Texas project finance lawyer recognized as 2021 Law360 MVP

Download the Law360 article

Law360 recently honored Becky Diffen (Austin) as a 2021 Law360 MVP in Project Finance. She was selected based on her work representing some of the largest players in the renewable energy space over the past year.

A key contributor to global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright's world-class project finance practice, Diffen is one of the youngest leading lawyers in projects across the United States. She began her tenure in the renewable energy sector as a utility-scale wind power developer. This experience greatly impacts the way in which she advises clients, allowing her to better understand the client's needs by having firsthand experience on the key issues that arise in the development and operations of wind farms and other renewables projects.

Diffen's recent work includes advising National Grid Ventures in the formation of a joint venture with RWE Renewables to develop offshore wind projects in the New York Bight, a geographical region in the waters of the Atlantic between Long Island and the New Jersey coast that has unleased sea bottom ripe for wind turbine construction. This region is a major focus for the Biden administration with the New York Bight offshore wind auction.

Diffen also represented 7X Energy in the sale of the company, including 9GW of solar development projects in the United States, to bp's solar joint venture, Lightsource bp, for $220 million. The assets are spread across 12 states with the largest holdings in Texas and the Midwest. Once the projects are fully developed, they are expected to produce enough energy to power 1.7 million homes.

Speaking to Law360 about her work in the renewables industry, Diffen said:

"We're no longer talking about renewables as something that is a niche thing that'll happen in the future. Energy transition used to be a bad word for those in oil and gas. And now everyone is talking about energy transition as something that is here, it is now, it is happening. There is no question about that."

With nearly 20 years of experience, Diffen's practice primarily focuses on energy transactions, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and project development in the renewable energy, energy storage and power generation industries, including wind, solar, battery storage, geothermal, waste-to-energy and other technologies.

Diffen also told Law360 that she is most proud of watching her Norton Rose team come together and use their strengths on exciting projects.

"I joined Norton Rose two years ago, obviously a world-renowned renewable energy practice when I joined," Diffen told the publication. "But we've built up a really strong team down here in Texas," she said. "We've been growing our team with really great people who have really strong experience in the industry. And so I'm particularly proud of that team that we're building and just being part of the overall Norton Rose Fulbright renewables practice."

Law360 MVPs are lawyers whose achievements have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals. A group of editors chose the winners after evaluating nearly 900 entries.

Download the Law360 article