Erik Elsea

Erik Elsea is a Partner in the Energy and Infrastructure Practice. Based in Washington, D.C., he focuses on mergers and acquisitions, securities law and general corporate matters across the power and energy sector, with a particular focus on conventional power, renewable energy and related infrastructure assets, as well as oil and gas. He represents buyers, sellers and financial advisors in a wide range of U.S. and cross-border transactions, including public and private acquisitions and divestitures, take-privates, minority stake investments and joint ventures.

Notable experience prior to joining Simpson Thacher includes advising:

• The AES Corporation in multiple transactions, including its pending $33.4 billion enterprise value take-private acquisition by a consortium led by Global Infrastructure Partners and EQT; its acquisition, with Alberta Investment Management Corporation, of sPower from Fir Tree Partners and its minority owners for $1.6 billion enterprise value; and its approximately $546 million sale of a 30% indirect stake in AES Ohio and approximately $593 million sale of a 30% indirect stake in AES Indiana, each to La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
• American Water Works Company in its pending merger with Essential Utilities with a combined enterprise value of $63 billion
• ALLETE, Inc. in its $6.2 billion take-private acquisition by a consortium led by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Global Infrastructure Partners
• PPL Corporation in its £7.8 billion sale of its U.K. utility business, Western Power Distribution, to National Grid plc and its $3.8 billion acquisition from National Grid of The Narragansett Electric Company
• Duke Energy in multiple transactions, including its $6 billion investment in Duke Energy Florida by Brookfield Super-Core Infrastructure Partners for a 19.9% stake; its $2.8 billion sale of its unregulated utility-scale Commercial Renewables business to Brookfield Renewable; its $2.5 billion sale of its Tennessee Piedmont Natural Gas business to Spire Inc.; its $2.05 billion sale of a minority stake in Duke Energy Indiana to GIC; its $1.2 billion sale of its power holdings in Brazil to China Three Gorges Corporation and its $1.2 billion sale of its power holdings in Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador and Argentina to I Squared Capital Advisors
• Infrastructure Investments Fund in its $8.1 billion acquisition of South Jersey Industries, Inc. and its $4.3 billion acquisition of El Paso Electric Company
• First Solar, Inc. in the sale of its U.S.-based utility-scale solar project platform to Leeward Renewable Energy Development, LLC, a portfolio company of OMERS Infrastructure Management, Inc.
• OPC Energy as lead consortium investor in its $685 million acquisition of Competitive Power Ventures from Global Infrastructure Partners
• Dynegy Inc. in its $3.45 billion acquisition of coal and gas generation assets in New England and the Midwest from Energy Capital Partners
• Société Générale in its acquisition of certain North American power and natural gas trading assets of Sempra Energy Trading, LLC, a joint venture owned by Royal Bank of Scotland and Sempra Energy
• Mirant Corporation in its $3.4 billion sale of its Philippines operations to The Tokyo Electric Power Company and Marubeni

Erik earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1998 and earned his B.A., cum laude, from DePauw University in 1995. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Indiana.