Big Law Attorneys Are Bullish on the 'Staying Power' of Energy Transition
Tony Toranto, Sheppard Mullin's Energy, Infrastructure and Project Finance team leader spoke with The Recorder about the booming energy sector in California, particularly in the renewables market.
Reporter Jessie Yount quoted Toranto: "We’ve reached a tipping point in the industry where there is confidence that energy transition has real staying power..." Toranto attributed this staying power to a convergence of factors that have eclipsed a single market. Policies at the state, federal and international levels are coming into play, as is demand related to “very practical needs,” such as how to deliver power in specific quantities, exactly when and where it is needed."
Toranto added that in the realm of hydrogen, to take another example, there is an “increased appreciation that producing large-scale green hydrogen could be one of the most efficient ways to provide and address the clean power needs of the future." For example, Sheppard Mullin is working with clients on creating a hydrogen hub in Southern California, which is one of several locations that has been earmarked by the federal government. Toranto noted these large-scale projects require participation from a variety of players involved in the production, transportation, delivery and storage of power.
Yount highlighted Sheppard Mullin's investment in the past decade in building a “soup-to-nuts” practice that runs across real estate, permitting and project finance, M&A, regulatory, litigation and even intellectual property.