Chad Marriott

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Chad Marriott serves as counsel to sponsors, owners, and investors, as well as commercial and industrial customers, in the development, sale, acquisition, and financing of renewable and thermal energy projects throughout the United States.  His breadth of experience in finance, M&A, and state and federal utility regulation keeps him actively engaged as a member of Stoel Rives’ Energy Development team.

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DOE Releases Draft Guide for Private Financing of Large-Scale Renewable Energy Projects at Federal Facilities

The U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) has released a draft guidebook entitled “Federal Renewable Energy Guide: Developing Large-Scale Renewable Energy Projects at Federal Facilities Using Private Capital” for public comment. The guide was developed by the DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and project developers “to ensure that Federal … Continue Reading

Project Financing and the U.S. Department of Defense

For those of you who are tracking the U.S. Department of Defense’s (“DOD”) efforts to procure electricity from renewable energy projects, here are some numbers to think about with respect to project financing:  According to a Government Accountability Office report released last month, the four DOD services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines) are known to have … Continue Reading

FAQ on Army’s $7 Billion Draft RFP for Renewable Energy

On February 24, 2012, the U.S. Army Engineering & Support Center issued a draft request for proposals for renewable and alternative energy (the “Draft RFP”). Since posting our initial blog and Energy Law Alert, we have received a number of inquiries about the details of the solicitation. Below are answers to some of the most frequently asked … Continue Reading

Army Issues Draft RFP for $7 Billion in Renewable Energy Contracts

On Friday February 24, 2012, the U.S. Army Engineering & Support Center in Huntsville, Alabama issued a draft request for proposals (Solicitation No. W912DY-11-R-0036, the “Draft RFP”) titled “Large Scale Renewable Energy Production for Federal Installations.”  The objective of the solicitation, in its current form, is to procure renewable and alternative energy through power purchase … Continue Reading

CAISO Initiates Broad Cost Allocation Stakeholder Process

Yesterday, the California Independent System Operator Corp. (“CAISO”) issued a straw proposal entitled “Cost Allocation Guiding Principles.” The straw proposal kicks off a new stakeholder process designed to establish a set of guiding principles for cost allocation that can be applied throughout the CAISO’s various markets and services.  As expected, the stakeholder community has been divided … Continue Reading

New DOE Resource Assessments Nudge Wave and Tidal Energy Forward

The U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) recently released two new nationwide resource assessments for wave and tidal energy projects in the U.S. The reports, funded by the DOE and prepared by the Electric Power Research Institute ("EPRI") and the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, present the most rigorous and comprehensive analysis to date on the magnitude of the … Continue Reading

Verdant Power Receives First FERC Pilot Project License

Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") issued its first pilot project license for a tidal energy project to Verdant Power, LLC for its Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy ("RITE") Project in New York’s East River (pictured at right).  As a first-of-its-kind license, this is a significant step for the burgeoning tidal energy industry in the United … Continue Reading

Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2011 Introduced in the House of Representatives

Today, Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) introduced H.R.3680, the "Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2011", in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Here is a summary of the bill’s major provisions: Would exempt small hydroelectric facilities of 10 MW or less from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") licensing process (currently, the … Continue Reading

PIRP Changes Off the Agenda for December CAISO Board Meeting

On November 30, the California Independent System Operator Corporation ("CAISO") announced that it would not push for changes to the Participating Intermittent Resources Program ("PIRP") at the December 15-16 Board of Governors meeting.  The announcement came as welcome news to intermittent renewables advocates as the CAISO and stakholders have spent the past year negotiating issues set … Continue Reading

What’s Happening in Small Hydro and Hydrokinetics?

Some very noteworthy things have happened this month in the world(s) of small hydro and hydrokinetics in the United States. Here’s a quick summary: 1.         U.S. Departments of Energy and the Interior Award ~$17 Million for Advanced Hydropower R&D. On September 6, 2011, Secretaries Chu and Salazar announced that the two agencies will provide nearly $17 million … Continue Reading

PNWER Annual Summit Hosts First Ocean Energy Panel and Moderated Forum

Last week, the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (“PNWER”) Annual Summit here in Portland, Oregon played host to its first-ever ocean energy panel and moderated forum. The four-hour session was organized by Oregon state Representative Deborah “Debbie” Boone (D.- Cannon Beach) and Richard “Rick” Williams of Science Applications International Corporation. The five initial panelists [1] were joined by … Continue Reading

FERC Issues Order No. 1000 on Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation by Transmission Owning and Operating Public Utilities

Yesterday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC" or "the Commission") issued Order No. 1000 in Docket No. RM10-23-000, a rulemaking proceeding initiated by the Commission on June 17, 2010.  Order No. 1000 is a Final Rule that weighs in at a whopping 620 pages and reforms the Commission’s electric transmission planning and cost allocation requirements for public utility … Continue Reading

Recent RFPs for Renewable Energy

Several requests for proposals ("RFPs") have been issued recently with July deadlines.  Here’s a brief summary of each: Progress Energy Carolinas is seeking proposals for energy and renewable energy certificates from newly constructed or existing wind projects of at least 5 MW to comply with North Carolina’s renewable energy portfolio standard.  Projects do not have to … Continue Reading

U.S. Department of Energy Announces Interactive Tidal Energy Resource Map

Today, Mike Reed, the Water Power Team Lead for the U.S. Department of Energy’s ("DOE") Wind & Water Power Program, announced a new resource to help developers assess the quality of the tidal energy resource along the coast of the United States. Called the "Assessment of Energy Production Potential from Tidal Streams in the United States," the online database was developed … Continue Reading

UPDATE: California Utilities Issue 2011 RFOs for Renewables

Following up on my blog Thursday, all three of California’s major investor-owned utilities, Pacific Gas & Electric ("PG&E"), San Diego Gas & Electric ("SDG&E"), and Southern California Edison ("SCE") have issued their 2011 requests for offers ("RFO") and requests for proposals ("RFP") for eligible renewable resources, triggering their timelines for new contract proposals. Information on PG&E’s RFO, issued Wednesday May 11, … Continue Reading

4th Annual Global Marine Renewable Energy Conference

On Friday April 29, Stoel Rives partner Cherise Oram will be presenting on "Accelerating the Decision Making Process for MHK Facilities" at the 4th Annual Global Marine Renewable Energy Conference in Washington, D.C. This year’s conference takes place from April 27 – 29.  Here’s a brief summary of what to expect: Wednesday April 27 is Industry Development … Continue Reading

DOE and Interior Announce $26.6 Million for Hydropower R&D

At the National Hydropower Association conference in Washington, D.C. earlier this week, Department of Energy ("DOE") Secretary Steven Chu and Department of the Interior ("DOI") Secretary Ken Salazar announced a $26.6 million grant program to advance the development, testing, validation, modeling, and interconnection of advanced conventional hydropower systems.  The agencies’ news came at the same time that the … Continue Reading

Idaho Legislature Halts Wind Moratorium

Today, the State Affairs Committee of the Idaho House of Representatives rejected H265, the bill that would impose a two-year moratorium on new wind projects in the state, by a vote of 11-8.  Discussions at the hearing suggest that at least some of the bill’s opponents believed the rapid development of wind in the state should be addressed by individual … Continue Reading

Sen. Murkowski Introduces Bipartisan Hydropower Improvement Act

Today, Senate Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced bipartisan legislation to accelerate the deployment of hydropower projects across the country.  According to Murkowski, the Hydropower Improvement Act of 2011 "achieves common sense regulatory reform, spurs economic growth and takes advantage of hydropower’s position as the country’s leading source of clean, renewable energy."  … Continue Reading

Army Corps Proposes New Nationwide Permit for Offshore Wind and Hydrokinetic Pilot Projects

The Army Corps of Engineers (the “Corps”) is seeking comments on a new proposed nationwide permit (“NWP”) for offshore wind and hydrokinetic pilot projects.  In its February 16, 2011 Proposal to Reissue and Modify Nationwide Permits, the Corps described a new NWP for “Water-Based Renewable Energy Pilot Projects” that could give developers a reprieve from … Continue Reading

BOEMRE Proposes to Streamline Leasing on the OCS

There’s good news for offshore wind and hydrokinetic project developers looking to site projects on the Outer Continental Shelf (“OCS”). The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (“BOEMRE” or the “Bureau”) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NOPR”) on February 16, 2010 to delete a step in the regulatory process for issuing noncompetitive leases … Continue Reading

DOE Approves Loan Guarantee for ON Line

On October 20, my colleague Janet Jacobs reported that the U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") had offered a conditional commitment of $350 million to NV Energy, Inc. and Great Basin Transmission South, LLC, an affiliate of LS Power Group, for development of the 500-kV One Nevada Transmission Line (the "ON Line project"). Well, good news. Two days … Continue Reading
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