Project Siting and Development

Couch White works with clients to develop, site, finance and build energy facilities. Our expertise includes assisting clients in obtaining all required federal, state and local permits necessary to build and operate energy facilities, negotiating leases, easements and other property rights including, where applicable, obtaining such rights through eminent domain proceedings, and negotiating interconnection agreements and obtaining any authorizations required by regulatory agencies and Independent System Operators/Regional Transmission Organizations. We also draft, negotiate and review financing arrangements for projects as well as engineering, procurement and construction contracts.

The Firm’s representative experience includes:

• Successfully obtaining all permits required under Article X of the New York Public Service Law to build and operate an approximately 1,240 MW gas fired combined-cycle generating facility in Queens, New York, negotiating interconnection agreements and easements associated with the facility, and obtaining all required approvals from the New York Independent System Operator for the facility to sell energy, capacity and other products in the NYISO-administered markets.
• Successfully obtaining all permits required under Article VII of the New York Public Service Law to build and operate an approximately 7-mile long electric transmission facility associated with a new generating project.
• Successfully obtaining permits required under Article VII of the New York Public Service Law to build and operate an approximately 9-mile long natural gas pipeline in Broome County, New York, including negotiating easement agreements with property owners, road use and other agreements with local municipalities and obtaining property rights through eminent domain.