Mark J. La Fratta

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Mark has a wealth of experience on the "front end" of energy, industrial, and commercial projects such as LNG facilities, power plants,  food processing facilities, and office buildings, including EPC and other construction contracts, power purchase agreements, raw material and feedstock procurements, tolling agreements, O&M contracts, thermal energy contracts, equipment purchases, fuel supply and transportation contracts. He has represented the owners, lenders and customers of most types of power generation project, including hydro, biomass, coal, lignite, pet coke, nuclear, natural gas, waste fired, landfill gas, wind and solar (PV and CSP) — projects varying in size from less than 1 MW to more than 2,000 MW.

He has negotiated more than 30,000 MWs of long-term power purchase and tolling contracts on behalf of the power purchasers and developers of such projects, as well as trading contracts using EEI, ISDA NAESB and WSPP documents. He has represented clients for state and federal energy regulatory approvals, facility siting certificates (including for PURPA qualifying facilities), “avoided cost” rate matters, federal QF and market based rate filings. He has worked on the development, purchase and sale of inside-the-fence energy projects for industrials, including food production plants, warehouses, chemical plants and paper mills. He also has experience with procurement of commercial users’ purchased energy needs for everything from big-box retailers to grocery store chains, and from bowling alleys and shopping centers to large industrial users. He has represented participants in projects throughout the United States and in Europe.

A recognized authority in his field, Mark has written on energy and utility and construction related topics for a number of publications, including the Energy and Mineral Law Foundation (Drafting and Negotiating Power Purchase Agreements), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (Design Build Projects), and has taught classes at a number of industry venues and conferences including most recently the Association of Corporate Counsel (3 programs: Casting some Light on Solar Projects, Working with Traditional and Alternative Project Delivery Systems, and Mechanics’ Liens), and the American Institute of Architects (Virginia Construction Law).

Prior to joining McGuireWoods in 1991, Mark was with another firm for two years and an in-house attorney at Dominion Virginia Power from 1981-1989.

While earning his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame, Mark was awarded Outstanding Bandsman.

Mark was named by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as Virginia Man of the Year in 2013.