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Insights for the Global Energy Industry
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$40 Billion Available through Biden’s Department of Energy’s Loan Program Office for Innovative Technologies

by , , and | Jan 28, 2021 | , ,

With Democrats taking over the White House and the Senate, many eyes are on climate change and the role that the federal government can take to combat it. A variety of proposals have been floated about the best way for Congress to enact legislation to help in the fight against climate change, but certain actions can be taken immediately. One such action is to deploy $40 billion in loan capacity that was previously allocated to the Department of Energy as part of the 2009 stimulus package. This money is already available to the Department of Energy’s Loan Program Office (the LPO”) to spend at any time as a loan or a loan guarantee for qualified projects.

Any new loans would follow $30 billion of loans and loan guarantees previously provided by the LPO under these same programs (most notably under the Obama administration and one large loan associated with a nuclear reactor project under the Trump administration). Under the Biden administration, there is strong optimism that the unallocated funds may be more readily available for qualifying projects. The LPO, recognizing some of the challenges with government credit support programs, has taken steps to better engage interested parties, including providing no-commitment preconsultations to walk potential applicants through the process to ensure that the LPO and the project will each be prepared when the LPO application process begins in earnest. Additionally, in light of the innovative projects that exist in 2021, the LPO is examining the opportunities for offshore wind and the offshore wind value chain as well as looking at vehicle solutions that might qualify under the LPO’s programs.

The $40 billion in loan capacity, including $4.5 billion for renewables alone, is available for applicants seeking financing for innovative fossil energy projects, nuclear energy projects or renewable energy and energy efficiency projects; for fuel-efficient, advanced technology vehicle manufacturers; or for Tribal energy development projects.

To qualify for the renewable energy or energy efficiency loans or loan guarantees, under Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, a project must meet all of the following requirements:

  • Employ new or significantly improved technologies as compared to commercial technologies in service in the United States at the time the guarantee is issued.
  • Avoid, reduce or sequester anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases.
  • Be located in the United States (foreign ownership or sponsorship of the projects is permissible as long as the projects are located in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia or a US territory).
  • Provide a reasonable prospect of repayment.

Interested applicants should be aware that the timeline for LPO loan origination is typically longer than in the commercial financing market—roughly 90 days should be added to a typical project financing timeline for the LPO to diligence program eligibility and obtain internal approvals. However, for innovative projects that meet the other LPO eligibility requirements, the loans or loan guarantees available through the LPO may be a viable option. For instance, for offshore wind projects, long-duration energy storage, green [...]

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New Climate Change Guidance for NEPA Reviews

by | Aug 3, 2016 | ,

In the United States, federal agencies that license, permit or finance energy and infrastructure projects must, with some limited exceptions, analyze the environmental impacts of those projects before they approve them, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA).  But to what extent must those agencies consider climate change impacts as part of their NEPA reviews? The President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has just issued a guidance document that addresses that question.

CEQ’s guidance document—an August 1 memorandum addressed to the heads of all federal departments and agencies—urges federal agencies to consider two climate change-related topics when conducting NEPA reviews.

The first topic is the impact of a proposed project on climate change, and the memorandum urges federal agencies to approach that topic by focusing on the project’s direct, and indirect, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Agencies are encouraged to calculate a project’s anticipated emissions using existing government resources and calculators, and to draw upon existing government literature on the impacts of such emissions. The memorandum acknowledges that “the totality of climate change impacts is not attributable to any single action,” but concludes that climate-related impacts are exacerbated by some government actions and encourages agencies to compare the level of emissions expected from a proposed project to the level expected under alternative project scenarios. The memorandum provides scant details on how to calculate “indirect” GHG emissions but does suggest that for projects involving fossil fuel extraction, the indirect impacts turn, at least in part, on the anticipated ultimate use of the extracted fuel.

The second topic is the impact of climate change on the project, and on the project’s impacts.Here, CEQ’s memorandum encourages federal agencies to consider a proposed project’s impacts not simply on environmental conditions as they currently exist but as they will exist in the future and reflecting any changes that are expected as a result of climate change. Thus, if a project will draw water from a river that is already being, or that will be, diminished because of changing snowfall or rainfall patterns, that is an impact that should be acknowledged. The memorandum also encourages agencies to incorporate climate change resiliency and adaptation planning into their NEPA reviews, especially when analyzing project alternatives and potential mitigation measures. The memorandum suggests, for example, that agencies consider whether a proposed project’s design makes it more vulnerable to changing climate conditions (such as, in some areas of the country, increased risk of wildfires) than alternative projects.

CEQ’s memorandum applies to all new NEPA reviews and states that agencies “should exercise judgment” when considering whether to apply the guidance to currently ongoing reviews. CEQ states in the memorandum that it “does not expect agencies to apply” the guidance to projects for which a final environmental impact statement or environmental assessment has already been issued.



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Consultation Describes State Aid for Third EU Carbon Emissions Trading Period

by | Jan 17, 2012 |

by Prajakt Samant

The European Commission (EC) published in December 2011 a Consultation on the draft guidelines for targeting State Aid (Guidelines) in furtherance of the European Union (EU) Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) when the Third Trading Period begins in January 2013.  Interested parties have until January 31, 2012, to submit comments on the draft Guidelines before they are finalized.

Launched in 2005 to combat human-caused climate change by ratcheting down emissions of carbon dioxide, the ETS, as revised in 2008, allocates EU-wide emissions allowances for auction that can be used, banked or traded.  According to the Consultation, State Aid (as defined in the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU), can be directed to the following emission reduction activities:

  • Minimize Carbon Leakage — Carbon leakage occurs when emissions from a source within an EU Member State are reduced by migrating to a source outside of the EU where emission controls are less strict or non-existent.  State Aid can be directed to minimize the risk of leakage.
  • Efficient Power — State Aid can be used to make investments in highly efficient power plants, including facilities capable of capturing and sequestering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from power plants Efficiency is to be measured against a standard articulated in the Guidelines.
  • Allowance Grants in lieu of Auction — Member States will have the option to grant free (non-auctioned) allowances to electricity generators where the savings are invested in modernizing their operations through investments in clean technologies and in diversifying their energy mix and sources of supply.
  • Exempting Certain Emission Sources — According to the Consultation, State Aid can be used to exempt certain small emission sources, including hospitals, from the EU ETS, but not from other obligations to reduce GHG emissions.

The amount of State Aid awarded to each of these applications will be based either on a formula in the Guidelines or according to the application’s environmental contribution.  Awards are to be guided by the precept of European law that a sledgehammer should not be used to crack a nut, also known as the principle of proportionality.



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