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Energy, Renewables & Utilities

Our market leading Energy, Renewables & Utilities Group is a multi-disciplinary team of highly experienced lawyers who provide legal advice across a broad range of practice areas encompassing all aspects of energy and natural resources.

These areas include Energy Regulation, Energy Infrastructure and Project Financing, Offshore & Onshore Energy M&A Transactions, Joint Ventures, Construction (including Conventional & Renewable Generation and large scale demand with Data Centres), Environmental law, Planning law and regulatory matters, State Aid, Procurement, Litigation, Real Estate and Tax.

Energy Transition – the Global Shift towards Net Zero

Within the fast-changing global energy landscape, we provide our clients with innovative advice to help navigate their way through the current energy transition from a fossil fuel based economy (both globally, in Europe and in Ireland) to an economy based on renewable power sources and less carbon intensive energy generation.

We understand the interaction of the major issues facing the sector, such as the growing global energy (and particularly electricity) demand, the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the need to ensure security of supply concern. As such, we are best placed to assist market participants in facing the most complex and challenging decisions, within the expansive regulatory frameworks.

We advise on the full spectrum of zero and low carbon power projects and on the technologies necessary to support our transition a zero-carbon economy. We have offered cross-sectional specialist advice on:

Wind farms (both onshore and offshore)
Solar farms
Battery storage
Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS and O-RESS)
Green fuels/Bioenergy projects (biomass, biogas)
EV infrastructure
Interconnectors
Power purchase Agreements (PPAs), including for major corporate clients seeking to ensure additionality of renewable generation.

We are committed to helping our clients keep pace with market and regulatory developments, as well as enabling new entrants into the Irish market. In so doing, our cross-departmental team has the industry knowledge required to advise on the commercial, legal and regulatory aspects of all energy projects.

Conventional Power

In addition to our market leading renewables practice, we advise on all matters involving the development of thermal power projects and the gas and electricity demands of large energy users (LEUs). In the current energy landscape, we understand the need for fuel diversity to ensure security of supply as we transition to a renewables-based economy. To that end, we have significant experience in all areas concerning the construction and operation of conventional power plants as well advising on the market interface. A selection of the areas we have advised on includes:

Hydrocarbon power plant construction and operation
Liquified natural gas (LNG) projects
Combined heat and power (CHP) projects
Gas supply contracts, hedging and disputes
Carbon trading contracts
SEM and Capacity Market participation

Experience

Our experience includes advising/representing:

EirGrid plc, the national transmission system operator, in connection with the development and financing of the 700MW HVDC Celtic Interconnector between Ireland and France with a capital cost in excess of €1.6bn.
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) in relation to its fund’s acquisition of a 50% stake in Statkraft’s 2.2GW Irish offshore wind portfolio.
DRT, the world’s largest Data Centre provider on a number of data centre developments and electricity market contracts (including complex corporate Power Purchase Agreementss).
Aughinish Alumina in relation to all its activities undertaken in Ireland, including: the procurement, construction and creation of its 160MW CHP plant; its significant gas supply arrangements; its participation in the SEM; its carbon hedging and trading arrangements.
EirGrid plc on the structuring and funding of the procurement of circa 450MW of temporary emergency generation.
DIF Capital Partners on its fund’s acquisition of a 51% stake in ib vogt GmbH,one of the world’s leading developers in utility-scale PV solar.
European Investment Bank on the funding of both the Oweninny I and Oweninny II Wind Farms, a joint venture between Bord na Móna and the ESB which is one of the largest windfarms on the island of Ireland.
Brookfield Renewables on its development and financing of the Slieve Callan wind farm project in South West Ireland (which included a 25km 110KV contestable grid connection).
EirGrid plc on grid connection matters including disputes, and separately acted for EirGrid on a dispute pursuant to the Capacity Market Code.
Green Investment Group (GIG) in relation to its investment in and subsequent sale of a portion of its interest in the Dublin Waste to Energy Facility located in Poolbeg, Dublin Port.
Parkwind NV one of Europe’s leading offshore Wind Farm developers, in its initial strategic investment in the Oriel Wind Farm – a 330MW offshore wind farm project proposed in the Irish Sea.

Areas of Expertise

Renewable energy infrastructure development (offshore and onshore wind and solar)
Participation in the RESS and ORESS Auctions
Power Purchase Agreements
Capacity and wholesale energy markets participation
System/Ancillary Services market development and participation
Energy related disputes, including disputes under market codes.
Clean hydrogen development
Battery storage
Data Centre development and private wires
EU Regulations and Directives
Grid Connection applications

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Sector

Energy, Renewables & Utilities

Our market leading Energy, Renewables & Utilities Group is a multi-disciplinary team of highly experienced lawyers who provide legal advice across a broad range of practice areas encompassing all aspects of energy and natural resources.

Energy Transition – the Global Shift towards Net Zero

Conventional Power

Key Contacts

Máire O’Neill

Fergus Devine

Jarleth Heneghan

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