Energy
Our Energy practice covers preparing and negotiating the commercial agreements required to implement renewable energy generating infrastructure projects from small farm anaerobic digestion energy projects up to large photovoltaic solar projects. We advise landowners, developers, funders and public bodies across the whole spectrum of renewable energy technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar, hydro, anaerobic digestion, energy from waste and battery storage. We assist clients with the preparation and negotiation of:
- Power and heat purchase agreements (including corporate and private wire power purchase agreements)
- Electricity and gas grid connection arrangements
- Fuel and waste supply agreements
- Joint development agreements
Our team includes partners across the firm, notably in the Corporate, Commercial, Banking, Real Estate, Planning, Construction & Engineering and Employment teams, enabling us to cover all the elements our clients require to develop and operate their energy generating projects.
We have extensive sector expertise across a range of practice areas, including Corporate and Commercial (Rachael Bewsey, Paul Stone, Andy Poulton), Banking (Will Whitt), Real Estate (Iain Macfarlane), Planning/consenting (Polly Reynolds), Construction & Engineering (Julia Davenport-Cooper, Catherine Welch) and Employment (Richard Neary).
We also advise on electricity market regulation and renewable energy incentives including on electricity generation and supply licensing and exemptions. Given the increased government focus on the green economy and its Net Zero target to make the UK carbon neutral by 2050, we assist an increasingly wide range of clients to capitalise on the opportunities arising from green policies and commercial drivers.
Environment
We advise clients in the waste management and environmental sectors on environmental regulatory matters and environmental permitting. In the circular economy landscape, in view of the policy and financial pressure to divert waste from landfill, we assist clients in the waste management sector with commercial agreements for the operation of waste facilities and advise on environmental regulatory control over waste operations.
We also advise local authorities, public bodies and private companies on waste and environmental services procurements, contaminated land and waste PPP contracts.
Our Environment practice includes advising water sector clients on regulatory control of the water industry and their unregulated business including energy generation and projects.
Energy and environment civil and criminal litigation
We provide specialist energy and environment expertise to the firm’s Dispute Resolution team in respect of civil litigation in a range of areas.
We also work with the firm’s ESG, Compliance & Investigations team (Richard Voke) in relation to investigations/enforcement by the Environment Agency, local authorities and other agencies. This includes training and advice on how to prevent such investigations occurring or mitigate their consequences.
Energy and environment transaction support
We act alongside the firm’s Corporate team on mergers and acquisitions involving energy generating assets and companies with environmental issues and/or impacts, performing due diligence of commercial agreements and environmental regulatory matters. We also offer specialist expertise to the Corporate team on share or asset purchase agreements, and to the Banking team on facility agreements and other financing arrangements.
We assist the firm’s Real Estate team on the environmental side of real estate transactions including on environmental reporting, contaminated land and protections for buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants on environmental risks and liabilities.
Our lead Energy & Environment practice area specialist is Rachael Bewsey.
Rachael works alongside Julia Davenport-Cooper, Iain Macfarlane, Richard Neary, Andy Poulton, Polly Reynolds, Paul Stone, Richard Voke, Catherine Welch and Will Whitt in the practice areas attributed to them above, as well as other partners across the firm.
You can initiate a discussion about instructing us by contacting any partner directly, or by using the main office contact details at the bottom of the page if you prefer.
