Luke Burns
Partner
Luke Burns
+1.713.244.6865
Overview
Luke L. Burns is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Houston office who focuses on complex transactions in the liquefied natural gas (LNG), oil and gas, and hydrogen sectors. Mr. Burns brings more than a decade of experience handling high-value deals in established and emerging energy markets.
Mr. Burns advises LNG clients on long-term sale and purchase agreements, liquefaction tolling services agreements, terminal use agreements related to regasification projects, feed gas supply agreements and other related arrangements. His work in hydrogen initiatives includes counseling utility providers and other clients on the construction of hydrogen projects and the divestiture of hydrogen project assets.
In upstream oil and gas, Mr. Burns has been involved in transactions totaling billions of dollars across major U.S. basins, including the Permian, Marcellus/Utica and Gulf of Mexico.
Recently, Mr. Burns has engaged in work at the intersection of energy and technology, advising on projects that use natural gas to power cryptocurrency mining operations.
Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Burns was an attorney at an international law firm in its Houston office. He previously gained experience as a law clerk for the Honorable Andrew S. Hanen of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
While in law school, Mr. Burns served as articles editor of the University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law.
Representative Experience
- Represented a Canadian energy company in the negotiation and signing of a 1.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), 20-year LNG sale and purchase agreement (SPA) at the proposed floating electric-driven liquefaction production unit being developed off the coast of Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada
- Represented a Canadian energy company in the negotiation and signing of a 1.5 MTPA, 20-year liquefaction tolling services agreement at the proposed floating LNG project off the coast of Canada
- Represented a U.S. utility in a long-term LNG tolling arrangement involving an LNG liquefaction and export facility on the U.S. Gulf Coast
- Represented a U.S. energy company in the negotiation of a gas sales agreement for the supply of feedstock to an LNG liquefaction terminal on the U.S. Gulf Coast
- Represented a global energy company in the negotiation of various agreements related to the joint use of an LNG regasification facility in Panama
- Represented a large U.S. energy company in the development of a proposed LNG receiving terminal and gas-fired combined cycle power plant in Chile
- Represented a major U.S. LNG company in the negotiation of long-term LNG SPAs
- Represented a U.S. utility in the negotiation of an arrangement to acquire and construct a hydrogen electrolyzer and blending skid to be integrated into power production facilities
- Represented a privately held U.S. energy company in a hydrogen supply contract for a very low sulfur fuel oil production facility on the U.S. Gulf Coast
- Represented a privately held U.S. company in the divestment of certain assets related to hydrogen production
- Represented a global mining company in a $10.5 billion divestiture of U.S. shale assets located in the Permian, Eagle Ford and Haynesville plays to an oil major
- Represented an oil major in a $9.5 billion acquisition of a Permian Basin business affiliated with another oil major
- Represented an oil major in a $5.6 billion divestiture of an entire upstream and midstream business in Alaska to a large privately held oil company
- Represented a global oil exploration and production (E&P) company in a $1.6 billion acquisition of deepwater Gulf of Mexico assets from a large privately held E&P company
- Represented a U.S. oil and gas company in an acquisition of three refined product terminals in Louisiana and all related assets and customer contracts from a terminal services provider
- Represented a U.S. chemical company in a long-term cross-border capacity reservation and supply of chemicals involving initial payments exceeding $250 million and potential additional payments for supply over time exceeding $600 million
- Represented an international oil and gas company in a $400 million acquisition of oil assets in the Alaska North Slope area from a large U.S. E&P company
- Represented an oil major in a divestiture of a 746-mile offshore fiber optic network to a telecommunications network operator
- Represented a U.S. company in the negotiation of farmout agreements the Utica Shale and Marcellus Shale, covering an area in excess of 100,000 acres, with various U.S. E&P companies
- Represented a large U.S. chemicals company in the divestiture of a marine terminal and storage facility on the U.S. Gulf Coast to a third party
- Represented a privately held, independent oil and gas company in a Section 363 acquisition of oil and gas assets in Alaska from a third party in bankruptcy
- Represented a U.S. independent midstream company in the dedication, sale and delivery of Y-Grade natural gas liquids (NGLs) on a long-term basis to the owner of certain downstream facilities on the U.S. Gulf Coast
- Represented an independent U.S. E&P company in the negotiation of a drillco arrangement with a third party involving investment in the development of East Texas conventional oilfield assets
- Represented a large publicly traded U.S. E&P company in the $130 million divestiture of oilfield assets in the Midcontinent Region of Oklahoma to an independent U.S. oil and gas company
- Represented a global oil and gas company in the disposition of an interest in certain oil and gas exploration properties and related assets in the Gulf of Mexico
- Represented a major U.S. energy holding company in the acquisition of assets associated with refined product terminals on the U.S. Gulf Coast and the negotiation of shared facilities agreements with respect to such terminals
- Represented an independent U.S. oil and gas company in a $215 million acquisition of oilfield interests in the Delaware Basin from a large publicly traded U.S. E&P company
- Represented a U.S. energy company in a Section 363 sale of assets in the Permian Basin and elsewhere in bankruptcy to a third party
- Represented an independent U.S. oil and gas company in the acquisition of operated and non-operated Permian Basin assets from another independent U.S. oil and gas company
- Represented a diversified energy company in the acquisition of Texas and Louisiana oil and gas properties; led acquisition of leases and mineral interests in a Pennsylvania company, including the production agreement and related arrangements
- Represented an independent U.S. oil and gas operator in the acquisition of oil and gas properties in East Texas from an independent U.S. oil and gas company
- Represented a U.S. energy company in the divestiture of non-operated oil and gas assets in Oklahoma to a third-party oil and gas company
- Represented a global oil and gas company in the acquisition of oil and gas assets in the Haynesville Shale from an independent U.S. oil and gas company
- Represented a large U.S. midstream company in the acquisition of salt water disposal assets in the Eagle Ford Shale from third parties
- Represented a U.S. oil and gas company in the divestiture of leasehold interests in East Texas to a third party
- Represented a cryptocurrency mining company in a joint venture to develop a gas-to-cryptocurrency mining operation in Texas
- Represented a cryptocurrency mining company in the acquisition of cryptocurrency mining data center assets in Texas and a revenue sharing arrangement
- Represented a private equity company in a joint venture to acquire and operate terminal and storage facilities on a major waterway near Houston
- Represented a private equity company in a portfolio company's entry into a 15-year agreement to supply at least 2.4 million cases of frozen dough product a year
- Represented a U.S. private equity firm in the divestiture of oilfield assets in the Eagle Ford Shale to a third party
- Represented a U.S. private equity firm in a joint venture to develop certain onshore upstream assets in the Permian Basin
Credentials
Education
- University of Pennsylvania Law School, J.D., magna cum laude
- The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Certificate, Business and Public Policy
- University of Richmond, B.A.
Bar Admissions/Licenses
- Texas