“Energy notes” is our blog where you can read our thoughts on the latest developments and issues across the entire energy value chain.
It is intended that this blog should be user friendly and present information in an informative, but clear and simple way. There are a number of ways to navigate around the site, depending on what you are looking for:
- Click on a sector from the drop down menu to see everything published in that sector.
- Click on a category in the list on the right hand side to see everything in relation to a general topic such as Contracts for Difference or CCS.
- Click on a word in the “tag cloud”.
- Use the search box to find articles containing the desired phrase or word.
- Click on a month to see all articles published for that specific month.
A strong global practice
At Herbert Smith Freehills we understand the energy sector because it has been at the heart of our business since the early 1970’s. We have advised global corporations, governments, independents, national energy companies and energy services companies across every stage of the energy value chain.
As we have grown so has our reach and we now advise clients across the globe, in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, Russia, South East Asia and Australia.
Our energy team is fully integrated across both non-contentious and contentious matters. This combined with our scale and reach mean that we are one of the few global law firms that can offer a true one-stop-shop for energy clients. Assisting and advising at every stage of a projects life cycle.
Energy Sectors
Oil & gas
We are widely regarded as one of the world’s pre-eminent “oil and gas” firms, with unrivalled international experience and a global reputation for excellence in the sector. We have advised on some of the most significant oil and gas projects and transactions around the world.
Oil and gas is an integral part of our global offering and we are committed to being at the forefront of developments in the sector and putting in place innovative solutions for our clients.
We offer a broad global coverage on oil and gas transactions spanning the entire oil and gas value chain, with key areas of expertise in
- acquisition and disposal;
- project development and execution;
- financing;
- operational and commercial contracts and negotiations; and
- dispute resolution.
We have a dedicated oil and gas team who have a real understanding of the complex agreements and technical issues that frequently arise on oil and gas transactions and the everyday operation of oil and gas assets.
Conventional power
We have an enviable position in the power sector globally. Our extensive industry knowledge and expertise has been developed over decades acting at the heart of the power sector. We have undertaken key roles in major market privatisation exercises, as well as significant market reforms programs.
We represent governments and government agencies, utilities, project sponsors and developers, multilateral and other lenders, institutional investors, contractors and operators. This ensures that we understand the issues on all sides of the negotiating table, and can provide clear and pragmatic advice.
Our power practice is consistently ranked in the top-tier across all leading independent directories, across multiple jurisdictions.
The strength of our disputes and arbitration practice enables us to offer clients a full one-stop-shop service. By combining our contentious expertise with that of our corporate and projects teams we can often pre-empt potential areas of conflict or concern, ensuring a smoother project delivery for our clients.
The sheer breadth of advice which we are able to offer our clients is one of our key strengths. We are widely recognized as having a pre-eminent power practice including M&A, joint ventures, project development and finance and regulatory issues. We have been involved in transactions at all points of the supply chain from generation and transmission to distribution, supply, trading and metering.
Renewable power
Renewable Energy is at the heart of what we do – as a firm we have a significant focus on renewable energy and regulation. Our experience advising on alternatives to non-renewable and carbon intensive energy goes back decades.
Our renewable energy team has a deep understanding of the technical legal issues (including technology, supply chain, construction/installation/interface, transmission offtake, grid connection, state aid and public/government support arrangements, repowering and decommissioning issues) and complex agreements that frequently arise on renewables transactions.
Our team of specialists have advised major energy corporations, project developers, financial investors, financiers, investment banks and governments around the world on acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures, financings, procurement, construction, project development, operation and maintenance arrangements and regulations applicable to all forms of renewable energy projects, as well as on a number of key disputes arising out of renewables projects – meaning that we are able to anticipate potential issues for clients.
We have advised on solar, onshore and offshore wind, biomass and biofuels, waste-to-energy, hydro and marine power generation transactions and projects across Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East.
Nuclear power
The leading nuclear practice, with unrivalled understanding of the laws and regulations at both an international and domestic level. Our team has an unparalleled depth of knowledge in project development, M&A, the fuel cycle, decommissioning and waste across the whole sector.