Ryan T. Ketchum

Ryan’s practice focuses on energy and infrastructure projects located in emerging and frontier markets. Ryan is a frequent speaker and author on topics related to the development and financing of renewable energy projects and public-private partnerships. Clients quoted in Chambers Global praise Ryan as “extremely efficient,” adding that, “his wisdom and judgement of process is very good, as is his ability to handle deep-heated situations,” that he is “very knowledgeable in private-public transactions in the energy sector,”and that he “provides intelligent counsel and knows how to get the deal done.”

Ryan focuses his practice on the development and financing of energy and infrastructure projects worldwide. He has acted for governments, sponsors, lenders, development finance institutions, and other participants in the energy and infrastructure sectors.

Chambers Global guide has recognized Ryan since 2013. Before joining the firm, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Henry H. Whiting of the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Renewables

• Advising the developer on the development of a 40 MW battery energy storage project in western Ukraine.
• Advising the developer on the development of a 200 MW, 800 MWh solar plus battery energy storage project in northern Zambia.
• Advising the International Finance Corporation and the Government of Barbados on the development of an onshore wind farm.
• Advising the International Finance Corporation and the Government of Ethiopia on the development of multiple utility-scale solar and wind projects.
• Advised a U.S.-based corporation on their entry into virtual power purchase agreements to serve their loads in Europe and the U.K. as part of their commitment to 100% renewable electricity.
• Advised a foundation that invests in mini-grids to serve rural, underserved populations in low income countries on standards and financing structures for the development of mini-grids that will be included in their portfolio of projects.
• Advised the International Finance Corporation and the Government of Zambia in connection with the development of multiple solar power projects on a public-private partnership basis under the IFC’s Scaling Solar program.
• Advised the lender on the project financing of a portfolio of solar projects with battery energy storage located at the towers of mobile network operators in multiple countries in West Africa.
• Advised the lender on the project financing of a solar plus battery energy storage project designed to deliver reliable electricity to a commercial and industrial power purchaser in Southern Africa.
• Advised the Federal Government of Nigeria and Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading PLC (NBET) in connection with:
  
  • The development of solar projects with an aggregate capacity of 1,125 MW and an estimated capital cost of $1.76 billion as independent power projects; and
  • The development of a number of wind farms with an aggregate capacity of 400 MW as independent power projects.
• Advised Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Federal Government of Nigeria on the development of multi-project competitive procurement processes for utility-scale solar, wind, and small and medium hydropower plants in Nigeria.
• Advised the developer of a utility scale solar project in Zimbabwe.
• Advised the developer of a commercial and industrial solar project with battery energy storage in Zimbabwe.
• Advised the shareholders of a leading developer of renewable power projects in connection with a corporate restructuring.

Hydropower

• Advising the Government of Georgia and the International Finance Corporation on the development of a $1 billion, 280 MW hydropower plant on the Nenskra River in the Republic of Georgia.
• Represented the Government of Uganda on the development, construction, and financing of the $872 million Bujagali hydroelectric facility on the River Nile, including:
  
  • Structuring and negotiating all bidding documentation and project documentation, including the requests for proposals, power purchase agreement, implementation agreement, financing, and other documents; and
  • Advising on the engineering, procurement, and construction contracts for the project. The deal was awarded Project Finance Magazine’s “African Power Deal of the Year.”
• Advised Energies des Grands Lacs and the governments of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda on the development of the $600 million, 145 MW Ruzizi III Regional Hydroelectric Dam, which will be located on the border between Rwanda and the DRC and will sell capacity and energy to the utilities of Burundi, Rwanda, and the DRC.
• Advised the International Finance Corporation and the Government of Montenegro in connection with the development of a 140 MW cascade of hydroelectric power plants on the River Morača.
• Advised the Government of Sierra Leone in relation to the expansion of the Bumbuna Hydroelectric Project.

Nuclear Power

• Advising a national government in the MENA region on a deca-billion USD nuclear power program.
• Advised the lenders on the development, construction, and financing of a nuclear power plant in the United States.
• Advised a supplier of nuclear fuel on third-party nuclear liabilities.

Power Transmission

• Advised the Electricity Regulatory of Authority of Uganda on the development of standardized agreements for the development of independent power transmission projects.
• Advised the Government of the Philippines on the $3.59 billion privatization of the electricity transmission system of the Philippines.
• Advised the first transmission-only company formed in the United States in connection with the contribution of transmission assets from various utilities and the issuance of equity interests in exchange for those assets.

Privatizations, Mergers, and Acquisitions

• Advised the Republic of Ghana in connection with the privatization of the Electricity Company of Ghana, the largest distribution utility in sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa.
• Advised Royal Vopak and BlackRock’s Global Energy & Power Infrastructure Fund in the purchase of 3 of The Dow Chemical Company’s chemical storage terminals on the US Gulf Coast.
• Advised the Government of Kosovo on matters relating to the privatization of Post and Telecoms of Kosovo, the largest mobile phone operator in Kosovo.
• Advised the Government of the Philippines on the $3.59 billion privatization of the electricity transmission system of the Philippines.
• Advised a large U.S.-based corporation on multiple venture capital investments in companies developing innovative energy technologies.

Oil, Gas, and LNG

• Advising the U.S. Department of State on a broad range of oil and gas matters, including matters related to the energy transition.
• Advised the Government of Mozambique on all aspects of the development and financing of the extraction, transportation, liquefaction, sale, and shipping of approximately 35 million tons per annum of liquefied natural gas from multiple gas fields, some of which straddle the boundaries of multiple blocks.
• Advised the governments of a number of countries on revisions to legal frameworks governing various aspects of their petroleum sectors.
• Advised an East African Government on litigation involving the construction of an undersea natural gas pipeline.
• Advised an independent exploration and production company on various aspects of their production sharing agreements.
• Advised a North African country on disputes related to the termination of production sharing contracts.

Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage

• Advised the owner of key patents and other intellectual property related to the production of zero greenhouse gas emissions power from natural gas on the development of a zero-emissions power generation and carbon capture and storage projects to be located in Europe.
• Advised a large U.S. utility in connection with the development of a carbon capture and storage project in Eastern Europe and the licensing of its integrated gasification and carbon capture technology to a variety of prospective licensees seeking to develop integrated gasification and carbon capture projects in Europe.

Power Sector Restructuring

• Advised on the restructuring of the Philippine electricity sector, the privatization of its transmission system, market and related regulatory reform issues, the privatization of its portfolio of generating facilities and the integration of its portfolio of IPP plants into the Philippines’ developing wholesale electricity spot market. While advising on this project, Ryan lived in the Philippines.
• Advised the Ministry of Mines and Energy of the Government of Serbia in restructuring the electric power industry of Serbia.
• Advised the Government of Macedonia with the development of market design options and requirements and developed a restructuring plan for Elektrostopanstvo na Makedonija (ESM), the state-owned electric utility, in accordance with European Union requirements in anticipation of privatization. Also assisted with drafting new energy laws, including laws on energy, efficiency and renewable energy, electricity, natural gas district heating, oil, and oil derivatives.
• Advised the Government of Armenia in connection with the development of an institutional framework for the regulation of public utilities in Armenia and the extension of the Armenian Energy Regulatory Commission’s jurisdiction to regulation of the water sector.
• As an independent expert, conducted a review of the energy sector in Mauritius as applicable to bagasse and coal-fired independent power producers, on behalf of the Republic of Mauritius and the Mauritius Sugar Producers’ Association. The review included extensive analysis of the terms of the power purchase agreements and fuel supply arrangements used in the sector.

Related Experience

• Advised the owner on all aspects of the development of a $500 million process plant located in the South East of the United States.
• Advised the sponsor in connection with the development, construction, and financing of a toll road in Kenya.
• Advised the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company on the development of the 2,250 MW Dairut combined-cycle gas turbine power plant.
• Advised the sponsors on the development and financing of a $650 million fiber optic cable system connecting South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania, India, and Marseilles, France. The SEACOM deal involved eight jurisdictions, including Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, India, Djibouti, Egypt, and South Africa. The deal was awarded Project Finance Magazine's "African Telecoms Deal of the Year."
• Advised a leading infrastructure fund on long-haul fiber-optic projects located in the United States as public-private partnerships.
• Advised the Tanzania Electricity Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) on all aspects of the conversion of a heavy fuel oil-fired IPP to natural gas.
• Advised the Government of Tanzania on all aspects of the expansion of a natural gas processing plant and pipeline owned by an integrated gas-to-electricity project, including financing, construction, and regulatory aspects of the project.
• Advised the Government of Tanzania in connection with the Songo Songo Gas-to-Electricity Project, on the expansion of a gas-fired plant from four gas turbines to six gas turbines. This representation included extensive advice on force majeure and change order claims under the relevant construction contracts.
• Counseled a financing company in connection with a loan program under which it originated loans secured by distributed generation and cogeneration equipment. On behalf of the same client, structured a leasing program for similar equipment that successfully addressed a variety of regulatory concerns.
• Represented the Public Utilities Commission of Guyana on the development of an independent power production strategy, including review of the legal and regulatory framework of the Guyana power sector, specifically the Electricity Sector Reform Act 1999, the Public Utilities Commission Act 1999, and the license of Guyana Power & Light.
• Represented a lender seeking to restructure the debts of borrowers affected by volatile natural gas prices and successfully negotiated the swap of debt for a combination of participating preferred equity and warrants.

• Named "Highly Regarded" in Banking, Project Development and Project Finance, United Kingdom, IFLR1000, 2024
• Recognized as a Leader in Africa-wide: Projects & Energy (2013-2024) and for Africa-wide: Projects – UK (2020, 2024), Chambers Global
• Named among Law360 Energy Rising Stars, 2013
• “Rising Star,” Virginia Super Lawyers, 2007

• Fellow, Construction Lawyers Society of America
• Member, Association of International Energy Negotiators