Frank's corporate practice is devoted to the area of major commercial and industrial capital financing transactions, with particular emphasis on project development and financing. He has an extensive background in commercial and industrial real estate transactions, including project financings, conventional mortgage transactions for construction, interim and permanent financing, commercial paper and letter-of-credit based financing transactions, secured and unsecured corporate financings, sale-leaseback and private placement financings, asset-based financing transactions, leasing transactions, acquisitions and dispositions, real estate syndication, zoning, land use and other development work. He also has significant experience with real estate bankruptcies and workouts.
His experience with industrial real estate projects has led him to devote a significant amount of time to the acquisition, development and financing of electric power projects, including the representation of public utilities and other end users in connection with the purchase of power from qualifying facilities under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, exempt wholesale generators, power marketers and other independent power producers; the representation of buyers, sellers and developers of such projects; and the representation of lenders to such projects. He has also represented clients in connection with gas purchase and gas transportation contracts, interconnection and transmission agreements, energy management agreements, and forward purchase contracts, including commodity hedging transactions.
Frank has been directly involved in the acquisition or disposition of, the negotiation of power contracts for, and the financing or refinancing of, projects representing more than 5,000 MW of generating capacity and has become intimately familiar with the regulatory framework affecting public utilities and the rate structures necessary to support the financing of such projects. He is counsel to the Keystone-Conemaugh Projects, two of the largest investor-owned coal-fired generating stations east of the Mississippi River. In that capacity, he has become intimately familiar with contracts for fuel purchasing, fuel transportation and other fuel-related services, and ash handling services.
Frank has also advised clients with respect to Federal and state regulations relating to the ownership and operation of power plants. Among other things, he has successfully filed applications with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for authorizations under Section 203 of the Federal Power Act and other matters. He has also prepared various compliance filings on behalf of market-based rate sellers of energy, capacity and ancillary services in the PJM market.
Frank has lectured before the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and the Allegheny County Bar Association, as well as industry-sponsored management seminars.
