Energy transition

Our energy transition services

Our integrated team comprises of industry-leading energy and infrastructure lawyers with extensive experience advising contractors, sponsors, developers and Government, on a broad range of upstream and downstream projects on large scale and bespoke energy projects.

We have a strong capability across a broad spectrum of projects from greenfield development to operational matters on transmission networks and multi-technology generation and long-duration storage projects.

• Clean energy projects: Transaction support for utility scale project development, including the development and negotiation of EPC/D&C contracts, collaborative construction contracts, major equipment supply and install contracts, O&M contracts and services contracts.
• Procurement and delivery: Specialised downstream support based on extensive global supply chain experience.
• Project structures: Supporting Government and developers with procurement and delivery and contracting models.
• ESG and Planning & environment advice: Tailored planning and environment and real estate capability. We act for developers and landowners who are proponents of industrial, mixed use and residential projects.
• Corporate: Corporate, contractual and investment arrangements across the Energy Transition sector field of play, equity, debt and hybrid capital raising, foreign investment approvals, shareholder arrangements, employee incentivisation plans, corporate transactions (including public and private M&A, IPOs and JVs) and corporate advisory generally.
• Property acquisition and due diligence: Assisting with all legal aspects of the acquisition or sale of land or a tenure interest in land, particularly as applied to rural and regional land, including legal due diligence, options for lease or purchase, contracts of sale, leases, licences, easements, subdivisions, covenants, crown land, roads, water rights, state forests, biodiversity offset, settlement and land title registration, together with associated property development documentation.
• Project financing: Advising on green financings including the issuing of green bonds and loans.

Our energy transition experience

Real estate:

• Goldwind | Advising on the property aspects of the Cattle Hill project in Tasmania including negotiating all of the new replacement leases.
• Goldwind | Advising on the property aspects of the Westwind project in Victoria.
• Goldwind | Advised on Crown land access arrangements for its White Rock project in NSW
• Neoen | Advising Neoen on various acquisitions and real estate aspects of wind and solar farm projects in Victoria and NSW.
• Risen Energy | Advising on solar projects in Victoria and Queensland.
• Terregra | Advising Terregra Renewables on the establishment of Mobilong Solar Farm and Moyhall Solar Farm including all leasing and EPC contracting, plus the establishment of a senior debt facility.
• Acen Energy | Purchaser property legal due diligence to support an acquisition of land for a renewable energy generation project.

Projects:

• Our projects team is currently advising a number of Tier 1 contractors on large-scale transmission infrastructure projects, wind generation and pumped hydro projects across Australia.

Environment and planning:

• A private solar farm developer | Advising on road upgrade requirements and conditions of development approval for a solar farm near Parkes, NSW.
• EnergyCo | Delivering training on land acquisition and compensation issues.

Corporate advisory:

• Kardinia Energy | Advising this Australian printed solar panel technology innovator in capital raising matters, equity incentive plans and general corporate advisory matters.
• Goldwind | Advising Goldwind on various corporate transactions and property matters in Australia's energy transition sector, including the sell-down of interests in the Baldon Wind Farm (NSW) and the White Rock Wind Farm, as well as development services arrangements and regulatory compliance for numerous renewable energy projects.
• Next Green Group | Advising Next Green Group, an energy retailer providing energy retail solutions specifically for business customers, on its acquisition of The Green Guys Group, a company specialising in energy efficiency products, commercial solar, battery storage and energy management as well as on capital raising, governance, employment and property.

IP commercialisation and technology:

• Graphenex | Advising on IP and tech collaborations with University of Queensland (UQ Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation) and University of Technology Sydney and Boron Molecular for green hydrogen development in production, storage and transportation of hydrogen.
• NSW Department of Planning and Environment | Advising on the renewal of the National GreenPower Program deed with all Australian state/territory governments.
• GE Vernova | Advising on regulatory compliance under Australia's Security of Critical Infrastructure legislation (SOCI Act) associated with its onshore wind farms projects.

Commercial disputes:

• CS Wind Corporation | Acted for the Corporation in relation to the Murra Warra Wind Farm project, enforcing its right to payment against Sebvion GMBH under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act (Vic) 2002.

Insurance law and litigation:

• Various | Advising on regulation and litigation aspects for a number of insurance claims involving renewable energy businesses, including class actions and nuisance disputes.
• Claims management on behalf of major electricity company | Our Brisbane Insurance Law & Litigation team works closely with Australia's largest electricity company and its distribution businesses in connection with casualty and property damage claims.