

A deal lawyer with more than twenty years of experience handling complex M&A and project development, his experience includes all forms of renewable power, conventional power, storage (battery and pumped hydro) and transmission (including large scale HVDC merchant transmission), as well as the alternative and renewable fuels space (RNG, SAF and LFG).

He recently structured a first-of-its-kind agreement for AES to provide around the clock carbon free energy to Google data centers in Virginia, including hourly performance targets for the carbon content of such energy, a key step in assisting Google's previously announced goal of running its business on 100% carbon free energy on an hourly basis by 2030.

Related Experience

Project Development & Related Matters

  • Transmission Developers, Inc., a Blackstone portfolio company, in the structuring of the long-term sale of the capacity on the Champlain Hudson Power Express, a 1,250 MW HVDC underground and under water transmission line from Quebec to New York City
  • A global independent power producer, in the negotiation of numerous long-term Power Purchase Agreements for the off-take from renewable projects, including off-take agreements for:
    • a portfolio of solar projects in PJM totaling approximately 110 MWAC;
    • an approximately 112 MWAC wind project in PJM;
    • an approximately 20 MWAC hydroelectric project in PJM.
  • Gevo, Inc., in connection with the negotiation of numerous fuel supply agreements for the sale of renewable jet fuel and renewable isooctane, including with Delta Airlines, British Airways, Scandinavian Airlines, Trafigura Trading, Total, S.A., Kolmar and Haltermann Carless
  • Puget Sound Energy, in connection with the negotiation of a long-term Power Purchase Agreements for the off-take from various renewable power projects, including the off-take from:
    • an approximately 350 MW wind power project in the United States;
    • an approximately 200 MW wind power project in the United States;
    • an approximately 150 MW solar power project in the United States; and
    • an approximately 130 MW wind power project in the United States.
  • Puget Sound Energy, Inc., in the negotiation of a long-term Service and Maintenance Agreement for its fleet of Siemens wind turbines located at the Lower Snake River Project, an approximately 343 MW wind powered electric generating facility in Columbia and Garfield Counties, Washington
  • Transmission Developers, Inc. (a Blackstone Portfolio Company), in connection with the proposed development and commercialization of the New England Clean Power Link, a proposed $1.2 billion 1,000 MW HVDC transmission line between Quebec, Canada and ISO-NE
  • Puget Sound Energy, Inc., in the development of a new, state-of-the-art LNG production and storage facility at the Port of Tacoma, Washington, including the negotiation of a long-term LNG fuel supply agreement to supply LNG to fuel cargo ships owned by Totem Ocean Trailer Express, which operates cargo service between the Port of Tacoma and Alaska
  • Puget Sound Energy, Inc., in the development and construction of the Lower Snake River Project, an approximately 343 MW wind powered electric generating facility constructed in Columbia and Garfield Counties, Washington, including the largest purchase of Siemens wind turbines to date for onshore delivery to the U.S. market
  • Puget Sound Energy, Inc., in the re-development of the Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Project, an historic run-of-river hydroelectric generating plant (the world’s first completely underground generating facility) originally commissioned in 1898
  • General Electric, in connection with the Linden VFT merchant transmission facility, the first auction of merchant transmission capacity in the United States, which provides 300 MW of new transmission capacity into New York City

Mergers & Acquisitions

  • Representation of AES Clean Energy in connection with the sale of a 49% stake in a 1.3 GW portfolio 17 renewable energy projects to Hannon Armstrong
  • Representation of CIM Group in connection with the acquisition of renewable natural gas development platform of MAS CanAm
  • Idaho Power Corporation in its acquisition via a build transfer agreement of a 120 MW X 480 MWh battery storage project from Duke Energy Renewables
  • Representation of The AES Corporation in the structuring of a 10-year strategic alliance with Google to accelerate the growth and adoption of clean energy
  • Representation of The AES Corporation in the formation of Fluence Energy, a global joint venture for battery-based energy storage technology between AES and Siemens
  • A global independent power producer in the acquisition or sale of various renewable energy projects in the United Stated, including:
    • a 70 MWAC solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Pennsylvania;
    • a 150 MWAC solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Pennsylvania;
    • 80 MWAC solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Pennsylvania;
    • a 367 MWAC solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Texas;
    • a 20 MWAC solar project in Puerto Rico; and
    • a 50% interest in a portfolio of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in Italy to SunEdison, Inc.
  • German utility in its investment into a renewable energy project development platform in the United States
  • German utility in its investment into a small-scale LNG development platform in the United States
  • The AES Corporation in the divestiture of its 50% interest in Silver Ridge Power, a solar generation company with operations in the United States, Europe and India
  • Consumers Energy, in its sale of the 798 MW Palisades Nuclear Power Plant to a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, including the negotiation of a long-term power purchase agreement to purchase the output thereof following the sale
  • Alliant Energy, in the sale of its interest in the 600 MW Duane Arnold Energy Center to Florida Power & Light, including the negotiation of a long-term power purchase agreement to purchase the output thereof following the sale

Awards & Community

Recognized in Chambers USA, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023

Recommended in The Legal 500 U.S. 2013, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023

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