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Law firm expands energy team in Houston with addition of 2 transaction attorneys

new hires

Ming Lei and Kevin Brophy were named as partners and members of the firm's transactions department. Photos via winston.com

Two lawyers have joined Winston & Strawn's energy practice in Houston.

Kevin Brophy and Ming Lei were named as partners and members of the firm's transactions department.

“Kevin and Ming’s extensive experience executing all manner of sophisticated transactions for energy and infrastructure clients combined with their strong networks in the energy sector enhance Winston’s position in Texas as one of the strongest firms for handling these transactions,” Mike Blankenship, Houston office managing partner, says in a news release. “Their complementary skills will help expand our work with private equity firms and other companies operating in the energy sector.”

Brophy's focus includes upstream and midstream sectors, and Lei advises clients on energy transition, as well as oil and gas exploration, storage, refinery, and more. Both have expertise in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, asset acquisitions and dispositions, and more.

“Winston’s transactions team has a first-class reputation. We are excited to join the firm’s growing Houston office and look forward to collaborating with our new colleagues to advance Winston’s oil and gas practice in Texas and beyond,” Brophy and Lei say in a joint statement.

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The new office will expand Bracewell's capabilities in France and the broader Europe, the Middle East and Africa region. Photo via Bracewell

Houston law firm expands energy practice to Paris

bon voyage

It's not just United States athletes descending upon France this summer. A Houston-based law firm has announced the expansion of its energy team into the region.

Bracewell LLP has opened an office in Paris La Défense and named 11 energy and infrastructure lawyers from Norton Rose Fulbright to the new location, which will be focused on project development, M&A, and finance transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors. The team will have an emphasis on renewable and conventional power, energy transition, oil and gas, and infrastructure in France — as well as Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, per a news release from the firm.

“We are thrilled to welcome our new colleagues to the firm and to open an office in Paris,” Bracewell Managing Partner Gregory M. Bopp says in the release. “The addition of this energy and infrastructure team, one of the largest and most highly regarded in Paris, builds on the strengths of our preeminent global energy platform and broadens our capabilities in France, Africa, and the broader EMEA region.”

Anne Lapierre, Arnaud Bélisaire and Simon Cudennec joined Bracewell as partners in Paris. Eight associates and counsel complete the team: Véronique Bruel, Marie Zelazko, Adnen Ben Naser, Sandra Hahn Duraffourg, Pierrick Ferrero, Diane Dusserre, Noémie Portut-Castel, and Carl Kalaani.

“The French team is a pure energy and infrastructure team, which mirrors who we are and what has been successful in London,” Jason Fox, managing partner of Bracewell’s London office, says in the release. “Where the London office has a strong focus on the oil and gas sector, the French team is more focused on renewables. That, combined with the addition of French law and OHADA capabilities, complements our platform and strengthens our renewables offering, notably in Francophone Africa.”

Lapierre previously served as head of Norton Rose Fulbright’s global energy practice, and Bélisaire co-led that firm's energy practice in Paris. Cudennec, also from Norton Rose Fulbright, specializes in projects within the energy, infrastructure and natural resources sectors in France and French-speaking Africa.

“Bracewell’s focus on sector excellence has made it one of the leading energy law firms in the world,” adds Lapierre. “Arnaud, Simon and I are thrilled to join an outstanding and dedicated global team that has broad capabilities and a sterling reputation across the entire energy spectrum.”

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Wind and solar supplied over a third of ERCOT power, report shows

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Since 2023, wind and solar power have been the fastest-growing sources of electricity for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and increasingly are meeting stepped-up demand, according to a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The report says utility-scale solar generated 50 percent more electricity for ERCOT in the first nine months this year compared with the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, electricity generated by wind power rose 4 percent in the first nine months of this year versus the same period in 2024.

Together, wind and solar supplied 36 percent of ERCOT’s electricity in the first nine months of 2025.

Heavier reliance on wind and solar power comes amid greater demand for ERCOT electricity. In the first nine months of 2025, ERCOT recorded the fastest growth in electricity demand (5 percent) among U.S. power grids compared with the same period last year, according to the report.

“ERCOT’s electricity demand is forecast to grow faster than that of any other grid operator in the United States through at least 2026,” the report says.

EIA forecasts demand for ERCOT electricity will climb 14 percent in the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period this year. This anticipated jump coincides with a number of large data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities coming online next year.

The ERCOT grid covers about 90 percent of Texas’ electrical load.

Micro-nuclear reactor to launch next year at Texas A&M innovation campus

nuclear pilot

The Texas A&M University System and Last Energy plan to launch a micro-nuclear reactor pilot project next summer at the Texas A&M-RELLIS technology and innovation campus in Bryan.

Washington, D.C.-based Last Energy will build a 5-megawatt reactor that’s a scaled-down version of its 20-megawatt reactor. The micro-reactor initially will aim to demonstrate safety and stability, and test the ability to generate electricity for the grid.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) fast-tracked the project under its New Reactor Pilot Program. The project will mark Last Energy’s first installation of a nuclear reactor in the U.S.

Private funds are paying for the project, which Robert Albritton, chairman of the Texas A&M system’s board of regents, said is “an example of what’s possible when we try to meet the needs of the state and tap into the latest technologies.”

Glenn Hegar, chancellor of the Texas A&M system, said the 5-megawatt reactor is the kind of project the system had in mind when it built the 2,400-acre Texas A&M-RELLIS campus.

The project is “bold, it’s forward-looking, and it brings together private innovation and public research to solve today’s energy challenges,” Hegar said.

As it gears up to build the reactor, Last Energy has secured a land lease at Texas A&M-RELLIS, obtained uranium fuel, and signed an agreement with DOE. Founder and CEO Bret Kugelmass said the project will usher in “the next atomic era.”

In February, John Sharp, chancellor of Texas A&M’s flagship campus, said the university had offered land at Texas A&M-RELLIS to four companies to build small modular nuclear reactors. Power generated by reactors at Texas A&M-RELLIS may someday be supplied to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid.

Also in February, Last Energy announced plans to develop 30 micro-nuclear reactors at a 200-acre site about halfway between Lubbock and Fort Worth.

Rice University partners with Australian co. to boost mineral processing, battery innovation

critical mineral partnership

Rice University and Australian mineral exploration company Locksley Resources have joined together in a research partnership to accelerate the development of antimony processing in the U.S. Antimony is a critical mineral used for defense systems, electronics and battery storage.

Rice and Locksley will work together to develop scalable methods for extracting and utilizing antimony. Currently, the U.S. relies on imports for nearly all refined antimony, according to Rice.

Locksley will fund the research and provide antimony-rich feedstocks and rare earth elements from a project in the Mojave Desert. The research will explore less invasive hydrometallurgical techniques for antimony extraction and explore antimony-based materials for use in batteries and other energy storage applications.

“This strategic collaboration with Rice marks a pivotal step in executing Locksley’s U.S. strategy,” Nathan Lude, chairman of Locksley Resources, said in a news release. “By fast-tracking our research program, we are helping rebuild downstream capacity through materials innovation that the country urgently requires.”

Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor of Materials Science and Nanoengineering at Rice, is the principal investigator of the project.

“Developing scalable, domestic pathways for antimony processing is not only a scientific and engineering challenge but also a national strategic priority,” Ajayan said in the news release. “By combining Rice’s expertise in advanced materials with Locksley’s resources, we can address a critical supply chain gap and build collaborations that strengthen U.S. energy resilience.”

The Rice Advanced Materials Institute (RAMI) will play a major role in supporting the advancement of technology and energy-storage applications.

“This partnership aligns with our mission to lead in materials innovations that address national priorities,” Lane Martin, director of RAMI, said in a news release. “By working with Locksley, we are helping to build a robust domestic supply chain for critical materials and support the advancement of next-generation energy technologies.”

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