Louise Gibbons

Partner

San Francisco

Financing projects in the energy sector demands creativity and immersion in the latest trends. Louise delivers on both, successfully helping clients structure and finance renewables and energy transition projects. She also serves as the deputy head of Orrick’s Energy and Infrastructure Group globally.

From the latest tax credit transfer and hybrid structures to the full suite of debt and tax equity financings, preferred equity financings, selldowns and investments, she takes a collaborative and relatable approach to close the deal. She advises a range of renewables and energy transition industry participants, from project developers, sponsors, borrowers, lenders, investment banks, private equity funds and other capital providers and investors.  She works with a range of asset classes, including among others, wind, solar, battery storage, hydrogen and renewable natural gas.

Louise was recognized by Chambers USA Nationwide Projects: Power & Renewables: Transactional in 2024, where clients describe her as "excellent," "very thorough," "detailed" and "pragmatic." She was named by Legal 500 as a Next Generation Partner in Energy Transactions: Electric Power in 2024 and noted for her “work in project finance and M&A work on transformative, first-in-kind renewable energy projects.”

As an All-American College sailor, Louise has pursued her interest in law of the sea and international laws throughout her career. She is translating this experience into differentiated advice for clients in the burgeoning U.S. offshore wind market. 

    • Generate Capital on various joint ventures, sell downs and project financings related to portfolios of renewable natural gas and fuel cell projects.
    • Clearway on the safe harbor joint ventures and tax equity financings for numerous utility scale wind projects, including three repowerings.
    • esVolta on the tax equity financing and transfer of tax credits for the 60 MWh Santa Paula energy storage project, one of the first tax equity financings for a standalone energy storage project.
    • Intersect on two tax equity financings with U.S. Bank and a Fortune 100 technology company that were part of a US$3.1 billion financing for a 1.5 GW of solar + 1 GWh storage portfolio in Texas and California.
    • HASI on various preferred equity investments and debt financings in portfolios of residential and DG solar assets.
    • CleanCapital on multiple tax equity financings related to portfolios of C&I solar projects.
    • Engie on a tax equity transaction for ENGIE's Fund VI distributed generation portfolio.
    • Chevron New Energies in a joint venture to develop, construct and own a green waste-to-hydrogen production facility in Richmond, California. 
    • Primergy in the sale of a minority stake in the US$1.2 billion 690 MW solar + 380 MW storage Gemini project outside of Las Vegas to APG, the largest pension asset manager in the Netherlands.
    • Distributed Solar Development, a subsidiary of BlackRock, in a $300 million warehouse debt financing and $85 million tax equity financing of solar assets in the community solar and commercial and industrial space.
    • EDPR in a tax equity financing of the Bright Stalk and Harvest Ridge wind farms in Illinois totalling approximately 405 MW.
    • Chevron in a joint venture with a renewable energy developer to co-develop renewable power projects adjacent to the client's existing facilities around the world.
    • 8minutenergy (now Avantus) in the sale of numerous large-scale solar photovoltaic projects located in California and Texas.
    • The sponsor in the first non-recourse debt financing of a portfolio of behind-the-meter storage projects, the 2017 IJGlobal North America Energy Storage Deal of the Year.
    • The borrower in the debt financing of a 500 MW natural gas-fired generating facility, located in San Diego County, California, which included both a commercial bank funded facility and the private placement of two tranches of long-term, credit agency rated notes.
    • A private equity fund in the development and equity raise for an 869 MW natural gas-fired electric power plant in the City of Oregon, Ohio.