Michael J. Masri, P.C.
Overview
Michael Masri is a partner in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Mike is a transactional lawyer whose principal areas of practice are tax and energy and infrastructure. He regularly advises his clients on all aspects of the tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act from a project development and financing perspective, from a mergers and acquisitions perspective and from a private equity fund formation perspective. Mike also leads a thriving tax equity practice representing developers and investors in tax equity financings across the renewable energy and energy transition sector, including tax equity financings for wind, solar, battery storage, offshore wind, geothermal, hydrogen, electric vehicles and chargers, renewable natural gas, clean fuels and carbon sequestration projects.
Mike is recognized in the 2022–2024 editions of Chambers Global and in the 2021–2024 editions of Chambers USA for his work in Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy where commentators note, "Mike is one of those leaders who's trying to push the market forward when we're without much clear guidance from the IRS.” “He is extremely creative, solutions-oriented and very commercially-minded.” “The advice that he's given to clients is more robust and more commercial than we've seen elsewhere — he has a good sense of what works and what doesn't.” “Michael is a phenomenal tax lawyer.” “He is commercial and knowledgeable.” “He has a very good feel for tax equity's unique needs and helps the client to think strategically." "He is a creative thinker, has good technical skills and is good at explaining tax to non-tax people." He is also recommended by The Legal 500 United States for Project Finance and Energy Transactions: Electric Power.
Experience
Representative Matters
Since joining Kirkland, Mike’s representative transactions have included:
- Blackstone Infrastructure Partners in its approximately $1 billion investment in a portfolio of wind and solar projects with NextEra Energy Resources.
- Vineyard Wind 1 in the $1.2 billion tax equity financing for its 800 MW offshore wind project off the coast of Massachusetts.
- Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board (OTPP) in its $250 million majority stake investment in Sevana Bioenergy, a developer of large-scale renewable natural gas projects.
- Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), through its Energy Transition Fund (CI ETF I), in its acquisition of a majority stake in a blue ammonia project, which will be developed alongside U.S.-based Sustainable Fuels Group.
- Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in its $805 million convertible equity portfolio financing of a large portfolio of renewables assets owned by NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP).
- Doral Renewables LLC, a U.S. renewable energy and storage developer, in its sale of up to $500 million of convertible notes to funds managed by Apollo (NYSE: APO) affiliates and Migdal Insurance.
- TPG Rise Climate in its approximately $550 million investment in a $750 million capital raise by Intersect Power, LLC.
- TPG Rise Climate in its $300 million investment in Summit Carbon Solutions, developer of a large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project that will capture and permanently store up to 20 million tons per year of carbon dioxide from facilities across the U.S. Midwest.
- Blackstone Infrastructure Partners on its participation in a consortium of investors that secured an almost 84,000 acre lease for $645 million in the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s New York Bight offshore wind auction.
- Blackstone Infrastructure Partners on its $3 billion equity investment in Invenergy Renewables Holdings LLC in one of the largest renewables investments in North America
- Ares’s Infrastructure and Power strategy in its $600 million strategic equity investment in SB Energy, SoftBank Group Corp.’s U.S. Climate Infrastructure Technology platform
- Special tax counsel to Intersect Power, LLC in the $2.6 billion financing for the construction and operations for a portfolio of six renewable projects, which included the tax equity financing of 310MWdc + 453MWh BESS Athos III Project located in Riverside County, California and 415MWdc Radian Project located in Brown County, Texas.
- Cypress Creek Renewables in the tax equity financing for the 270 MW Shakes solar energy project located in Dimmit County, Texas.
- Ares’s Infrastructure & Power strategy in its acquisition of a majority stake in Apex Clean Energy, a leading renewables developer transitioning to an independent power producer, and certain related co-investment arrangements
- Cypress Creek Renewables in its acquisition by EQT Infrastructure V fund from certain funds managed by HPS Investment Partners, LLC and Temasek.
- Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan:
- in its $849 million acquisition of a 50% stake from NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) in a portfolio of 13 utility scale wind and solar projects across the U.S.
- in a $824 million convertible equity portfolio financing (together with Apollo-managed funds) of a large portfolio of renewables assets owned by NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP).
- Magnetar Capital’s Energy & Infrastructure group in a $100 million preferred equity investment round in PosiGen, a renewable energy solutions provider.
Prior to joining Kirkland, Mike’s representative transactions included:
Energy & Infrastructure
- Clearway Energy Group on the tax equity financing of the 161 MW Wildorado and 238 MW Elbow Creek wind repowering projects (IJGlobal’s 2019 North American Wind Deal of the Year).
- Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners in the tax equity financing for the Bearkat I and Blue Cloud wind energy projects in Texas.
- Engie in its acquisition of Infinity Renewables, a leading developer of utility-scale wind projects in the United States. The acquisition included more than 8,000 MW of U.S. wind and solar projects in various stages of development.
- A sponsor in development, joint venture arrangements and financings for US offshore wind projects.
- The lender in connection with the back-leverage tax equity financing of Apex Clean Energy’s 217 MW renewable portfolio deal, consisting of the 50.4 MW Cotton Plains Wind and 151.2 MW Old Settler Wind projects under construction in Floyd County, Texas, and the 15.4 MW Phantom Solar facility under construction at US Army Garrison Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.
- NRG in the tax equity financing of 12 wind farms located in eight states with a combined capacity of 947 MW.
- NRG in the $119 million tax equity financing of the Alta X (137 MW) and Alta XI (90 MW) wind facilities in Tehachapi, California.
- NRG in the $40 million tax equity financing transaction with US Bank for a portfolio of residential rooftop solar projects.
- GE Energy Financial Services (GE EFS) in the acquisition from Enel Green Power North America, Inc. of a 49 percent interest in a portfolio of 46 renewable energy projects.
- The lenders in construction and tax equity back leverage financing of the Block Island Wind Farm, the first utility-scale offshore wind farm in the United States, a 30 MW project off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island.
- MetLife on the joint sponsorship and tax equity financing of the Long Island solar farm, a 32 MW solar PV power project located at the US Department of Energy Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York.
- Atlantic Power Limited Partnership and its subsidiaries, as borrower and guarantors, in connection with new senior secured credit facilities comprising a $600 million term loan B facility and a $210 million revolving credit facility.
- A Goldman Sachs subsidiary and two other owners in the sale of Solar Gen 2 LLC’s 150 MW solar PV under development in the Imperial Valley in California.
- GE EFS in construction period investments and subsequent partnership flip financings for the $375 million Chisholm View 235 MW wind project in Oklahoma; the $305 million Prairie Rose 200 MW wind project in Minnesota; and the $370 million Buffalo Dunes 250 MW wind project in Kansas.
- The lead arranger in connection with the financing of the 614 MW gas-fired Oakley Power Project in Contra Costa, California.
- The lenders in the senior secured bank financing of the $842 million Woodbridge Energy Center, a 700 MW natural gas-fired generation project in New Jersey.
- The sponsor in the acquisition and financing of the approximately $3 billion 550 MW Desert Sunlight PV solar power project in Riverside County, California.
- The lenders in the senior secured bank financing of the $842 million Woodbridge Energy Center, a 700 MW natural gas-fired generation project in New Jersey.
- The sponsor in the $145 million tax equity financing of a 60 MW solar facility in California, which was awarded “Deal of the Year,” IJGlobal Americas Award.
- An electric utility in the $285 million tax equity financing of a 200 MW wind facility.
- An electric utility in the proposed tax equity financing of a 160 MW wind facility, to be located on tribal land in California.
M&A
- Just Energy Group, one of the largest competitive green energy retailers in North America, in the sale of Hudson Energy Solar Corp., its commercial solar development business with an operating portfolio consisting of approximately 101 projects, to TerraForm Power Inc. and SunEdison, Inc.
- Rockwell Collins, Inc. in its acquisition of ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, for $1.39 billion.
- Hess in connection with its acquisition of American Oil & Gas for approximately $445 million in Hess stock.
- Excel Maritime Carriers Ltd. in connection with its acquisition of Quintana Maritime Limited for $2.45 billion.
- SSAB Svenskt Stål AB in connection with its acquisition of Canadian steel producer, IPSCO Inc., for approximately $7.7 billion.
Capital Markets
- Bank of Montréal's $20 billion note programme renewal.
- Calpine in connection with its $1 billion Senior Note Offering.
- Inn of The Mountain Gods Resorts & Casino in its offer to exchange its outstanding 12 percent Senior Notes due 2010 for (1) new 8.750 percent Senior Notes due 2020; (2) new Senior PIK Notes due 2020; and (3) a pro rata amount of $18 million in cash.
Prior Experience
More
Thought Leadership
Publications
Author, “The Inflation Reduction Act: How new rules fuel new financings,” Infrastructure Investor, November 2023
Speaking Engagements
Moderator, “2 Years of the IRA: Examining the Impact and Evaluating Lingering Uncertainties,” REFF Wall Street, September 2024
Moderator, “Tax Equity Structures for CCS,” CCS / Decarbonization Summit, July 2022
“Energy, Climate, ESG, Environmental and Tax Matters in the First 100 Days of the Biden Administration,” Kirkland Webinar, May 11, 2021
Recognition
Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy, Chambers Global: USA, 2023–2024
Projects, Chambers Global, 2022
Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy — Nationwide, Chambers USA, 2021–2024
The Legal 500 United States: Recognized Lawyer for Energy Transactions: Electric Power, 2024, Project Finance, 2023–2024, Energy Regulation — Oil and Gas, 2019, Tax — US Taxes: Non-Contentious, 2019 and 2021, and International Tax, 2022
New York Metro Rising Star, Tax, Thomson Reuters, 2014–2018
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- New York
Education
- Fordham University School of LawJ.D.magna cum laude2007Order of the Coif
- Zicklin School of Business, Baruch CollegeM.S., Accountancy2001
- Zicklin School of Business, Baruch CollegeB.B.A., Financesumma cum laude2000