Enrico Granata

Energy and Infrastructure

• Represented Instar Asset Management in the business combination of Oilfield Water Logistics (“OWL”), Instar’s portfolio company that develops and operates wells, conveyance lines and related facilities in the southwestern United States for the disposal of water incident to the production of oil and gas, and Pilot Water Solutions (“Pilot”), a long-term, full-service water midstream company with expertise in produced water gathering, sourcing, recycling and disposing.
• Represented Hotwire Communications, a leading provider of fiber-to-the-home in the United States, in connection with a large private equity investment by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities and Blackstone Infrastructure Partners.
• Represented Macquarie Capital (USA) re its sale of Savion to Shell, consisting of a development pipeline of 18GW of solar and energy storage projects. The largest renewables development M&A deal to date.
• Represented Axium Infrastructure on its acquisition of BlueWave, a leading Boston-based solar and energy storage developer.
• Represented Axium Infrastructure re its acquisition of equity interests in a portfolio of wind projects, which represents 1,063 MW of gross capacity, from BlackRock Renewable Power.
• Represented Capital Dynamics, a Swiss/NYC-based PE fund, in connection with its acquisition of a 300 MW portfolio of operating solar power plants located in California, Delaware and Arizona from LS Power.
• Represented Capital Dynamics, in connection with its acquisition of a 70% interest in a 127 MW operating solar power plant located in Arizona from Apollo Global Management.
• Represented The Carlyle Group and its portfolio company, Cogentrix Energy Power Management, LLC, on the sale of a 600 MW portfolio of six operating wind projects in upstate New York.
• Represented The Carlyle Group and its affiliate Southeast PowerGen in connection with the sale of Effingham County Power, a 511 MW operating combined-cycle generating and transmission facility located in Rincon, GA, to Oglethorpe Power Corporation.
• Represented Brookfield Renewable Partners it its acquisition of the 845 MW Shepherds Flat Windfarm located near Arlington, Oregon from Caithness Energy. Shepherds Flat is the third largest windfarm in the United States, and the ninth largest in the world.
• Represented Brookfield Renewable Partners in the acquisition of the 252 MW Holtwood hydro plant and the 50 MW Lake Wallenpaupack hydro plant in Pennsylvania.
• Represented Starwood Energy Group, a leading private equity fund focused on energy infrastructure, in its $1.23 billion acquisition of 100% of the equity interests in the operating subsidiaries of two of Dominion Energy’s combined-cycle gas turbine plants.
• Represented Starwood Energy Group in its acquisition of the RockGen and Garrison combined cycle natural gas electric generation facilities from affiliates of Calpine Corporation, a portfolio company of Energy Capital Partners.
• Represented Starwood Energy Group in its (Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code) leveraged buyout of 100% of the assets constituting the West Lorain Power Plant located in Lorain, Ohio from FirstEnergy Generation, which are oil-fired power plants.
• Represented Graanul Invest, the largest wood pellets producer in Europe, in connection with its investment in Sweetwater Energy.
• Represented Graanul Invest in its (Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code) acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Texas Pellets.
• Represented JERA in its sale of a minority interest in Cricket Valley Energy Center to Development Bank of Japan.
• Represented Chubu Electric and then JERA in the acquisition of a 43% stake in Cricket Valley Energy Center, the developer of a 1,000 MW natural gas-fired power plant located in Dover, New York.
• Represented JERA in the joint acquisition with General Electric of a minority stake in Renovo Energy Center, the developer of a 950 MW natural gas-fired power plant in development in Clinton County, Pennsylvania.
• Represented Axium Infrastructure in its acquisition of an equity interest in CPV Three Rivers Energy Center, a 1,258 MW power project to be constructed in northeastern Illinois, from affiliates of General Electric Company and Competitive Power Ventures.
• Represented Axium Infrastructure in its acquisition of a 50% ownership stake in the Dry Lake II wind farm and a 50% ownership stake in the Copper Crossing solar project from Avangrid Renewables.
• Represented Axium Infrastructure in connection with the acquisition of a 49% equity interest in the 97 MW Wheat Field wind project from EDP Renewables North America.
• Represented Tradewind Energy in its the divestiture of its 3 GW+ wind asset portfolio to Invenergy.
• Represented Tradewind Energy, Inc. in its sale of its 5 GW+ solar power and energy storage platforms to Macquarie Infrastructure/Capital.
• Represented D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments in the acquisition, tax equity financing, and project financings of a 46 MW solar power plant in Arizona, from Torch Clean Energy.
• Represented D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments, a private equity firm specializing in renewable energy projects and a member of the D.E. Shaw Group, in connection with its acquisition of LS - Cliffrose, a single-purpose entity that owns all of the assets comprising a 70 MW solar farm to be located south of Kingman, Arizona, from Longview Solar, a joint venture of TUUSSO Energy and Elemental Energy.
• Represented UBS Infrastructure, a business unit of UBS Asset Management, in connection with the acquisition of a 50% interest in a 161 MW wind energy project, located in Oldham County, Texas, from EDF Renewable Asset Holdings, an affiliate of EDF Renewable Energy.
• Represented UBS Infrastructure in connection with the proposed acquisition of an equity stake in a combined cycle natural gas power plant portfolio located in Connecticut.
• Represented InstarAGF Asset Management in its acquisition of Texas-based Oilfield Water Logistics, an energy services company, from Natural Gas Partners.
• Represented InstarAGF Asset Management and its wholly-owned portfolio company AMPORTS, Inc. in the acquisition of Horizon Terminal Services, a provider of port logistics services, from Höegh Autoliners B.V.
• Represented Mitsui in its acquisition of a 30% stake in 10 wind farms and 2 solar photovoltaic power plants in Canada from GDF SUEZ Canada.
• Represented Mitsui Gas e Energia do Brasil Ltda in its acquisition of a 49% stake in Petrobras Gás S.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of Brazilian state-owned oil company Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras).
• Represented First Reserve, a global energy-focused private equity and infrastructure investment firm, in connection with the acquisition of Kingfisher Wind, a 298 MW wind energy project located in Northern Canadian County and Southern Kingfisher County in Oklahoma, and the related a $270 million tax equity financing.
• Represented Greentech Capital Advisors in its role as financial adviser to Atlantica Yield plc., a NASDAQ-listed yieldco or total return company that owns a diversified portfolio of contracted renewable energy, power generation, electric transmission and water assets, in connection with Atlantica Yield's strategic partnership with Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp., a North American diversified generation, transmission and distribution utility.
• Represented Kruger Energy, a business unit of Kruger Inc., a Canadian pulp and paper company, in the acquisition of three solar photovoltaic projects under development in Imperial County, California, and the subsequent sale of Seville Solar, the developer of two of such projects, to an affiliate of Duke Energy.
• Represented Swiss Life, the largest insurance company in Switzerland, in its investment in a portfolio of 12 wind farms located throughout the United States owned by EDP Renewables totaling 1.6 GW of installed capacity.
• Represented Luminus Management in its (Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code) acquisition of the trucking logistics/assets and subsidiaries comprising the US-based business of Taylor Express, Inc., from the Celadon Group, Inc.
• Represented a private equity fund in its acquisition of recycled water gathering systems and wells in the Permian basin.
• Represented Israel Corporation in its acquisition of Globeleq Americas, a holding company for a portfolio of Latina American and Caribbean operating power businesses, comprising gas and hydro power plants in Peru and Bolivia, fuel based power assets in El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama and Jamaica totaling a capacity of over 2,180 MW, from the CDC Group, the U.K. government-owned investor in developing countries.
• Represented a private equity fund in a bid to acquire certain rail operations and related assets from Dow at certain Dow-owned manufacturing sites in the U.S. and Canada.
• Represented Public Sector Pension Investment Board in the acquisition, through its wholly owned subsidiary Infra-PSP Canada, of a 49% equity interest of the holding company of I-69 Development Partners (I-69 DP).
• Represented GS Infrastructure Partners and Mediobanca in the acquisition of minority equity stakes in Sintonia, the infrastructure investment vehicle of the Benetton family.
• Represented Statoil in its merger with the oil and gas business of Norsk Hydro.

Food & Beverage; Health and Wellness

• Represented Windmill Farms, a premier controlled environment agricultural producer of mushrooms, in the acquisition of substantially all the the assets of Ostrom Mushroom Farms LLC a leading controlled environment mushroom grower located in Sunnyside, Washington.
• Represented WM Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in the health and wellness sector, in the acquisition of Vega, a leading brand in plant-based protein powder in both the U.S. and Canada, from Danone.
• Represented WM Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in the health and wellness sector, in the acquisition of Raw Sugar, a leader in premium-quality and earth-friendly personal care products, from its founders.
• Represented WM Partners, a private equity firm that specializes in buyout investments in the health and wellness sectors, in its acquisition of Great Lakes Gelatin Company, a leading supplier of high-grade collagen products, gelatin-derived products and other performance products and supplements.
• Represented WM Partners in its $700 million sale of Nutranext Holdings and its subsidiaries to The Clorox Company.
• Represented WM Partners and its portfolio company Wellnext, in the purchase of substantially all of the assets of Natural Dynamics, a Texas-based nutraceutical company that holds leading nutraceutical brands including Natural Calm and Organic Life Vitamins, as well as the educational site Organic Connections.
• Represented Kirin in connection with its joint strategic investment with Mitsui in Thorne, an health and technology company.
• Represented WM Partners in its acquisition of Feel Good Organics, an organic superfood brand exclusively sold on Amazon.com, from its shareholders.
• Represented WM Partners in its acquisition of Jade Leaf, the category leader for matcha green tea products in the United States, from its shareholders.
• Represented Matrixx Initiatives in its sale to funds managed by H.I.G. Capital by means of a cash tender offer followed by a back-end merger.
• Represented Kirin, a leading Japanese company in the food and beverage market, in connection with its equity investment for a 24.5% stake in The Brooklyn Brewery Corporation, a craft beer manufacturer located in Brooklyn, New York.
• Represented Anheuser-Busch InBev in its sale of substantially all of the assets of InBev USA to funds managed by KPS Capital Partners.

Technology, Media and Communications

• Represented Lightning eMotors in the $800 million SPAC merger with Gig Capital 3.
• Represented LBO France Gestion in connection with the leveraged buyout of McIntosh, a high-end audio equipment company, and certain other U.S. operating subsidiaries of Italy-based Fine Sounds.
• Represented Ridgewood Infrastructure re the acquisition of a majority of the outstanding capital stock of Ecosave, a clean tech company focused on facilitating energy efficient retrofit projects and building automation systems.
• Represented of Total System Services in its $54 billion merger of equals with Global Payments.
• Represented Mobileye, a leader in the development of computer vision and machine learning, data analysis, localization and mapping for advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous driving, in its $15.3 billion sale to Intel Corporation through a cash tender offer followed by a back-end squeeze-out transaction.
• Represented IAR Systems Group, a Swedish computer software company that trades on the NASDAQ OMX in Stockholm, in its acquisition of Secure Thingz, Inc., an IoT company.
• Represented Inovalon, a leading provider of medical data analytics, in connection with its initial public offering and related reorganization transactions.
• Represented Inovalon in a Dutch auction self-tender offer and a simultaneous private placement of common stock to existing stockholders.
• Represented OMERS Private Equity, the private equity investment arm of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, in the sale of newswire service Marketwired to Nasdaq.
• Represented OMERS Private Equity in its sale of Sysomos, a data analytics company, to Meltwater.
• Represented McAfee, the world's largest dedicated security technology company in its acquisition of NitroSecurity, a VC-backed company based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
• Represented OpenLink Financial, the leading provider of cross-asset trading, risk management and operations software solutions, in its acquisition of SolArc, a software company focused on commodity management solutions for companies operating across the commodity supply chain, with a particular strength in physical bulk commodities.
• Represented OpenLink Financial in its acquisitions of CubeLogic Limited.
• Represented A&E Television Networks in its purchase of the equity interest of ASTRO All Asia Entertainment Networks in AETN All Asia Networks.
• Represented Sysomos, a leading provider of social media-related services, in its acquisitions of Expion, a leading social marketing platform, and Uberlabs, a visual listening and image recognition platform.
• Represented Harris Corp. in its acquisition of CapRock Communications from funds managed by ABRY Partners.
• Represented Koninklijke Philips Electronics in the sale of a 80.1% stake in its semiconductor business to a private equity consortium comprised of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, Silver Lake Partners, AlpInvest Partners, Bain Capital and Apax Partners.
• Represented Swisscom in its tender offer for all outstanding shares of Fastweb through a tender offer followed by a squeeze out transaction.
• Represented The Weinstein Company in its out-of-court restructuring of substantially all of its consolidated indebtedness.
• Represented NXP in its acquisition financing, comprised of a bridge loan and the related high-yield bond refinancing, and in the establishment of a $500 million secured revolving credit facility.
• Represented Blockbuster in connection with its unsolicited proposal to acquire Circuit City.

Life Sciences

• Represented 21st Century Oncology in connection with $1.5 billion sale to GenesisCare.
• Represented Sandoz in its acquisition of U.S. rights to ANGIOMAX® from The Medicines Company.
• Represented Novartis in connection with the sale of the Miacalcin U.S. business to Sebela.
• Represented Olympus Corporation in the divestiture of its biotech business.
• Represented Nihon Kohden Corporation in its acquisition of Defibtech, LLC, a US medical instruments company developing and manufacturing, among other things, state-of-the art defibrillators.
• Represented DRI Capital in the acquisition of a royalty stream in Biogen's SPINRAZA®.
• Represented Oxford Immunotec – represented as stalking horse in connection with acquisition of Cylex, life sciences company focused on in vitro diagnostics products.
• Represented Akzo Nobel in the sale of its wholly owned subsidiary Organon BioSciences N.V. to Schering-Plough.

Industrials

• Represented American Pacific Corporation, a manufacturer of fine chemicals and specialty chemicals, in a going private transaction in which it was acquired by H.I.G. Capital, a private equity investment firm, though a tender offer and follow-on merger.
• Represented Futamura Chemical, a leading Japanese manufacturer of plastic films, in connection with its acquisition of the Cellophane business of the Innovia Group, a UK-headquartered global manufacturer of Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene and Cellulose based film and a portfolio company of Candover Partners.
• Represented Daicel Corporation, a Japanese corporation, in its acquisition of Special Devices, a company that specializes in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of pyrotechnic devices used in triggering automotive airbags, from funds managed by Wayzata Investment Partners.
• Represented Rhône Capital in the refinancing of the consolidated indebtedness of LWB Refractories Holding GmbH.

Financial Services

• Represented Royal Bank of Canada in the sale of Liberty Life Insurance Company, its U.S. life insurance subsidiary, to Athene Holding.
• Represented SoftBank in the proposed tender offer for an equity stake in Swiss Re.
• Represented the members of York Capital Management in their sale of a minority interest to Credit Suisse.
• Represented Barclays Bank PLC in the sale of its iShares business to CVC Capital Partners Group SICAV-FIS S.A.
• Represented Morgan Stanley in its sale of Cournot Financial Products to funds managed by Quadrant Structured Products.

Professional Services

• Represented UK-based Balfour Beatty in the $1.35 billion sale of its professional services unit Parsons Brinckerhoff to Canadian-based WSP Global in a spin-off transaction.
• Represented AIG in the acquisition of an equity stake in K2 Intelligence Holdings, a company specializing in investigative services, data analytics, compliance monitoring, cyber threat, and anti-money laundering.
• Represented the members of UMT Consulting Group, a strategic project and portfolio management consulting firm, in the sale of the company to Ernst & Young.

Real Estate

• Represented AmREIT in its defense against an unsolicited takeover offer by Regency Centers Corporation.
• Represented UDR, a leading multifamily real estate investment trust, in its definitive agreement with Home Properties and an affiliate of the Lone Star Funds to acquire up to six communities valued at $908 million.
• Represented Daiwa House in connection with its joint venture with HAP Investments.
• Represented Morguard Group, a Toronto- and New York-based real estate buyout firm with approximately $19 billion in assets under management, in the acquisition of a 59% equity interests in 5929 Sunset (Hollywood), the owner of a mixed-use development in Los Angeles.

Other Sectors

• Represented Luminus Management re its (Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code) acquisition of the trucking logistics/assets and subsidiaries comprising the Mexico-based business of Taylor Express, Inc., from the Celadon Group, Inc.
• Represented a private equity fund re its bid to acquire certain rail operations and related assets from Dow at certain Dow-owned manufacturing sites in the U.S. and Canada.
• Represented Dai Nippon Printing in the acquisition of Foto Fantasy (d/b/a Innovative Foto) from an affiliate of Sankaty Advisors, an independently managed affiliate of Bain Capital.
• Represented Dai Nippon Printing in connection with its joint venture with Kroger.
• Represented Dai Nippon Printing in connection with its joint venture with Alpha Micron.
• Represented Sumitomo in connection with its acquisition of an equity stake in Yanacocha Gold and Copper Mine in Peru from Newmont Mining Corporation and Compania de Minas Buenaventura

Enrico Granata is a New York partner in our Corporate, Finance and Investments practice specializing in mergers and acquisitions and private equity. His practice focuses on representing private and public corporate clients, private equity sponsors, and hedge funds in negotiated and contested mergers, acquisitions, tender and exchange offers, proxy fights, takeover defense counseling, minority investments, joint ventures, restructurings, and other corporate transactions.

Enrico has advised on a broad range of private and public transactions, including SPAC mergers, frequently with a significant cross-border dimension. He has acted for buyers, sellers, and targets in mergers, tender offers, stock and asset acquisitions and divestitures (often in competitive auction contexts), joint ventures, spin-offs, and other restructuring transactions.

Enrico has significant M&A and PE experience in a variety of regulated and non-regulated industries, including power and energy, infrastructure, food & beverage, technology, life sciences, financial services, media, telecommunications, consumer products, and real estate/REIT.

Representative Broad Based Sector M&A/PE Matters (see the "Matters" section below for other representative matters listed by sector)

Represented Brookfield Renewable Partners in its acquisition of the 845 MW Shepherds Flat Windfarm, the third largest windfarm in the United States, and the ninth largest in the world, from Caithness Energy.

Represented WM Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in health and wellness sector, in its $700 million sale of Nutranext Holdings and its subsidiaries to The Clorox Company.

Represented The Carlyle Group and its portfolio company, Cogentrix Energy Power Management, LLC, on the sale of a 600 MW portfolio of six operating wind projects in upstate New York.

Represented Mobileye, a leader in autonomous driving technologies, in its $15.3 billion sale to Intel Corporation.

Represented WM Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in the health and wellness sector, in the acquisition of Vega, a leading brand in plant-based protein powder in both the U.S. and Canada, from Danone.

Represented Hotwire Communications, a leading provider of fiber-to-the-home in the United States, in connection with a large private equity investment by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities and Blackstone Infrastructure Partners.

Represented Kirin, a leading Japanese company in the food and beverage market, in connection with its equity investment for a 24.5% stake in The Brooklyn Brewery Corporation, a craft beer manufacturer located in Brooklyn, New York.

Represented Lightning Systems, Inc., an electric truck manufacturer, re its merger with GigCapital3, Inc., a special purpose acquisition company (or SPAC).

Represented Macquarie Capital (USA) re its sale of Savion to Shell, consisting of a development pipeline of 18GW of solar and energy storage projects.

Represented Total System Services in its $54 billion merger of equals with Global Payments.

Represented JERA in the acquisition of a 43% stake in Cricket Valley Energy Center, the developer of a 1,000 MW natural gas-fired power plant located in Dover, New York.

Represented Mitsui in its acquisition of a 30% stake in 10 wind farms and 2 solar photovoltaic power plants in Canada from GDF SUEZ Canada.

Represented AmREIT in its defense against an unsolicited takeover offer by Regency Centers Corporation.

Represented Starwood Energy Group, a leading private equity fund focused on energy infrastructure, in its $1.23 billion acquisition of two of Dominion Energy’s combined-cycle gas turbine plants.

Represented American Pacific Corporation, a manufacturer of fine chemicals and specialty chemicals, in a going private transaction in which it was acquired by H.I.G. Capital, a private equity investment firm.

Represented Royal Bank of Canada in the $628 million sale of Liberty Life Insurance Company, its U.S. life insurance subsidiary, to Athene Holding.

Represented UK-based Balfour Beatty in the $1.35 billion sale of its professional services unit Parsons Brinckerhoff to Canadian-based WSP Global in a spin-off transaction.

Represented UDR, a leading multifamily real estate investment trust, in its definitive agreement with Home Properties and an affiliate of the Lone Star Funds to acquire up to six communities valued at $908 million.

Represented the members of York Capital Management in their $425 sale of a minority interest to Credit Suisse.

Represented OMERS Private Equity, the private equity investment arm of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, in the sale of newswire service Marketwired to Nasdaq.

Represented Anheuser-Busch InBev in its sale of substantially all of the assets of InBev USA to funds managed by KPS Capital Partners.