The Legal 500

Clifford Chance has been appointed by PGE Elektrownia Bełchatów to advise on overall legal aspects in connection with the preparation, construction and financing of the carbon dioxide storage (CCS) project located in Rogowiec, Poland.

This is one of the largest CCS projects in the world, which is designed to help reduce carbon emissions through the capture, transport and geological storage of CO2. Once completed, the installation will be the first of its kind in Poland and one of the first in Europe.

Daniel Kopania, Head of the Construction and Infrastructure team in Warsaw, commented: "The key to turning this project into a reality is the ability to bring together legal experts in public procurement, infrastructure and finance with legal experts in environmental and climate change issues from across our network of offices."

Nigel Howorth, co-head of the climate change group in London, added: "There are no large-scale power stations with integrated carbon capture and storage facilities operating on a commercial basis anywhere in the world as yet. We are pleased to be a part of this innovative project for dealing with CO2 emissions."

The project will form part of the network of CCS projects set up by the European Commission. The European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR) is currently considering the application for a €180 million grant to finance the project. It is going to be one of the largest construction projects in Poland. The project is part of the 855 MW new power station at Bełchatów, on which Clifford Chance is also advising.

An international team consisting of 17 Clifford Chance legal experts in Poland, London and Paris will advise on construction, environmental, infrastructure, public procurement and financing aspects.

The team consists of Daniel Kopania (Counsel, Warsaw), environmental law expert Stanisław Wajda (Counsel, Warsaw), Grzegorz Namiotkiewicz (Managing Partner, Warsaw), Marcin Bejm (Senior Lawyer, Warsaw), Nigel Howorth (Partner, London), Tim Steadman (Partner, London), Peter Zaman (Partner, London) and Nicholas Wong (Partner, Paris).

For further information about Clifford Chance see www.cliffordchance.com

Clifford Chance in Central Eastern Europe and Russia has offices in Bucharest, Kyiv, Moscow, Prague and Warsaw. Partners and Associates in the region are qualified in local law jurisdictions as well as in England & Wales, France, Germany, and the United States. Clifford Chance was named "European Law Firm of the Year" and "Law Firm of the Year in Poland" in the Chambers Europe Awards for Excellence 2009, as well as "Law Firm of the Year" for Central and Eastern Europe by Chambers and Partners in 2008. Clifford Chance Warsaw has been recognized consistently in international legal directories and rankings as the leading law firm in Poland, including Chambers and Partners, Legal 500 and Forbes Poland.

Clifford Chance is one of the world's leading law firms, helping clients achieve their goals by combining the highest global standards with local expertise. The Firm has unrivalled scale and depth of legal resources across the four key markets of the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and focuses on the core areas of commercial activity: capital markets; corporate and M&A; finance and banking; real estate; tax; pensions and employment; litigation and dispute resolution. Clifford Chance has 29 offices in 20 countries with some 3,600 legal advisers. The Firm also operates a 'best friends' arrangement with AZB & Partners in India and with Lakatos, Köves & Partners in Hungary, and a co-operation agreement with Al-Jadaan & Partners Law Firm in Saudi Arabia.

Clifford Chance was ranked 'tier one' in more international tables than any other firm in the Chambers Global 2009 Directory. This independent analysis focuses on firms' legal ability, professional conduct, client service, and commercial awareness, and these rankings provide outstanding recognition for the Firm's breadth of expertise and consistency of quality across global markets.

Clifford Chance was named 'Most Innovative Law Firm' in the 2008 Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards, an in-depth Europe-wide analysis of innovation in law firms in areas from legal expertise to client service, marketing, environment and technology.

Clifford Chance's Warsaw office has a specialist group of lawyers who deal with Construction and Infrastructure projects and PPPs. The group offers its clients unique knowledge gained on the Polish and international markets. The Warsaw office has been involved in many major projects, advising both public and private entities, including advice in connection with: PL2012 (the State Treasury's SPV for the coordination EURO 2012 preparations); the construction of the second line of the Warsaw metro; the financing of the A2 and A1 motorways; urban regeneration projects in several cities; as well as a number of landmark projects in the energy and wastewater sectors in Poland.