Peter K. O’Brien

Pete’s practice focuses on all aspects of domestic and international capital markets transactions with a particular focus on the power and utilities industries. Pete is co-head of the firm’s Capital Markets practice. Pete acts as issuers’ counsel and designated underwriters’ counsel for several of the largest utility systems in the United States. He also acts as securities counsel to a financial institution in the Farm Credit System.

Equity/Hybrid:

• Company counsel to Duke Energy Corporation and Evergy, in inaugural issuances of convertible notes.
• Initial purchasers’ counsel for The Southern Company, WEC Energy Group, , CenterPoint Energy, Inc. and PPL Capital Inc. in issuances of convertible/exchangeable notes.
• Underwriters’ counsel for NiSource , CenterPoint Energy, Inc., The Southern Company and Emera Incorporated in issuances of junior subordinated notes.
• Company counsel to Duke Energy Corporation and Evergy, in issuances of junior subordinated notes.
• Underwriters’ counsel to Xcel Energy , ONE Gas Inc. and Westar, Inc. in forward equity issuances.
• Underwriters’ counsel for CenterPoint Energy Inc.’s issuance of common stock, mandatory convertible preferred stock and perpetual preferred stock in connection with the financing of its acquisition of Vectron Corporation.
• Company counsel to Duke Energy Corporation in its inaugural issuance of depositary preferred stock.
• Underwriters’ counsel to NiSource in its inaugural issuance of depositary preferred stock.
• Company counsel to Duke Energy Corporation’s forward equity issuance in connection with the financing of its acquisition of Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc.
• Underwriters’ counsel for Emera Incorporated’s MJDS-registered convertible subordinated notes issuance in connection with the financing of its acquisition of TECO Energy Inc.
• Company counsel to Great Plains Energy Incorporated’s dual tranche mandatory convertible preferred and common stock issuances in connection with the financing of its proposed acquisition of Westar Energy Inc.
• Company counsel to CoBank ACB’s issuances of perpetual subordinated preferred stock.
• Company counsel to Duke Energy Corporation’s establishment of at-the-market program (forward).
• Sales agents’ counsel in establishment of at-the-market programs for NiSource (forward), Westar Energy Inc.(forward), Southern Company (forward), Xcel Energy Inc., NorthWestern Corporation (forward), CenterPoint Energy Inc. (forward), ONE Gas Inc. and Piedmont Natural Gas Company Inc. (forward).

Debt:

• Company counsel to Duke Energy Corporation’s issuance of Euro-denominated senior notes.
• Underwriters’ counsel for The Southern Company’s issuance of Euro-denominated junior subordinated notes.
• Company counsel to Evergy Missouri West, in establishment of first mortgage bond indenture and related inaugural issuance.
• Underwriters’ counsel in CenterPoint Energy ’s debt issuance in connection with its acquisition of Vectron Corporation.
• Initial Purchasers’ counsel in AEP Transmission Company, LLC’s inaugural debt offering.
• Initial Purchasers’ counsel for Columbia Pipeline Group ’s inaugural debt issuance relating to spin-off from NiSource Inc.
• Company counsel to Duke Energy Corporation’s debt issuance in connection with the financing of its acquisition of Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc.
• Initial Purchasers’ counsel for Emera Incorporated’s inaugural US debt issuance in connection with the financing of its acquisition of TECO Energy Inc.
• Initial Purchasers’ counsel for IFM (US) Colonial Pipeline 2 LLC inaugural issuance of senior secured notes.
• Initial Purchasers’ counsel for Wisconsin Energy Company’s Elm Road Generating Station Supercritical, LLC’s inaugural and follow-on issuances of lease-backed debt.
• Underwriters’ counsel for Southwest Public Service Company’s establishment of first mortgage bond indenture and inaugural issuance thereunder.
• Initial Purchasers’ counsel for NorthWestern Corporation’s senior secured note issuance in connection with its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
• Initial Purchasers’ counsel for Southern Power Company’s inaugural debt issuance.
• Company counsel to Evergy Metro, Inc., Evergy Kansas Central, Inc., Evergy Kansas South, Inc., Duke Energy Carolinas LLC, Duke Energy Progress LLC, Duke Energy Florida LLC, Duke Energy Ohio Inc. and Duke Energy Indiana LLC in multiple first mortgage bond issuances.
• Underwriters’ counsel for Kentucky Utilities Company, Louisville Gas & Electric Company, CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC, Northern States Power Company, Public Service of Colorado , Southwestern Public Service Company, NorthWestern Corporation, Puget Sound Energy, Inc., Rochester Gas & Electric Corporation, Kansas Gas & Electric Corporation and Westar Energy in multiple first mortgage bond issuances.
• Underwriters’ counsel Xcel Energy Inc., PPL Corporation, Avangrid Inc., Southern Company and subsidiaries, Puget Energy , NiSource Inc., Narragansett Electric Company, New York State Electric and Gas Corporation, ONE Gas, Inc., Cleco Corporate Holdings Inc., Cleco Power LLC and Colonial Pipeline Corporation in multiple debt securities issuances.

• Recognized as a Leader in Energy: Electricity (Finance), USA, Chambers Global, 2013-2025
• Named a Notable Practitioner for Capital Markets: Debt and Equity, USA, IFLR1000, 2019, 2024
• Recommended for Capital Markets – Debt Offerings (2018-2024), Capital Markets – Equity Offerings (2018-2024), Capital Markets – High-Yield Debt Offerings (2020-2021, 2024) and Energy Transactions: Electric Power (2024), Legal 500 United States
• Recognized as a Leader in Energy: Electricity (Finance), USA-Nationwide, Chambers USA, 2006-2024
• Recognized as a BTI Client Service All-Star, 2024