Podcast - The Loan Programs Office: Current State of Affairs with Director Jigar Shah

In this episode of our Public Policy & Regulation Group's Eyes on Washington podcast series, Energy attorney Taite McDonald is joined by Jigar Shah, Executive Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO). Their conversation covers the current state of affairs at the office and answers questions applicants are frequently asking. They touch on the LPO process and some of the nuances that come along with government bureaucracy now that the office has over 70 applicants in the pipeline.

They also provide a general outlook on the success of projects that come through the office and how the staff are managing these applications given they have little to no precedent to base their decisions. Mr. Shah explains that the team continues to find efficiencies as they go, while maintaining high quality work. In that same vein, the conversation explores the LPO's relationship with other entities including the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Credit Review Board and various grant programs, explaining how these entities work to find synergies so projects can be successful at scale. Lastly, the discussion shifts to the importance of weighing and managing risk while also defining and measuring success for projects that come through the office. They highlight how crucial it is for companies to communicate with the DOE given the administration's interest in supporting emerging technologies where the private sector is investing money.