Stikeman Elliott's Energy Group, one of the country's top-ranked energy practices, is among Canada's leading advisors to the renewable energy industry. A wide range of clients - including developers, purchasers, suppliers and financing entities - depend on the Group's experience in development, construction, power purchase and procurement processes, real estate and leasing, debt and equity financing, mergers and acquisitions, tax (including government incentives for certain forms of renewable energy projects), environmental approvals and related regulatory processes. We have worked on development projects in the renewable (solar, wind, hydro, biomass and waste) and conventional energy sectors, including co-generation projects. We have advised on construction contracts and regulatory approvals for new facility development, leasing, land use and municipal matters, environmental matters, permitting, supplier contracts and power purchase agreements and financing. As a full-service business law firm, we provide our energy clients with the advice they need on taxation, employment law, corporate governance, technology and intellectual property matters.

We have gained extensive familiarity with power procurement processes in Ontario, acting as counsel to both the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) on the Renewable Energy Supply RFP for 500-MW, and to a variety of potential proponents, developers and independent power producers in connection with several electricity procurement RFPs. We have advised proponents in connection with OPA RFPs leading to Clean Energy Supply Contracts and Accelerated Clean Energy Supply Agreements, the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) RFP, the Renewable Energy Supply (RES) RFP and Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program (RESOP) proposals. In addition, we have acted for the OPA on the Integrated Power System Plan (IPSP) procurement process. Overall, this experience gives us working familiarity with the procurement process and the needs of proponents and the power system.

The firm has extensive experience in electricity markets across Canada. In Ontario, in addition to representing the OPA as described above, we have experience working with a number of core participants including the Independent Electricity System Operator, the Ontario Energy Board, generators, local distribution companies, municipalities and financial intermediaries. We have partnered with the Ontario Power Authority to present seminars on the Green Energy Act and we have advised clients with respect to their participation in Ontario's Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program. In Alberta, we have acted for ENMAX, Calgary's electric utility, in connection with renewable projects and have appeared before the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board, the Alberta Environmental Appeal Board and the Alberta Surface Rights Board to acquire regulatory approvals on energy projects. In British Columbia, one of our Vancouver partners sits on the Board of BC Hydro and we have worked on a number of project finance transactions in the hydro-electric sector. Lawyers across our offices have also appeared before the National Energy Board and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Stikeman Elliott also acted as counsel to Ontario's Market Design Committee, which was responsible for establishing the framework for the province's electricity deregulation process. This important mandate, awarded after a competitive bidding process, included advising on the drafting of the Electricity Act, 1998 and the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998 - the key legislation in the deregulation process.

Stikeman Elliott's client base is both domestic and international and, in addition to servicing domestic clients, our Energy Group provides legal services to a variety of American and European entities on their tax and corporate structure and in relation to their search for opportunities in this sector.

Recognition for Our Work

The practice and our lawyers have been cited as leaders by a wide variety of domestic and international legal directories, including the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, the Lexpert/ American Lawyer Media Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada, The Best Lawyers in Canada, the Euromoney Guide to the World's Leading Lawyers and The International Who's Who guides.