Vanessa G. Tanaka is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP based in the Chicago office. She is a member of the Firm's Energy and Derivatives Markets Practice Group, where she focuses her practice on issues regarding energy markets and secured transactions.
Vanessa represents financial institutions, energy and commodity companies and wind power companies in a variety of transactional, regulatory and risk management matters. Vanessa has considerable experience advising clients on energy-related secured transactions, acquisitions and renewable energy projects. She advises clients on wholesale energy supply contracts and negotiates master trading agreements for gas, power, renewable and financial products. She also has extensive experience addressing issues related to the capacity and authority of municipalities and governmental entities.
Representative Experience
Structured Transactions
Represented a prominent wind power production company in negotiating a secured energy hedge in connection with a tax equity financing for the construction of wind generating assets in the state of New York.
Represented the power trading affiliate of an investment bank in connection with its entry into a structured natural gas hedge with a Texas-based oil and gas exploration and development company. The company transferred the hedge to a special purpose vehicle in connection with a Shari'a (Islamic law) compliant bond offering.
Represented a financial institution in negotiating a complex hedging agreement including financially-settled options and a capacity swap. The hedging agreement was entered into in connection with a private equity fund's acquisition of a generating company that owns and operates three power plants in New York City.
Represented a financial institution in negotiating a hedging agreement in connection with a private equity fund's purchase of a power plant in California. The client provided the fund with a highly-structured tolling off-take agreement under which the financial institution provided natural gas and received power and other energy products.
Acted as counsel to the commodities arm of an investment bank in negotiating a hedging agreement with a major power marketing company located in Texas in connection with a billion dollar financing for the company and its subsidiaries. Since the original transaction, McDermott has advised the client on several issues related to a subsequent refinancing of the original debt and has negotiated additional hedges under the new structure.
Negotiated the documentation and provided regulatory advice to a financial institution in a structured transaction in which a major power marketer's long-term contract with the California Department of Water Resources was transferred to a special purpose vehicle and securitized through the issuance of nearly $1 billion in notes.
Represented an investment bank in a structured transaction with a major power marketer in which the power marketer monetized certain power sales contracts with a New Jersey public utility through the issuance of over $800 million in notes.
Mergers/Acquisitions
Represented a financial institution in its acquisition of the wholesale power trading portfolio of a major power marketer.
Represented an investment bank in connection with its purchase of the equity of a large Houston-based energy trader and, with respect to certain affiliates, their trading assets, together valued at over one billion dollars.
Represented the power trading affiliate of an investment bank in its acquisition of the wholesale power trading portfolio of a major power marketer, and assisted the client in securing regulatory approvals, third-party consents and novating the transactions from the power marketer to the client.
Represented a financial institution in the purchase of a special purpose vehicle with a valuable long-term contract to sell electricity from a specific facility to a New Jersey public utility.
Education
University of Wisconsin Law School, J.D. (with honors), 1999
Boston University, B.A. (magna cum laude), 1991 |