Renewable energy solicitors

We advised ethical crowd funding platform, Abundance, on the launch of Orbital Marine Power (Orkney) plc’s campaign to raise £7,000,000 to fund the construction of a 2MW tidal stream turbine.

We acted for Local Energy Scotland on the transfer and amendment of its grant and loan funding arrangements in relation to the “Surf ‘n’ Turf” renewable energy project in Orkney, which was required as part of the wider transfer of the project from Community Energy Scotland Limited to The European Marine Energy Centre Limited

We represented Clydesdale Bank in the development funding of the new St Ola Pier development at Scrabster Harbour

We have acted for a Norwegian marine sector operator over several years in respect of a wide range of legal requirements.

Recent work has included advising them upon their involvement in, and coordination of, a multi-party EU funded technology development project, attending to disputes exasperated by consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic relating to joint venture marine infrastructure and technology projects, attending to issues with their US subsidiaries, dealing with US and other foreign distribution arrangements, and the licensing and development of technology from a Belgium based operator

Acting for the community group, the Fair Isle Electricity Company Limited in the Fair Isle Generation and Storage Project. This was a project that brought 24 hour electricity for the first time to Fair Isle, the most geographically remote inhabited island in the United Kingdom.

The project involved the erection of a three turbine scheme and a PV solar panel array to generate electricity, together with the creation of a local electricity grid.

We advised on all property arrangements, the project documentation, electricity supply arrangements with the land owner, the corporate structure and regulatory issues. We also advised on the arrangements with funders. The project demonstrated our experience and knowledge in the community energy sector and was successfully commissioned in October 2018.

Advising Local Energy Scotland on the application of the Scottish Government’s Good Practice Principles for Shared Ownership of Onshore Renewable Energy Development which included advice on structures for community groups.

We acted for Applecross Community Company in the development of their community-owned hydro scheme which has now been commissioned. We advised them on funding arrangements and a community share offer to raise funds.

We advised them on the use of a Community Benefit Society in order to finance the successful community owned scheme. We were involved in advising on all legal aspects of the project including finance agreements, project and construction documentation, and all property aspects.

We advised Ardersier Port (Scotland) Limited on the purchase of the former McDermotts fabrication yard in Ardersier.

The move will see the new owners, a privately owned business registered in Scotland owned by Steve Regan and Tony O’Sullivan, transform the site into a multi-disciplinary facility with the purpose of supporting the United Kingdom’s Energy Transition plans.

We acted for Wick Harbour Authority when in 2017 it granted a lease and other rights to Beatrice Offshore Windarm in respect of the use of parts of the harbour in connection with its operations base for their offshore project, including the provision of harbour services

We acted for The Renewables Infrastructure Group Limited in its acquisition of the proposed 30MW Solwaybank wind farm in Dumfries & Galloway for over £82m from RES. The wind farm was acquired when it was in the early stages of construction. The team dealt with all property, planning and grid connection contracts over a period of a year.

We acted for Fred.Olsen Renewables Limited in a sale to Aviva Investors of 49% of the shares in the companies owning two operating wind farms – Brockloch Rig and Crystal Rig 3, both in the south of Scotland – totalling 75.3 mega watts.

We advised Energiekontor on the planning aspects, grid connection, title, option and lease documentation for a wind farm at Pines Burn, a project located close to South West Bonchester Bridge and Hawick in the Scottish Borders and thereafter supported them in relation to the sale of their equity stake in that project to Capital Dynamics. The project consists of 11 wind turbines, with tip heights between 130m, 145m and 149.9m. The development will be operational for a 30-year period, after which the turbines would be removed and the site restored. The expected energy generation is a net of 135GWh which could power 34,712 homes and save 58,050 tonnes of CO2 per year and contributing to Scotland’s goal of becoming net zero by 2045.

We have advised the renewables arm of Alpha Real Capital on various acquisitions of renewable energy projects and have carried out extensive due diligence on all key project contracts including construction documentation, grid connection agreements, power purchase agreements and regulatory aspects of the Feed-In-Tariff accreditation as well as property and planning due diligence and reporting on red flag issues and the preparation of legal due diligence reports.

We advised global investment manager InfraRed Capital Partners on the financial close of a £78 million investment for a 100% interest in Afton Wind Farm – a fully consented, construction ready
25 turbine, 50 MW onshore wind farm located in the south west of Scotland.

We were then involved in the sale of Afton Wind Farm to Red Rock Power, a subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned company SDIC. InfraRed Capital Partners only acquired Afton Wind Farm in 2016 and then completed construction very quickly in order to obtain ROC accreditation before the deadline for that expired and also entered into a PPA with a subsidiary of Centrica so that the sale could be completed within 2 years of the acquisition

Sale of Andershaw wind farm- we acted for Statkraft in a £121m sale in 2021, assisting them with the provision of project-side advice, vendor due diligence and the provision of a certificate of title.

Longhill – We acted on behalf of Energiekontor in relation to the sale of Longhill, a 50MW wind farm located in West Lothian, to Capital Dynamics in March 2021, one of the first subsidy free wind farms to commence construction in Scotland.

Crystal Rig wind farm – We have been involved in this wind farm for Fred. Olsen for over 20 years now, starting drafting options in the late 1990s for Phase One (completed in 2002) and then completing Phase Two in 2008, Phase Three in 2016 and now working on the consented Phase Four (which will take the site above 250mws) while also adjusting the documents to permit another onshore wind farm and the proposed NNG offshore wind farm to connect into adjoining substations, making it one of the most complex transactions we have worked on.

We advised Equitix on the Scottish aspects of the acquisition of a 17.5% stake in Beatrice offshore wind farm which is a 588MW offshore wind farm located 13km off the northeast coast of Scotland.

We acted for Marine Scotland in advising on decommissioning arrangements for offshore wind farms

We also acted for Wick Harbour Authority when in 2017 it granted a lease and other rights to Beatrice Offshore WindFarm in respect of the use of parts of the harbour in connection with its operations base for their offshore project

We advised BlackRock alongside Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (UK) LLP on the acquisition of a target company which held the project rights to a double synchronous compensator connecting to the onshore substation for the Beatrice offshore wind farm on land leased from Beatrice OFTO from Tinz Programme 1 Holdco Limited.

We have advised clients in relation to the option agreement and leasing documentation required to be entered into in relation to the recent ScotWind offshore leasing round.

We advised Aberdeen Standard Investments infrastructure debt team on its loan of £43m to finance 6 operational hydro-electric schemes all of which are situated on rivers in the Scottish Highlands.

We acted on behalf of AIB Group alongside Gowling WLG in connection with the provision of a £15.5 million capex facility to developer, Edge Hydro Holdings Ltd to part finance the construction of seven “run-of-river” hydro schemes at Dalness and Glen Etive in Scotland,

We have been involved with over 100 large and small scale hydro projects acting on behalf of Scotland’s largest landowner, Forestry and Land Scotland.

We acted in the development of the Community Hydro Scheme for Sunart Community Energy on croftland in Lochaber in the Scottish Highlands which was a bespoke project involving 3 landowners, and on crofting common grazings.

We acted for PPF Banka A.S in the funding of four run of the river hydro schemes to be developed by Renfin Corrimony/Hydropol at Corrimony Invernesshire

We advised ForesightGroup on the acquisition of the project rights to the 50MW Blackpark battery storage project in Nairn for ForesightGroup which included advice on how to secure the cabling rights for the project to the substation from various third party landowners.

We acted for Metka EGN Limited in the provision of construction finance for a 30MW battery storage facility located in near Livingston, West Lothian. Our engagement included advising on the debt documentation, taking security over the project including fixed security over shares, the site, grid connection agreements and key contracts and putting in place appropriate intercreditor and subordination documentation.

We also act for landowners and have advised on 3 battery storage schemes going through development.

We advised Octopus Investments Limited on the acquisition of the project rights to the net 17MWe energy recovery facility on the Oldhall Industrial Estate in Irvine, Ayrshire, capable of processing over 185,600 tonnes per annum of non-recyclable household and commercial & industrial waste. This facility will be the first large-scale, subsidy free energy recovery facility in western Scotland.

We advised JLEN Environmental Assets Group in 2020 on an £11milion investment in the Peacehill Farm, Fife, anaerobic digestion plant, which has a thermal capacity of 5 mws and predominately produces biomethane to the National Grid. Our work covered all property and planning aspects plus Scottish banking and corporate work.

We advised Foresight Energy Infrastructure Partners on the acquisition of project rights for a co-located pumped storage hydro plant and wind farm on a disused opencast coal mine at Glemmuckloch in Dumfries and Galloway. The project is innovative because the pumped storage hydro plant will store power during periods of excess energy supply and release stored energy at times of peak demand while the co-located wind farm will have the ability, via a direct connection, to power the pumped storage hydro plant. It has the potential to power more than 289,000 homes every year.

We advised Metka EGN Limited on the provision of construction financing of the 40MW Coupar Angus battery storage facility and the 35MW Arbroath battery storage facility to Gresham House Energy Storage Fund Plc who acquired the projects with Metka also undertaking to build the project. The projects are two of the largest utility scale battery storage systems in the UK.