Power Plays: Distress and Restructuring in the Energy Sector

A fireside chat from the 2026 Distressed Investing Summit (Deal Forum, Four Seasons Resort, Palm Beach, FL).When the White House flipped the switch on green energy incentives, more than $24 billion of clean energy deals were canceled almost overnight, and the tax equity capital that funded the sector dried up. In this conversation, a veteran restructuring lawyer walks through one of the most remarkable cases of the cycle: a global battery storage company that fell into free fall, lost its biggest projects, and still emerged from bankruptcy in under six months. It is a candid look at credibility, working capital, and what comes next for energy distress in an AI and geopolitics driven world.In this episode:How a policy reversal canceled $24B in green energy deals and froze tax equity capitalWhy blue chip names like Walmart pour cash into energy through tax equity creditsThe five times return inside five years, and what happens when the rules change mid recaptureBankruptcy remote structures, parent guarantees, and why buyers had to put skin in the gameThe credibility deficit: borrowing from the future to pay for the pastLosing the world's largest solar plant deal days before filingThe Dallas summit: getting 100+ customers in a room to fund survivalTurning customer payments into DIP loans to solve the free rider problemLanding single digit DIP financing under 8% in a free fall caseFree fall vs. pre negotiated vs. prepackaged, explainedChoosing venue for speed and customer service, and a clean six month exitKnowing what you can and cannot reach for to maximize valueThe bigger picture: AI, data center demand, and a fragile global energy gridA war story from the 2004 Northeast blackoutChapters:00:01 Intro01:09 From Skadden to Dentons, and a truly cross border deal02:43 Policy reversal and $24B of canceled green energy deals04:21 How tax equity credits and blue chip investors fund energy06:51 Partnership flips, recapture periods, and bankruptcy remote structures09:57 The credibility deficit and a working capital crunch11:49 Losing the Acacia solar plant deal before filing13:08 The Dallas summit: getting customers in a room15:25 DIP loans, the free rider fix, and sub 8% financing16:42 Free fall vs. pre negotiated vs. prepackaged17:32 Venue strategy and a six month exit from bankruptcy20:00 Knowing your limits to maximize value20:56 AI, data centers, and a fragile energy grid22:42 War story: the 2004 Northeast blackoutThe panel:Van Durrer, Partner, DentonsHost: Roger Aguinaldo, Founder and CEO, The M&A AdvisorFollow The Advisor Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, and subscribe to the M&A Alerts newsletter.#EnergyRestructuring #DistressedDebt #GreenEnergy #Bankruptcy #Restructuring #MergersAndAcquisitions #DealMaking