Overview
International law firm McDermott Will & Emery represented Beam Suntory Inc., a world leader in premium spirits and producer of Jim Beam® bourbon, in the execution of a Renewable Energy Services Agreement with 3Rivers Energy Partners for the development of a $400 million renewable energy expansion.
As a result of this agreement, Beam Suntory will build a facility across the street from the Booker Noe distillery, Jim Beam’s largest Kentucky Distillery, to convert spent stillage into biogas. The biogas development project will use still from the whiskey distillery process as feedstock to produce renewable natural gas, which will then power the expanded distillery and assist Beam Suntory in achieving its goal to cut its company-wide greenhouse gas emission and water usage in half by 2030.
The transaction closed on September 12, 2022 and the project is expected to be completed by 2024.
In addition to capacity expansion, the investment includes land, warehouses and 51 new local jobs. Further, this project allows the distillery to invest in high-efficiency gas boilers to make maximum use of renewable natural gas, use scrubbing technology to remove carbon dioxide from fermentation tanks and following a purification process, facilitate the beneficial reuse of more than 100,000 metric tons of high-purity carbon dioxide annually.
The McDermott team was led by Parker Lee and Nichole Shustack and included Ming Lei, Isabelle Cunningham, Jacob Hollinger, Heather Cooper and Robert da Silva Ashley.
Read Beam Suntory’s press release here.
About McDermott
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices, industries and more than 20 locations to deliver highly effective solutions that propel success. More than 1,200 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
