A. Cory Lankford

Partner

Washington, D.C.

Cory is a distinguished energy regulatory attorney who counsels clients on wholesale energy market rules and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) matters related to financing, developing, owning and operating energy projects across the United States.

Recognized by Chambers USA, Legal 500, and Best Lawyers, clients praise his sophisticated regulatory expertise and ability to navigate complex challenges.

Cory's practice focuses on advising developers of renewable energy and battery storage projects, electric utilities, financial institutions, and corporations pursuing renewable energy goals. He advises clients on their rights and responsibilities under the Federal Power Act, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, and the Public Utility Holding Company Act. In addition, he frequently represents clients in proceedings before FERC to obtain and maintain authorization to sell energy, capacity and ancillary services at negotiated or market-based rates and to purchase and sell direct or indirect ownership interests in energy projects. Drawing from his broad energy regulatory experience, Cory also helps clients develop and implement compliance programs for FERC and North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) requirements .

Before joining Orrick, Cory served in FERC's Office of the General Counsel, where he led numerous multidisciplinary teams in developing Commission orders addressing Regional Transmission Organizations, open access requirements, transmission, generator interconnection and qualifying facility certification. His notable achievements include providing legal counsel on rulemakings to revise FERC's pro forma Open Access Transmission Tariff and in evaluating mandatory reliability standards proposed by NERC and its regional entities. Cory also collaborated with staff at the U.S. Department of Energy to create the National Action Plan on Demand Response and its Implementation Proposal to Congress.

Engagements
- Intersect Power, LLC in negotiating grid connection arrangements and obtaining authorizations and approvals from FERC for the development and operation of its portfolio of utlility-scale solar and battery storage projects.
- Avantus Energy on the negotiation of generator interconnection arrangements, including shared facility and co-tenancy arrangements, for the interconnection of multiple solar and battery storage projects in California.
- Elawan Energy, a leading wind energy developer, in obtaining FERC authorization for the sale of upstream ownership to ORIX Corporation.
- Lookout Solar Park I, LLC in obtaining from FERC a waiver of generator interconnection requirements under the Southwest Power Pool tariff necessary to preserve grid interconnection rights for a 110 MW solar project in South Dakota.
- Broadview Solar, LLC in a disputed proceeding before FERC, and subsequent D.C. Circuit appeal, to establish Qualifying Facility status for a hybrid solar and battery storage project in Yellowstone County, Montana with a gross capacity of 160 MW that was limited by its 80 MW inverters, in compliance with FERC's rules under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act.
- GE Energy Financial Services (GE EFS) in a sale of its 24.95% share in Southeast PowerGen Holdings (Southeast) to co-investor The Carlyle Group (Carlyle). Southeast owns a 3.2 GW portfolio of six generation assets in Georgia.
- CleanCapital on the purchase and sale of ownership interests in distributed solar projects and related FERC notices to maintain Qualifying Facility status.
- A global renewable energy company in a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Salesforce for the energy produced from its Bright Stalk Wind Farm in McLean County, Illinois. The 205 MW Bright Stalk Wind Farm will produce enough clean electricity to power more than 70,000 Illinois homes each year.
- A client in the acquisition of an interest in the Cricket Valley Energy Center which owns and operates a 1,000 MW combined cycle generating facility in Dutchess County, NY.