Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP advised BlueStar Energy Holdings Inc. in its acquisition by Columbus, Ohio-based American Electric Power. Based in Chicago, BlueStar Energy Holdings Inc. supplies electric power to more than 20,000 customers across six states and the District of Columbia via its independent supplier, BlueStar Energy Solutions.

The deal, announced January 5, will bolster the company’s retail electric power business and product offerings due to its upcoming unregulated generation in Ohio. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2012, when all regulatory consents have been finalized with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Department of Justice. 

The Sutherland team was led by Partner Kenneth C.H. Willig and included Partner Reginald J. Clark, Partner Adam B. Cohen, Counsel James E. Guy, Associate W. Jason Allman, and Associate Inna Zaltsman. On this transaction, Sutherland worked with Robert W. Baird & Co., which served as the clients’ investment adviser. 

The purchaser’s team was led by Stephan T. Haynes, Vice President Strategic Initiatives and Chief Risk Officer of American Electric Power. He was joined by in-house Senior Counsel Cynthia Butler Carson and C. Joseph Cain of Duggins Wren Mann & Romero, LLP, which served as American Electric Power’s outside counsel on the deal.