Michael De Voe Piazza

Representative Matters

Mergers and Acquisitions
Represented Apache Corporation in its $7 billion acquisition of BP's oil and gas operations, acreage and infrastructure in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico and Egypt's Western Desert, as well as substantially all of BP's upstream natural gas business in western Canada and British Columbia.

Represented Chesapeake Energy Corporation in its $2.16 billion sale of a substantial majority of its remaining midstream assets to Access Midstream Partners, L.P., a transaction that included the execution of new market-based gathering and processing agreements covering various acreage dedications in the Marcellus, Utica, Eagle Ford, Haynesville and Niobrara Shale Plays.

Represented Chesapeake Energy Corporation in its $2 billion sale of its limited partner units and its general partner interests in Chesapeake Midstream Partners LP to Global Infrastructure Partners.

Represented Hilcorp Energy Company in connection with its acquisition of all of the Alaska oil and gas assets of a Chevron subsidiary, including interests in multiple offshore and onshore fields, gas storage facilities, numerous drilling rigs and tank farms.

Represented Alinda Capital Partners in connection with its $505 million acquisition of gas storage facilities and oil and gas assets located in close proximity to the Barnett Shale.

Represented a Fortune 500 US energy company in $230 million acquisition of a power facility and negotiation of subsequent joint operating arrangements.

Represented Constellation Energy in connection with its $142.5 million acquisition, via merger, of StarTex Power, a Texas retail electric provider.

Represented a leading financial institution in connection with its acquisition of a substantial commodity trading book.

Represented a strategic participant in its bid for British Gas’s portfolio of gas-fired power generation assets located in New England, ultimately purchased by a private equity fund for approximately $450 million.

Private Equity and Joint Venture Investments
Represented Chesapeake Energy Corporation in connection with its $1.25 billion Utica Shale and Mid-Continent joint ventures, each of which featured a club of investors and a private placement of preferred shares.

Represented EIG Global Energy Partners in a $220 million equity investment and $200 million senior debt facility for BlackBrush Oil & Gas LP and TexStar Midstream Services LP.

Represented Hilcorp Energy Company in connection with its hybrid upstream and midstream joint venture with an affiliate of NRG Energy for purposes of utilizing captured CO2 for an enhanced oil recovery project conducted on South Texas oil and gas assets.

Represented Chesapeake Energy Corporation in connection with its $250 million royalty platform joint venture with Kohlberg, Kravis & Roberts.

Represented an energy fund in connection with a $400 million joint venture in the Marcellus Shale.

Represented private equity fund in connection with a Permian Basin drilling joint venture that featured a complicated farmout arrangement.

Energy Finance
Representation of numerous financial institutions in acquisitions of volumetric production payments from exploration and production companies, ranging from $40 million to $1.2 billion and covering both onshore and offshore oil and gas assets, including various shale plays.

Representation of a club of investors comprised of a variety of financial institutions, including private equity funds, mezzanine lenders, hedge funds, and investment banks in connection with the club's acquisition from a publicly traded oil and gas company of a $140 million dollar-denominated production payment and perpetual overriding royalty burdening offshore oil and gas assets.

Representing Citibank, as administrative agent and arranger, in $2.45 billion of debt financing for an $11 billion transaction involving CenterPoint Energy, Inc., ArcLight Capital Partners and OGE Energy Corp.

Representation of Citigroup, as lead arranger and administrative agent, in a $225 million term loan acquisition financing to a joint venture between Boardwalk Pipeline Partners and its general partner Loews Corporation, in connection with the acquisition of PL Midstream LLC from PetroLogistics.

Representation of mezzanine lenders in the financing of oil and gas exploration activities, including a $150 million mezzanine financing covering certain properties located in the Marcellus Shale and Montana.

Trading, Project Development and Operational Matters
Representation of an oil and gas company with assets located in or around the Barnett Shale “Combo Play” in connection with acquisitions, development and operational matters, monetization efforts, upstream and midstream joint ventures and a corporate reorganization.

Representation of an independent company with gas storage and oil and gas assets located in Texas in connection with its day-to-day operations, its implementation of a first lien credit facility, and the development, implementation, and coordination of comprehensive land program, including title curative matters.

Representation of independent power developers in development of power generation facilities located in the state of Texas, including joint ventures with strategic participants and private equity investors.

Representation of an international energy company in connection with its purchase of an early stage power development project in Texas and related development matters, including select environmental, public relations and regulatory issues.

Representation of utilities and energy companies in connection with long-term power purchase agreements with respect to coal, petcoke, gas-fired and biomass power generation facilities.

Representation of wind power developer in connection with its implementation and administration of a comprehensive power-hedging program for a portfolio of its generation assets.

Representation of multiple financial institutions in developing and negotiating both financial and physical commodity trading contracts.

Publications and Speeches

"Private Equity Investment in O&G Infrastructure," API Federal Tax Forum, May 2012.

"Private Equity Investment in Oil and Gas," 1st Midstream Oil & Gas Law Conference, December 2012

"Private Equity Investment in Midstream Shale Play Infrastructure" (co-author of article delivered at 1st Midstream Oil & Gas Law Conference), December 2012