Clean Energy
Powerful solutions for your business
About our clean energy expertise
We have genuine in-depth knowledge of the clean energy sector, with particular expertise in renewable energy, battery storage, distributed generation, heat and innovative/smart solutions.
Our experience includes:
- Energy-from-waste (including anaerobic digestion, biomass, gasification and biomethane injection/gas-to-grid)
- Battery storage
- Ground-mounted and rooftop solar PV
- Onshore and offshore wind
- Combined heat and power (CHP)
- Zero emission vehicles and EV charging infrastructure
- Hydrogen and alternative fuels
- Onshore and offshore electricity networks (including private wires and OFTOs)
- Grid connections
- Smart metering
- Virtual power plants
- Energy services and energy performance contracting (including ESCO frameworks)
- Route-to-market contracts
- Power purchase agreements (including all types of corporate PPA – private wire, sleeved and synthetic/virtual)
- Battery optimisation services contracts
- Decarbonisation of heat and heat networks
- Electricity and heat supply contracts
- Distributed generation, asset aggregation and portfolio optimisation
- Balancing/ancillary services (including the capacity market)
- Energy industry regulation (including clean energy subsidies, low carbon
- Incentives, licensing and licence exemptions)
- PFI, PPP and joint venture structures
- Dispute resolution, climate change litigation, greenwashing
Infrastructure and project finance transactions are the specialism of James Larmour, who has over 15 years’ experience acting for investors on energy, waste and infrastructure projects. James advises on structuring primary market projects, secondary market acquisitions and disposals, and managing projects throughout their lifecycle (including change management, equity restructuring and refinancing).
We regularly host webinars on hot topics in the clean energy, waste and sustainability sectors. Please see below.
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Insights & webinars
Sustainability: buzzword or business critical?
Don’t let your business get left behind
Our panel of experts discussed:
> What does sustainability actually mean and how you could work towards it in your business
> Case study: a corporate’s approach to sustainability and how its sustainability plan has merged with its commercial plan to grow its business
> The increased focus of investors on sustainability and how this is driving change across the supply chainBioenergy: current market & future opportunities
Our speakers discussed the current bioenergy market and future opportunities. We also covered the Green Gas Support Scheme, common misconceptions in the bioenergy sector, and developments in the feedstock market. A poll of attendees revealed that most believe anaerobic digestion will win out as the predominant bioenergy generation technology.
Hydrogen: what’s the buzz
The first in a series of webinars exploring the role of hydrogen in the UK economy, this session covered the energy, transport and wider infrastructure sectors. Our speakers provided a high level introduction to hydrogen in the energy sector, including:
> How does hydrogen fit into the energy transition
> The different methods of producing hydrogen
> What are the main uses of hydrogen
> What are government and industry stakeholders doing to promote hydrogen in the 2020sHydrogen in transport
We take a closer look at the role of hydrogen in the energy transition & hydrogen’s potential in the transport sector.
Read our other hydrogen materials here:
Energy focus: UK’s energy mix – a role for hydrogen?
Transport focus: hydrogen vehicles – the future?
Freeths advises Centrica - breakthrough hydrogen production technology
Why choose us?
Members of our clean energy, waste & sustainability team specialise in:
> Commercial contracts
> Regulation
> Real estate
> Planning & environment
> Construction
> Corporate transactions & taxation
> Banking & finance
> Climate change litigation & greenwashing
> Public procurement
> Health & safety
> Business structures & restructuring
> Intellectual property, IT & data
- Advising the shareholders of Fig Power (including investor BGF) on its sale to The Renewables Infrastructure Group Limited (TRIG), the FTSE 250 investment company. Fig Power is a developer of distributed energy storage and generation assets and was spun-out from award-winning engineering design, energy and sustainability consultancy, Hydrock. TRIG has a portfolio of wind, solar and battery storage projects across Europe and is advised by investment manager InfraRed Capital Partners Ltd
- Advising ENGIE Global Energy Management & Sales on an innovative power purchase and optimisation services contract for one of the UK’s first debt-funded co-located solar and battery storage project. Our role included advising on issues arising from the lenders’ financing arrangements in respect of the debt-funding of the battery construction and operation, and the implications for the offtake arrangements
- Advising on a joint venture and development services arrangement between an international investment firm and a large-scale energy project developer in relation to a 300MW pipeline of battery storage and solar assets in the UK
- Advising Cambridge Power on its joint venture with global investor Brookfield Renewable to develop 985 MW of battery storage and co-located solar projects in the UK
- Advising Catalyst Capital on the acquisition of a 100MW battery storage project in the north of England
- Advising Centrica PLC on its investment in HiiROC, a turquoise hydrogen production technology company
- Advising Centrica PLC on the acquisition of an SPV holding project rights for the development of a 30MW battery energy storage system in Scotland, including due diligence on the grid connection, land rights and planning (via Scottish co-counsel), negotiation of the acquisition documentation and advice in relation to application of the new National Security & Investment (NSI) regime and energy industry regulation
- Advising Catalyst Capital on its entry into a JV to develop a 49.9MW transmission-connected battery storage project in the south of England. The multidisciplinary Freeths team advised on the investment documents, major equipment supply, balance of plant, long term services, optimisation services and asset management contracts, and carried out due diligence on the land rights, grid connection, planning and environmental matters
- Advising a licensed energy supplier on its template PPA for the acquisition of power from renewable energy generators
- Advising a European energy company on issues arising under a multi-million pound construction contract with the operator of one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms
- Advising the owner/operator of a portfolio of real estate assets on a high value dispute concerning its electricity procurement arrangements, involving a number of different licensed energy suppliers, a complex matrix of agreed and deemed contracts, the insolvency of one of the suppliers and an associated Supplier of Last Resort arrangement. This matter required energy and commercial contracts expertise as well as input from our dispute management and insolvency teams
- Advising the developer of a very large-scale solar + battery project in the UK, including on financing, revenue stacking, grid connection arrangements and other project rights. The firm provided strategic advice during early stage project planning and assisted in devising the development plan
- Advising a major logistics business on the installation of rooftop solar panels and the provision of fixed price solar electricity to the client
- Advising various clients on aggregation and optimisation services contracts for battery storage and peaking plant assets
- Acting for the shareholders in the sale of the project company developer of Europe’s largest floating solar array on the Queen Elizabeth II reservoir
- Advising the developer a large portfolio of ground-mounted solar projects in the UK and continental Europe, including on financing and joint development arrangements. We also advised on procurement of land rights in the form of options for lease
- Advising the UK’s leading live events business on commercial and property arrangements for the installation of an on-site energy centre, funded by a third party, for delivery of energy and other utilities to one of the client’s largest venues
- Acting for the owner/ operator of an anaerobic digestion facility on corporate, finance, O&M and feedstock supply arrangements in the context of a major refinancing, and subsequently on a complex biogas sale agreement with a gas-to-grid offtaker
- Advising one party to a joint venture for the development of a thermal hydrolysis plant forming part of the sludge recycling solution for a UK water company, helping them meet strategic goals including increased renewable energy production and reduced operation costs
- Advising the developer of a proposed biomethane injection facility on energy regulatory issues including RHI accreditation
- Advising on a multi-million pound dispute concerning the design, construction, operation and maintenance of a large-scale solar PV project
- Advising a leading provider of smart ‘Pay As You Go’ energy on its standard terms of business and on its long-term (25 year) meter rental arrangements with a major UK meter operator, which involved third party funding from a market-leading investor
- Advising a large supermarket chain on the contract for the design, installation, testing and commissioning for rooftop solar panels
- Advising an energy services company (ESCO) on a number of disputes relating to energy services and construction contracts associated with CHP energy centres and district heating schemes
- Advising various corporates on energy procurement issues and interactions with energy brokers
- Advising on the development of one of the largest wind turbines ever constructed in the UK, supplying 9,000,000 kWh annually to a brewery owned and operated by a global drinks company.
Related news & insights
Explore our latest clean energy, waste & sustainability news and insightful articles.
For more information please contact
Kirstin Roberts FCIWM
Director
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