Rob Blackstein is a seasoned corporate and transactional lawyer and co-chair of BLG's Electricity Markets Group in Toronto. Rob is involved in all aspects of the energy and infrastructure industries, from upstream structuring between investors down to the project level, including project development, debt and equity financings, construction, operations, mergers and acquisition (M&A) transactions, both domestic and cross-border.
Rob works on a wide range of infrastructure and energy projects and transactions for public authorities, owners, lenders, equity providers, operators, customers, developers and design-builders. His experience in Canada's energy is extensive and spans transmission, distribution and generation (solar, wind, hydroelectric, gas and nuclear), district energy projects and hydrogen. Rob acts on a number of the sector's most significant and marquee energy and infrastructure transactions, including complex bilateral arrangements as well as number of “first of a kind" projects. Rob also acts on the formation and structuring of various project and investment vehicles, including energy and infrastructure funds, and has represented fund sponsors and institutional investors in connection with such transactions. On large scale infrastructure projects, Rob acts for public authorities, developers and design-builders in a number of areas, including hospital projects, toll roads, rail and ports.
Rob is involved in a number of industry associations and is the Chair of the Toronto Board of Trade's Energy Transition Committee, a cross-sectoral committee that aims to develop a sustainable, reliable and affordable energy system in the Toronto Region in order to enable business growth.
Experience
- A sample of Rob's recent representative and industry leading transactions include:
- Counsel to Northland Power Inc. on the acquisition, development and debt financing of the 250 MW Oneida battery storage project, a first of its kind utility scale lithium-ion battery storage project;
- Counsel to Northland Power Inc. on the acquisition of a renewable power development platform from Greengate Power Corporation in Alberta encompassing a solar and battery storage portfolio of over 1.6 GW and 1.2 GWh, respectively;
- Counsel to Candu Energy Inc., a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group in connection with its agreement with Ontario Power Generation to deliver a GEH BWRX-300 Small Modular Reactor at OPG's Darlington site, the first of its kind grid-scale SMR to be deployed in Canada; and
- Counsel to Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Inc. (CNL) and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) in connection with its program to host small modular nuclear reactors, including its framework agreement with Global First Power Ltd. to host a first of its kind proposed Micro Modular Reactor Project to be located at Chalk River Laboratories, a site owned by AECL and managed by CNL.
- Rob has also acted on a number of other significant transactions across the electricity sector, including the multi-billion dollar project to construct the Keeyask Generating Station in Manitoba, the $1.5 billion acquisition by Fiera Axium and Metlife Capital of 10 solar projects in Ontario from Recurrent Energy, the $700 million East-West Tie Transmission Project, the Kingsvale Transmission Line that delivers electricity to the Transmountain Expansion Project, the transactions to form Alectra Utilities Inc. and the sales and amalgamations of a number of local distribution companies (LDCs).
- Major infrastructure projects include Brockville General Hospital Project, the SickKids Patient Support Centre Project, Providence Care Hospital Project, New Oakville Hospital Project, Penetanguishene Centre Project, the CAMH Redevelopment Project, A25 Project and the Edmonton Valley Line LRT and Eglinton LRT Projects and various acquisitions and divestures of infrastructure projects.
- Rob acts for fund sponsors and institutional investors to invest in and form a number of private equity funds.
- A sample of Rob's recent representative and industry leading transactions include:
- Counsel to Northland Power Inc. on the acquisition, development and debt financing of the 250 MW Oneida battery storage project, a first of its kind utility scale lithium-ion battery storage project;
- Counsel to Northland Power Inc. on the acquisition of a renewable power development platform from Greengate Power Corporation in Alberta encompassing a solar and battery storage portfolio of over 1.6 GW and 1.2 GWh, respectively;
- Counsel to Candu Energy Inc., a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group in connection with its agreement with Ontario Power Generation to deliver a GEH BWRX-300 Small Modular Reactor at OPG's Darlington site, the first of its kind grid-scale SMR to be deployed in Canada; and
- Counsel to Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Inc. (CNL) and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) in connection with its program to host small modular nuclear reactors, including its framework agreement with Global First Power Ltd. to host a first of its kind proposed Micro Modular Reactor Project to be located at Chalk River Laboratories, a site owned by AECL and managed by CNL.
- Rob has also acted on a number of other significant transactions across the electricity sector, including the multi-billion dollar project to construct the Keeyask Generating Station in Manitoba, the $1.5 billion acquisition by Fiera Axium and Metlife Capital of 10 solar projects in Ontario from Recurrent Energy, the $700 million East-West Tie Transmission Project, the Kingsvale Transmission Line that delivers electricity to the Transmountain Expansion Project, the transactions to form Alectra Utilities Inc. and the sales and amalgamations of a number of local distribution companies (LDCs).
- Major infrastructure projects include Brockville General Hospital Project, the SickKids Patient Support Centre Project, Providence Care Hospital Project, New Oakville Hospital Project, Penetanguishene Centre Project, the CAMH Redevelopment Project, A25 Project and the Edmonton Valley Line LRT and Eglinton LRT Projects and various acquisitions and divestures of infrastructure projects.
- Rob acts for fund sponsors and institutional investors to invest in and form a number of private equity funds.
