Balch & Bingham LLP

Energy Transactions & Acquisitions

Partner

Mike Childers has a unique combination of comprehensive experience in complex energy transactional matters and experience in executive management roles with an international power generation company and an international heavy civil construction company. He draws on his years in executive management roles for insights into the business strategies and goals of our clients.

Mike has significant experience with respect to the project development and construction of power generation facilities and other industrial and manufacturing facilities, including chemical products facilities, specialty steel facilities, and specialty paper manufacturing and packaging facilities. His experience includes construction agreements of all types, build transfer agreements (BTAs), major equipment procurement agreements, long-term service agreements, and O&M agreements. His work frequently spans the duration of the construction projects, from the RFP stage through the completion of construction and commissioning, including providing legal support in disputes with contractors and vendors.

On energy transactional matters, Mike represents electric utilities, independent power producers, microgrid developers and operators and national retailers and his experience is comprehensive with respect to all types of energy generation, including solar (both utility-scale and distributed generation), wind, geothermal, natural gas-fired units, IGCC, biomass and fuel cells, and includes battery storage systems. Mike’s experience supporting clients on the construction of power generation facilities spans utility-scale solar and wind facilities with and without battery storage, natural gas-fired units, natural gas-fired units with battery storage, geothermal facilities, stand-alone battery storage, IGCC, and biomass facilities. Mike’s experience also includes microgrid systems.

Mike also has significant experience preparing and negotiating power purchase agreements (PPAs) for utility-scale solar and wind facilities with and without battery storage, geothermal facilities, natural gas-fired units, and biomass facilities. His PPA experience also includes virtual PPAs (contracts for differences) for solar and wind facilities with and without battery storage.

Mike’s experience with complex long-term service agreements (LTSAs) includes both LTSAs for natural gas-fired power plants and LTSAs for battery energy storage systems.

He also has substantial experience providing comprehensive transactional support to the supply chain organizations of electric utilities and independent power producers, with particular emphasis on construction and major equipment and major services procurement matters.

Mike represents national retailers on distributed-generation projects, including rooftop solar, community solar and fuel cells, and battery storage systems, and with respect to PPAs and virtual PPAs (contracts for differences). Mike also represents an international logistics company on rooftop solar and battery storage systems.

In addition, Mike represents electric utilities and independent power producers on the acquisition of solar, wind, natural gas-fired and biomass facilities and projects. His experience includes build transfer agreements (BTAs).

State Bar of Georgia

Electric Power Supply Association, Past Chair, Environmental Committee, 2002-2003

University of Georgia School of Law, J.D., 1990, cum laude

Auburn University, B.S., Chemical Engineering, 1986, cum laude