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Legal specialists in Energy, Infrastructure & Natural Resources

The UK’s energy generation market has transformed over the recent decade. The level of change is set to continue, with renewable and nuclear energy predicted to deliver most of the UK’s energy in the coming years due to technological advances, and improvements in efficiency and cost effectiveness. We’re also seeing increased governmental backing as well as regulation and control, for example in heat networks and onshore wind.

Coupled with the drive to upgrade and renew grid and other infrastructures is critical to deliver this change. Additionally, the focus on green credit regimes and trading, means that this sector is likely to grow very quickly in the coming years.

Our specialist cross-disciplinary team of solicitors have extensive experience delivering seamless, sector-focused legal advice on all aspects of energy generation.

Talk to our team

If you need legal advice regarding the energy, infrastructure and natural resources industry please

Send an enquiry   Call us on 0800 652 8025

How we can help you

We take pride in staying up to date with the latest industry developments and have built up a range of expertise across the green, renewable energy, and infrastructure fields. We provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for our clients, many of whom we have built a long-standing relationship with, alongside vast experience working for a range of clients including operators, energy suppliers, contractors, investors, developers, funders, landowners, consultants, business customers and local authorities.

We offer commercial, practical and pragmatic advice to help clients identify potential risks and opportunities and our breadth of expertise allows us to ‘think like a client’ and support you every step of the way to help achieve your commercial aims.

Our experience and focus on bringing cost-efficiency to every project allows us to be increasingly useful to our client with this sector being heavily regulated and involving complex contractual frameworks. We provide advice for businesses, utility providers and the public sector to bridge any legal or contractual obstacles and often deal with property advice (including, site assembly for major road schemes), regulatory advice (like compulsory purchase), subsidy control and procurement, commercial, construction, employment, planning and the environment and a wide range of contractual and operational queries.

Our clients include onshore wind, hydrogen generation and storage, solar, battery storage, biomass, district heat networks, waste to energy and anaerobic digestion as well as offering advice in relation to natural capital trading and funding, given the wide range of credit regimes now available to developers and landowners.

We offer a ‘whole project life’ approach from scheme inception through to planning, set up, site operations, build, finance, regulation, grid connection, commissioning, and subsequent operation of plants and facilities, to provide you with the necessary legal support to achieve your businesses’ goals.

Our teams can support you with

With extensive experience in dealing with complex energy, natural resources and infrastructure claims we appreciate the unique nature of these projects. We have outlined some of the ways, we will be able to help you but in case you have any questions which are not covered below, please get in touch.

Our energy and natural resources expertise

Most green energy sources are renewable and have the added benefit of not producing greenhouse gas emissions or negatively impacting the environment. Renewable/sustainable energy has an infinite supply and ca be harvested for years, but it may not be considered entirely green.

Our infrastructure expertise

Our national infrastructure team has extensive experience advising on major strategic projects, providing legal advice for SME businesses and consortia, utility providers and the public sector in relation to major national infrastructure, for example on the delivery of new roads and other critical infrastructure.

Employment

Advising on employment law matters including employment contracts and service agreements, disputes, redundancy and settlement agreements as well as on restructuring and reorganisation projects including TUPE compliance and collective consultation obligations.

Regulatory

Our regulatory lawyers are health and safety specialists with unrivalled expertise in working with ports nationwide. The team focus on minimising risk in order to maximise opportunities, particularly in relation to onshore energy projects.

Housebuilder/Social housing/developer

The housebuilder and social housing sector teams incorporate sustainable technologies in new developments and advise on retrofitting programmes, connections into district heat networks and supply arrangements.

Public Sector

We act for a substantial number of local authorities with an increasing focus on sustainability and green energy, alongside their involvement in infrastructure projects, particularly in connection with their procurement regulation obligations and state aid.

Retail and Leisure 

Our retail and leisure clients aim to incorporate sustainable technology in their new developments. We support them by advising on the installation of solar panels on warehouse and store roofs, EV charging stations installation and acquiring land adjacent to motorway service stations for solar PV installations to reduce energy supply costs.

Agriculture and private client

We advise landowners on installing solar, battery storage, wind and anaerobic digestion projects to help diversify and create sustainable income sources. We also guide on phosphate mitigation and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) schemes, where landowners and developers can generate credits to be traded under credit trading regimes.

What our clients say about us

Clarke Willmott LLP adopts an integrated approach across various departments to support wind, solar, and biogas ventures, providing advice across corporate, planning, real estate, financing and regulatory matters.

The Legal 500, 2024

They listen and work to learn and improve on feedback.

The Legal 500, 2024

Laurence Lacey stands out for his oversight and ability to bring out the best from his team.

The Legal 500, 2024

 

 

Our expertise in action…

Icon of an electric vehicle

Electric vehicle charging

we advise developers, retailers, landowners and public sector bodies on the development and ongoing operation of vehicle charging points in their portfolios.

Hydrogen

acting for a major developer/investor on hydrogen projects, including a hydrogen storage facility in England and Wales, for public/private sector joint ventures.

Solar/battery storage

acting for developers to progress project due diligence and site acquisition. Supporting high demand off-takers, like large-scale manufacturing facilities and their location to assist with viability.

Energy and offtake arrangements

working with developers, funders and investors where a fundamental part of the scheme viability relates to securing appropriate offtake agreements and connection rights.
Areal view of Hinkley Point C - image courtesy of EDF Energy.

Major Infrastructure projects

acting for public sector clients in relation to site assembly and delivery of major grant funded regional road schemes for Southern Connector Road and the Newquay Strategic Route.

Wind

acting for numerous wind developers, including, Ripple Energy on a community-owned wind project, advising on site acquisition, securing relevant third-party rights and property aspects.

Project acquisition

advising a major UK investor on its due diligence and acquisition processes for its portfolio of wind, solar, and battery storage projects, reviewing and advising on planning, construction, corporate, commercial and real estate documentation.

Funding

We advise major UK banks and project financiers on both project and debt funding of energy projects (whether newbuild or operational assets).

District heating

regularly acting for developers and landowners on schemes to supply heat to new developments like Cranbrook scheme, a new town in East Devon ultimately containing over 6500 properties.
Renewable energy

Energy supply

advising a major business to business gas and electricity supplier on their general customer energy supply terms and conditions, third party intermediary or broker arrangements, data protection compliance obligations, Ofgem and ICO investigations and debt recovering matters.
Modern housing estate

Social Housing

acting for a registered provider on their lease and power purchase arrangements; including the installation of solar panels on one of their commercial properties.
Biogas plant

Biomass facility

as part of an approximately £200 million renewables project, drafting, negotiating and advising on various port handling service agreements for the handling and transportation of biomass through the port to the customers’ biomass power station.

Speak to a specialist lawyer

Our energy and infrastructure specialists are based in Bristol, Taunton, Cardiff, Manchester, London, Birmingham and Southampton and are ready to discuss your case. Call today on 0800 652 8025 for a free consultation or get in touch online.

Meet our Energy, Infrastructure and Natural Resources specialists

Michelle Spark

Partner

Manchester
Michelle is a Partner in the Planning and Environmental team and specialises in all aspects of planning, highways and compulsory purchase law and has held senior positions in both the private and public sectors.
View profile for Michelle Spark >

Latest news & articles

Focus On

Focus on our Energy, Infrastructure and Natural Resources team

Our specialist cross-disciplinary team of solicitors deal with a wide range of projects where there is crossover with various other sectors in which our firm provides advice, including housebuilder, social housing, real estate, retail and leisure, agriculture, private client, banking and finance and public sector.
Read more on Focus on our Energy, Infrastructure and Natural Resources team

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