Energy and Utilities

Project lawyers to Falk & Bluefloat, advising on the Bellrock and Broadshore floating offshore wind farms off the East Coast of Scotland. These are two of the largest floating schemes to be proposed in the UK released as part of ScotWind. We are advising on all aspects of project delivery for both projects, including consenting, real estate, compulsory purchase and regulatory matters.

Advising Bluefield Solar Income Fund on its innovative £112.4 million acquisition of a UK-based solar and wind portfolio and its related entry into a new £200m revolving credit facility with RBSi and Santander to finance the acquisition.

Advised the EU-funded Electrification Financing Initiative and the UK Government-funded Renewable Energy Performance Platform on the LSL 150,000,000 senior debt and equity investment into Sotho Minigrid Portfolio SPV. This transaction sees EDFI ElectriFI and REPP each provide LSL 75,000,000 through a combination of senior debt and equity investment, and is one of the largest project-financed mini-grid transactions in Africa to reach financial close.

Advising Atomic Energy Canada Limited and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories on the legal, regulatory and nuclear project matters associated with their world leading Small Modular Reactor (SMR) project in Ontario, Canada. Burges Salmon has been advising on the requirements of international nuclear law and the wider nuclear regulatory and nuclear project aspects of the project.

Advising the Nuclear Liabilities Fund , which manages a segregated fund of approximately £15 billion for the decommissioning of EDF Energy’s current operational nuclear fleet of 8 nuclear reactors.

Acting for the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), which is leading the development of the UK’s flagship nuclear fusion project, the Spherical Tokomak for Energy Production or ‘STEP Project’ which aims to deliver a prototype nuclear fusion energy plant in 2040.

Advising Blue Gem Wind, Total and Simply Blue on the Erebus floating wind project off the coast of Wales which is heralded to be 96 megawatts of floating wind. When established it will be the largest floating wind project in the UK.

Advising Wave Hub on its decision to expand and repurpose its site to accommodate floating wind, prior to the subsequent sale of Wave Hub Limited to a joint venture between Hexicon and Bechtel.

Advising Green Investment Group (GIG) , part of the Macquarie Group, on the acquisition of an initial 187MWh battery storage portfolio from developer Capbal.

Advising Octopus Renewables , the specialist clean energy investor arm of Octopus Group, on the acquisition of two operational UK biomass power plants with combined capacity of 85.7MW from a joint venture by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor, in one of the largest deals of its kind in the UK. Both facilities at Brigg (40.8MW) and Snetterton (44.9MW) are fuelled by a mixture of locally sourced biomass feedstocks.

Providing legal support to Bristol City Council on its ‘City Leap’ initiative, which has received national and international interest along with significant support from central government. The council is looking to appoint a partner for a 20-year joint venture with the aim of delivering up to £1bn of investment in low carbon energy infrastructure in Bristol and support the aim of Bristol becoming a carbon neutral city by 2030.

Advising the infrastructure fund of ICG , the global alternative asset manager, on its acquisition of British Solar Renewables (BSR), one of the largest integrated solar developers in the UK.

Acting for Gresham House , a specialist alternative asset manager which is listed on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM), on a number of battery energy storage M&A deals

Advising Atrato Onsite Energy on its £10.6m acquisition of Hylton Plantation Solar Farm Limited (the SPV managing a 20 MW ground-mounted solar PV system for Nissan's manufacturing plant in Sunderland), Sonne Solar Ltd and a new rooftop solar project.

Advising leading green hydrogen player ITM Power on joint venture with energy and commodities company Vitol, for Motive Fuels Limited (Motive) to become a 50/50 joint-venture.

Advising Xlinks on the UK aspects of its ambitious, first-of-a-kind, nationally significant energy project linking renewable power generated in Morocco to the UK via 3,800km of HVDC sub-sea cables.

Acting for GrowUp Farms on the development of a new and innovative, large-scale vertical farm. As part of this project we provided strategic advice on a ground-breaking contract with a renewable energy producer to supply electricity and heat directly to the vertical farm at a price which is beneficial for both parties

Advising Progressive Energy Limited in relation to a joint venture with Essar Oil UK, in respect of which the joint venture vehicle will produce low carbon hydrogen at Essar’s Stanlow Refinery in Cheshire, for use across the HyNet region. Natural gas, and fuel gases from the refinery will be converted into low carbon hydrogen, with carbon dioxide safely captured and stored offshore in sub-surface reservoirs in Liverpool Bay. A total investment of approximately £1bn will be committed to deliver the two hydrogen production hubs.

Advising Severn Trent Water in relation to regulatory and real estate rights issues associated with the installation of sustainable urban drainage solutions on highways, council land and private land, as part of a £76 million ‘Green Recovery’ investment.

Advising The Canal & River Trust on changes to the legislation connected with the abstraction of water from rivers.

Advising Snowdonia Pumped Hydro Limited in relation to the Glyn Rhonwy pumped storage scheme. We led the consenting team in preparing a complex application, involving common land, CPO and rights of way.

Advising Forsa Energy on financing the development of 5 gas peaking plants across the UK.

Acting for FitzWalter Capital, a global private investment firm in the acquisition of a UK portfolio of large scale solar assets.

Advising Amypyr on complex PPA and real estate agreement with Edinburgh Airport, which will see renewable energy generated and used at the Airport. Following conclusion of legal agreements we continue to advise on project delivery.

Advising Wind2/Solar2 in relation to the development of their Scottish portfolio of onshore wind and solar projects including advising on ancillary battery storage and co-location. This involved the negotiation of Option Agreements, Leases and associated security documents and detailed analysis of landowner title. We also advised on planning application strategy, EIA and radar agreements.