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Overview
David Avila is a partner in the Energy and Infrastructure practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office. He focuses on project development and finance, including construction, tax credit bridge and back leverage financings, Term Loan A, Term Loan B, asset acquisitions and dispositions, private placement offerings, tax credit transfer transactions, and other corporate transactions in the power and renewable energy, battery storage and natural gas sectors. David’s clients include both sponsors and lenders, including developers, private equity, investment banks and other institutional investors.
Accolades
- IFLR USA, Rising Star in Project Finance and Project Development (2025)
Education
- American University Washington College of Law, J.D. (cum laude), 2008 (Member, American University International Law Review)
- Duke University, B.A. in Economics, 2002
Representations
- Represented Nuveen Infrastructure as the buyer and borrower in the acquisition and financing of three solar projects with an aggregate capacity of 351 MW located in Falls County, Texas. The transaction was multi-phased and included the preparation and negotiation of a single PTC transfer agreement for the portfolio, as well as separate REC purchase agreements, operations and maintenance agreements, and asset management agreements.
- Represented the Coordinating Lead Arrangers in the construction-term and tax equity bridge financing of a 342 MW wind generation project located in Allegany, Cattaraugus and Wyoming counties, New York, owned by Invenergy Renewables.
- Represented the Lead Arrangers in the construction and tax equity bridge financing of the 800 MWdc Double Black Diamond Solar Project located near Springfield, Illinois, owned by Swift Current Energy.
- Represented the Co-Lead Arrangers in the construction-term and tax credit bridge financing of a 205 MW solar power plant and a 250 MW battery energy storage system located in Maricopa County, Arizona, owned by DESRI.
- Represented the equity investors, KOSPO and KIND, on their investment in and the project development and financing of the Trumbull Energy Center, a 940 MW combined gas turbine power generation facility in Lordstown, Ohio.
- Represented the Coordinating Lead Arrangers in the construction-to-term and tax equity bridge financing for the construction and expansion of a 500 MW portfolio of battery energy storage projects in California, owned by Middle River Power, with offtake agreements paired with existing co-located gas-fired peaker facilities.
- Represented the Lead Arrangers in the term financing of an operating wind portfolio, including the repowering of an approximately 139 MW wind energy facility located in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and an approximately 30 MW wind energy facility and associated equipment located in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, owned by Exus Renewables.
- Represented the Coordinating Lead Arrangers in the refinancing of a portfolio of operating wind projects in Maine, owned by Onward Energy.
- Represented the Coordinating Lead Arrangers in the construction and tax credit bridge financing for an approximately 149.9 MW/600 MWh battery storage facility located in Rockingham County, Virginia, owned by Swift Current Energy.
- Represented the Coordinating Lead Arrangers in the construction and tax credit bridge financing of the Tierra Bonita project, an approximately 306 MWac solar project in Pecos County, Texas, owned by Ashtrom Renewable Energy. The offtake structure of the project includes both a 20-year power purchase agreement and a 10-year PTC transfer agreement. The Tierra Bonita project is one of the very first project-financed solar projects in the U.S. with a solar PTC transfer agreement under the Inflation Reduction Act.
- Represented the Lead Arrangers in the acquisition financing of a portfolio of 10 operating natural gas-fired power plants located in California, acquired by Middle River Power.
- Represented GE Energy Financial Services, Inc. and the other shareholders of EVM Energía del Valle de México, S.A.P.I. de C.V. and EVM Energía del Valle de México Generador, S.A.P.I. de C.V. in connection with the sale to Valia Energía, a portfolio company of the global private equity fund manager Actis, of their equity interests in the two companies, which own an approximately 100 MW open-cycle natural gas fired electricity generation facility and an approximately 850 MW combined-cycle natural gas-fired electricity generation facility located in the municipality of Axapusco, Estado de México, Mexico.
- Represented the Coordinating Lead Arrangers in the construction-to-term and tax equity bridge financing of a 329.8 MW wind project located in Albany County, Wyoming, owned by Innergex Renewable Energy.
- Represented GridPoint, a U.S. smart buildings technology company, on a secured credit facility to finance the company’s energy savings and energy management equipment sale and installation business for corporate customers in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.
- Represented the Lead Arrangers in the construction-to-term financing of a 185 MW battery energy storage facility, located in Kapolei, Hawaii, owned by Plus Power.
News
- Paul Hastings Advises Spearmint on $252 Million Battery Energy Storage Systems Financing - April 17th, 2025
- Paul Hastings Advised Lead Arrangers on $250 Million Financing for Battery Storage Facilities with First-of-a-Kind Hybrid Battery Storage & Gas-Fired Offtake Arrangements - November 22nd, 2023
- Paul Hastings Advised Lead Arrangers on Project Financing for Ashtrom Renewable Energy’s $270 Million Green Solar Project in Texas with PTC Transfer Agreement - October 3rd, 2023
- Paul Hastings Advised Lenders on $779 Million Project Financing for Double Black Diamond Solar Project - August 10th, 2023