John E. Matthews is a partner in Morgan Lewis's Energy Practice. Mr. Matthews has successfully assisted clients in obtaining NRC regulatory approvals for 'first of its kind' commercial transactions involving nuclear power plants. He advises clients regarding commercial issues relating to nuclear power plants and other nuclear assets, nuclear export controls, certain government contracts matters, NRC's review of license transfers, decommissioning funding issues, foreign ownership, control or domination (FOCD) issues, nuclear export controls, and the unique insurance and liability issues associated with the ownership and operation of nuclear assets. He also has directed litigation teams in contested licensing proceedings before the NRC and in complex commercial litigation involving nuclear assets.
Mr. Matthews assists clients in commercial transactions involving the acquisition and/or financing of nuclear assets, issues relating to government contracts (including due diligence and security-related reviews) in connection with mergers and acquisitions or financings, and the development of new nuclear power plant projects. Engagements include the development of South Texas Project, Units 3&4, Exelon's sale of Zion station to ZionSolutions for decommissioning; NRG Energy's acquisition of Texas Genco; private equity firm Lindsay Goldberg's acquisition of Envirocare of Utah (now EnergySolutions); EnergySolutions's acquisition of Duratek, Inc.; Dominion's acquisition of Kewaunee; and AmerGen's acquisition of Three Mile Island, Clinton Power Station, and Oyster Creek.
Mr. Matthews assists clients in administrative proceedings before the NRC, including contested licensing proceedings, and he advises individual utilities and industry groups regarding NRC rulemaking activities and other nuclear regulatory policy issues. Mr. Matthews has represented clients in NRC hearings regarding the licensing of the South Texas Project, Units 3&4, the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility, numerous contested license transfer proceedings, license amendment proceedings, and contested import/export license proceedings.
Mr. Matthews periodically speaks at industry conferences regarding nuclear asset transfer issues, new nuclear plant issues and FOCD issues, including conferences hosted by the American Nuclear Society, the Energy and Mineral Law Foundation, the Center for Strategic & International Studies, and the International Nuclear Lawyers Association (INLA). He published articles on these topics in International Power & Utilities Finance Review in 2004 and 2005, and INLA's 2009 Nuclear Inter Jura Congress.
Mr. Matthews is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Texas.
