The Week in Deals
4 deals| Date | Deal Type | Tech | Seller / Sponsor | Buyer / Financier | Size | Location | Status | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 28 | Project & Portfolio M&A | Natural Gas | NextEra Energy Partners | Kinder Morgan | $1.81B | TX | Closed | NEP divests gas pipeline assets as part of strategy to become 100% renewable. STX generated ~$181M adjusted EBITDA in 2023. Proceeds used to reduce CEPF buyout obligations. NEP (now XPLR Infrastructure) retains 8 GW wind + 1.8 GW solar. | |
| Dec 27 | Project Finance | Wind | Pattern Energy Group | Multiple (consortium) | $11.00B | NM | Closed | Non-recourse project financing for the largest wind project in the Western Hemisphere (3,515 MW) paired with a 550-mile ±525 kV HVDC transmission line from central New Mexico to south-central Arizona. Over 17 years in development. Full construction commenced upon financial close. | |
| Dec 27 | Project finance + tax equity | Wind | Pattern Energy | BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole CIB, MUFG Bank, Wells Fargo, Banco Santander and others | $11.00B | NM | Closed | Pattern Energy closed US$11 billion of non-recourse financing for the combined SunZia Wind and Transmission project, comprising roughly $8.8 billion in construction and term facilities and a $2.25 billion tax equity term loan, and began full construction. | |
| Dec 26 | Portfolio acquisition | Solar | PNM Resources | Exus North America Holdings | $230M | NM | Announced | Exus North America agreed to acquire New Mexico Renewable Development LLC, a 15-project, 625 MW solar portfolio including nine operating projects, from a PNM Resources and American Electric Power joint venture. |
Change of Control
8 movesMichael A. Brown joined as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Clearway Energy, Inc. (from Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, The New York Times Company)
Clearway Energy — one of the largest US clean-energy generation owners, with assets across 27 states — brought back a former in-house lawyer to take its top legal seat, succeeding retiring GC Kevin Malcarney. Brown returns from The New York Times Company, where he was assistant GC, after an earlier 2014-2021 stint at Clearway and NRG Yield.
Kevin P. Malcarney departed Clearway Energy, Inc. as EVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Kevin Malcarney is retiring as Clearway Energy's top lawyer effective June 1, capping a tenure that spanned the company's growth into one of the largest US clean-energy owner-operators since he took the GC seat in 2018. He remains a non-executive employee through June 26; Michael A. Brown succeeds him.
Erik Johnson departed SOLV Energy as Chief Strategy Officer
Erik Johnson resigned as Chief Strategy Officer of SOLV Energy — the utility-scale solar EPC that went public in February 2026 — and transitioned to a non-executive employee role through year-end. No successor was disclosed in the 8-K.
Jing Nealis joined as Chief Financial Officer at NeoVolta Inc. (from Chief Financial Officer, SES AI Corporation)
NeoVolta, a San Diego-based battery-storage maker, hired Jing Nealis as CFO from EV-battery firm SES AI as it stands up domestic BESS manufacturing in Georgia (2 GWh initial capacity, targeting 8 GWh). She brings 20-plus years of energy-transition and manufacturing finance experience to the residential-to-utility/C&I expansion.
Steve Bond named Executive Vice President and President at NeoVolta Power LLC (from Chief Financial Officer, NeoVolta Inc.)
In the same announcement that named Jing Nealis CFO, NeoVolta's outgoing finance chief Steve Bond shifted to EVP and President of operating subsidiary NeoVolta Power LLC, taking direct charge of the company's Georgia battery-manufacturing buildout — a CFO-to-operations move that freed the finance seat.
Ravi Abbineni joined as Chief Financial Officer at ION Storage Systems (from Senior Vice President and CFO, JM Family Enterprises)
Maryland-based solid-state battery developer ION Storage Systems hired a finance chief from large privately-held JM Family Enterprises, signaling a push toward commercial scale-up of its solid-state cell technology.
Robert Vinje joined as Chief Operating Officer at Nextpower (from Chief Operating Officer, SOLARCYCLE)
Nextpower (the solar-tracker maker that rebranded from Nextracker in Nov 2025) hired SOLARCYCLE COO Robert Vinje as its COO — a SunPower and Amazon energy-operations veteran. Comp: $475K base, 70% target bonus from FY27, $4M FY27 equity award, $250K sign-on cash.
Marco Miller named Chief Project Development Officer at Nextpower (from Chief Operating Officer, Nextpower)
Nextpower's incumbent COO Miller shifts into a newly created Chief Project Development Officer role concurrent with Robert Vinje's COO appointment — reflecting the company's post-rebrand push into integrated power technology and project services.
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