Overview
Carl J. Fleming is a transactional lawyer whose principal areas of practice are renewable energy and private equity. He leads transactions throughout the US and worldwide for a number of the renewable industry’s leading developers, global private equity funds and Fortune 500 companies. He provides legal, commercial and strategic advice on the development, purchase and sale and financing of renewable energy projects in wind, solar, energy storage, electric vehicles and other low carbon solutions. A partner in our Washington, DC office, he also advises on a number of energy and climate change policy issues.
Carl’s work and thought leadership are often featured in leading publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Power Finance and Risk, The National Law Review, The Global Legal Chronicle and The Washington Lawyer. He is also frequently interviewed for his market insights by global media outlets such as Reuters and Forbes. Carl is recognized as a “Next Generation Partner,” “Rising Star,” “Super Lawyer” and one of the “Top Rated Energy & Natural Resources, M&A and International Attorneys in Washington, DC.”
Carl is currently an appointee to the Biden administration’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (REEEAC) where he advises the Secretary of Commerce on wind, solar, battery storage, electric vehicles and other low carbon solutions. Prior to his current appointment, Carl was a REEEAC appointee under both the Obama and Trump administrations.
Prior to joining McDermott, Carl served the United States as an advisor to the White House on energy and infrastructure under the Obama administration while he was with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
Carl is a frequent speaker and prominent author. He speaks throughout the US and internationally on topics such as renewable energy, public policy and cross-border transactions. He has written, or contributed to the writing of, several books or chapters on topics such as power purchase agreements, construction, equipment procurement and service contracts and battery storage. He has lectured at Harvard University, the Georgetown University Law Center, the University of Pennsylvania, and American University.
Results
- APEX Clean Energy on numerous joint ventures, acquisitions, and divestitures throughout the US for its wind portfolio
- AES (formerly sPower) on its debt and tax equity financing for its 218 MW Prevailing Winds wind project, 80 MW Pioneer wind project, 60 MW Latigo wind project
- AES Distributed Energy in its acquisition of a significant portfolio of distributed solar and solar plus storage projects throughout the US
- Clearway Energy in the engineering, procurement and construction of its solar and solar plus storage portfolio throughout the US
- Scout Clean Energy on its debt and tax equity financing for its 300 MW Ranchero wind project, 160 MW Heart of Texas wind project and 130 MW Bitter Ridge wind project
- Novis Renewables on a suite of module procurement, inverter procurement, and EPC contracts for its portfolio of solar and solar plus storage projects
- Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners in its construction debt and tax equity financing of the 200 MW Persimmon Creek wind project*
- Algonquin Power & Utilities in the acquisition of a 51% interest in four wind farms totally 845 MW of capacity from RWE, two of which wind farms were operating and two were under development
- SunPower in a series of construction debt financings and tax equity financings for numerous solar projects financed by various leading investors*
- Sammons Renewable Energy in its acquisition and financing of the 238 MW Rio Bravo wind project*
- Sammons Renewable Energy in its acquisition and financing of the 163 MW Midway wind project*
- Sammons Renewable Energy in its acquisition of a 194 MW solar portfolio of operating projects*
- Origis Energy in the structuring and negotiation of a $500 million platform agreement with an international insurance company to provide funding for the development and sale of a portfolio of solar projects in the US*
- Emerging Capital Partners in connection with a $3.1 billion equity and debt financing for Africa’s leading African telecoms infrastructure business*
- Emerging Capital Partners in connection with a $1 billion equity fund raise investment in a leading African cell phone tower company*
- Emerging Capital Partners, along with its investment partners, on its sale of the leading private reinsurance company in Africa, with operations in more than 44 countries across the continent and offices in Nigeria, Cameroon, Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya and Tunisia*
- Government of Tanzania in the implementation of a $698 million compact to improve the reliability and quality of its electric power and to extend its electricity service*
- Government of Ghana in the development of a $498 million compact to transform its power sector*
- Government of Malawi in the implementation of a $350 million compact to revitalize its power sector and improve the availability, reliability and quality of its power supply*
- Government of Liberia in the development of a $257 million compact to transform Liberia’s energy sector through electricity generation, electricity access and policy reform*
*Matter handled prior to joining McDermott.
Recognitions
- Chambers USA, Projects: Power & Renewables: Transactional, 2023-2024
- Legal 500 US, Energy: Renewable/Alternative Power, Leading Lawyer, 2023-2024
- Legal 500, Next Generation Partner 2022
- District of Columbia Courts, Capital Pro Bono High Honor Roll, 2023
- JD Supra, Readers’ Choice Awards, Top Author – Energy, 2023
- Super Lawyers DC Rising Star, 2017
- Secretary of Commerce Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee, appointee
- White House Power Africa Working Group, member
Community
- Capitol Pro Bono High Honor Roll, member
- Empire State Counsel, member
Credentials
Education
Georgetown University Law Center, JD, 2005
University of Scranton, BS, 1999
Admissions
District of Columbia
New York