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Lauren A. Collins
Lauren A. Collins
Partner — Tax
Partner — Tax

Lauren A. Collins

Lauren A. Collins
Los Angeles

Two California Plaza
350 South Grand Avenue
Suite 2100
Los Angeles, California 90071

start quote symbolRenewable projects and business models involve complex technologies, counter-parties, and tax structures. I provide tax counsel on both the tax equity and project developer side to help clients navigate these challenges. I particularly enjoy working closely with my clients to adapt traditional project development and finance methods to suit their unique business models and close on their financing transactions.end quote symbol
Lauren A. Collins

Experience Highlights

  • Swift Current Energy in the ~$700 million debt financing, ~$250 million tax equity financing, and ~$270 million ITC transfers for the 800 MWdc Double Black Diamond Solar project in Illinois, which is expected to be the second largest single phase solar project in the US and the largest solar project in MISO

  • Major financial institution in connection with its tax equity commitment in a 200 MW solar project in Milam County, Texas, including a first of its kind financing commitment for the Domestic Content Bonus

  • Vitol Inc. in a landmark tax credit transfer agreement with Avangrid, Inc. to purchase an estimated $100 million of wind PTCs

  • Major U.S. financial institution in connection with sale of $250 million of investment tax credits to various corporate buyers

  • Tax equity investor in their investment in two solar projects with 450 MW combined capacity in California

  • Tax equity investor in its approximately $320 million commitment to a portfolio of two solar projects in Arizona and Virginia totaling 355 MW and including 100 MW of storage, representing one of the first tax equity financings of a battery energy storage asset for this investor

  • Swift Current in the construction debt and tax equity financing of a 195 MW solar project in Texas

  • Terra-Gen in the approximately $270 million construction financing and $136 million tax equity financing for the 64.5 MW Tehachapi Plains, 60.3 MW Oasis Power, and 14.4 MW Oasis Alta wind generation facilities in Kern County, California, and the 61.2 MW Coachella and 46.8 MW Painted Hills wind generation facilities in Riverside County, California

  • MN8 Energy in the acquisition and tax equity financing of the 150 MW solar-plus-storage High Desert Solar Project in San Bernardino County, California

  • Brookfield Renewable Power in the approximately $1 billion acquisition of Scout Clean Energy from Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners

  • Brookfield Renewable Power in its investment of up to $500 million in California Bioenergy, a leading developer of dairy digesters for generating renewable vehicle fuel and electricity

  • Numerous tax equity investors in their initial investments in utility scale wind, solar, and storage projects including—with respect to solar and storage—commercial, industrial, and residential assets, utilizing partnership flip transactions, sale leaseback, and inverted lease structures

  • Tax equity investor in its investment in a portfolio of three utility scale solar photovoltaic projects in Texas, Colorado, and Vermont with nameplate capacities of 30 MW, 19.59 MW, and 50 MW, respectively

  • MN8 Energy in connection with the acquisition from Recurrent Energy and the development, debt and term financing of a 300MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plus 140.25MW/561MWh storage project in California. The project will sell power pursuant to 5 separate power purchase agreements, 4 of which include energy storage

  • JPM Capital Corporation in its approximately $160 million equity commitment to develop the approximately 126 MW Timber Road IV Wind Farm Project in Paulding County, Ohio, and the approximately 50.4 MW Los Mirasoles II Wind Farm Project in Hidalgo and Starr Counties, Texas

  • Tax equity investor in the $185 million tax equity investment and lender in a $60 million loan to repower three wind generation facilities in Texas totaling 546MW, each being developed by one of the largest renewable energy project developers in the U.S.

  • Tax equity investor in its approximately $350 million tax equity commitment in a 485 MW solar project in Virginia, which is the largest solar facility east of the Rocky Mountains

  • Residential solar project developer in tax equity financings with multiple tax equity sources, major equipment procurement contracts, and related strategic advice regarding growth strategies

  • Terra-Gen in the approximately $250 million construction financing and $170 million tax equity financing for the 193.5MW Voyager Wind II Project in Kern County, California, and the 32.7MW Texas Big Spring Project in Big Spring, Texas

  • Wells Fargo in their tax equity investment to construct the 145 MW Aragonne Mesa Wind Project and to repower the 90 MW Aragonne Wind Project, both in Guadalupe County, New Mexico

  • Monolith, a green hydrogen project developer, in tax credit advice and representation in connection with its qualification for and monetization of IRA hydrogen project tax credits

  • Wind turbine manufacturer and solar project inverter manufacturer in connection with each of their sales of IRA manufacturing credits

  • Various sponsors and developers in domestic content and energy community qualification analysis and preparation of related tax opinions and memorandums

  • Preparation of comments to Treasury and other stakeholder comments relating to various Inflation Reduction Act matters on behalf of investors, sponsors, developers, and trade associations

  • Negotiation of tax insurance policies covering tax risks relating to the Inflation Reduction Act

  • 8 Rivers Capital in its joint venture with ADM to develop the 280 MW Broadwing Clean Energy Complex in Illinois, one of the world’s first zero emissions Allam-Fetvedt cycle power plants, including CO2 storage capabilities

  • 8 Rivers Capital in its joint venture with The Southern Ute Indian Tribe Growth Fund to develop the 280 MW Coyote Clean Power Project in Colorado, one of the world’s first zero-emissions NET Power natural gas-fired power plants, including CO2 capture and storage capabilities

  • MN8 Energy in connection with the acquisition from Recurrent Energy and the development, debt and term financing of a 300MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plus 140.25MW/561MWh storage project in California. The project will sell power pursuant to 5 separate power purchase agreements, 4 of which include energy storage

  • Private equity fund in a $150 million debut joint venture with a solar developer to acquire and develop community solar and other eligible renewable projects

Credentials

  • University of Southern California Gould School of Law, J.D., 2010 (Southern California Law Review, Senior Content Editor)
  • New York University School of Law, LL.M., Taxation, 2011
  • University of California – San Diego, B.A. Political Science with honors, 2007
  • Chambers Global, Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy (USA), 2023; “Up and Coming” in Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy (USA), 2023 and 2024
  • Legal 500 U.S., “Next Generation Partner” in Energy: Renewable/Alternative Power, 2022-2024; Finance: Project Finance, 2022-2024; Tax: U.S. Taxes: Non-Contentious, 2023 and 2024
  • Chambers USA, Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy (Nationwide), 2022; “Up and Coming” in Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy (Nationwide), 2022; Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy (Nationwide), 2024;  Tax (California), 2024
  • Kayo Conference Series, “Top 21 in ’21: Women in Power,” 2021
  • California
  • “2018 in Retrospect: The Renewable Energy Industry in a Post-TCJA World,” Tax Notes, February 11, 2019 (co-author)
  • “Is It Safe? – A Solar Safe Harbor,” Tax Notes, July 3,2017 (co-author)
  • “Back to the Beginning: Energy Property Revisited,” Tax Notes, December 19, 2016 (co-author)
  • “The Unwind: ‘I Don’t Want It’,” Tax Notes, September 12, 2016 (co-author)
  • “Renewable Power Facilities: Placed-in-Service Issues,” Tax Notes, Vol. 151, No. 8, May 23, 2016 (co-author)
  • “Renewable Structures: Choices and Challenges,” Pratt’s Energy Law Report, Vol. 15, No. 7, July 2015 (co-author)