Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas is highlighted for its 'in-depth knowledge in the sector'; it regularly advises consortiums of international commercial and development banks on high-profile, large-scale and precedent-setting infrastructure and energy projects. Santosh Janakiram is the key contact in the project finance space, and advises on extending green loan facilities and leads the due diligence checks on projects. Transmission, solar and wind greenfield hybrid projects and waste-management projects are among the areas Janakiram offers support on to lenders. Amey Pathak assists lenders in LNG facilities, and greenfield expressway and highway projects. Ajay Sawhney not only guides lenders on the financing of aviation development projects but also acts on EPC contractual matters on sea-link and wind projects.

JSA Law handles an array of high-profile matters in the infrastructure projects and energy space. Practice co-head Venkatesh Raman Prasad specialises in advising clients on regulatory matters and EPC contracts pertaining to electric vehicles. Fellow co-head Vishnu Sudarsan supports government entities on public procurement matters such as the sale of infrastructure assets, including ports, to major domestic companies for development plans and acquisitions of stakes in infrastructure companies. Sudarsan also assists clients in EPC contract matters in the gas sector and in project risk assessments for international developers in greenfield transport and solar power projects. Ashish Suman provides key support to Prasad and Sudarsan on such matters, while Amit Kapur‘s expertise in handling contentious matters gives the practice an additional dimension. Of note is Kapur’s track record in representing solar and thermal power plant producers against regulatory bodies before the appellate tribunal for remedial relief.

The ‘solution-oriented and highly competent‘ energy, infrastructure and resources practice at Khaitan & Co LLP stands out for its pan-Indian depth and expertise. Leading the Mumbai team, Akhil Bhatnagar assists international investors and renowned project developers in acquisitions, bidding agreements and consortium agreements not only in India but also overseas. Mumbai-based partners Gahan Singh and Shivanshu Thaplyal regularly advise on structuring projects and the regulatory aspects of renewable, road, airport and other PPP projects and procurement laws. The lead contact for the Bangalore office, Swathy Ramanath notably works on key M&A matters in the energy and infrastructure space involving investors and developers. In Delhi, Dibyanshu, a specialist in M&A work and investment strategies for global energy companies, Anuj Sahay, who specialises in supporting the waste-management sector, Akshay Malhotra, with experience in risk analysis and EPC contracts in project development, and Prateek Bhandari, a key contact for corporate governance for energy-sector companies, together ensure a comprehensive offering in legal services.

Link Legal‘s projects, infrastructure and energy practice is renowned for its representation of contractors and domestic and global infrastructure companies in international arbitration and litigation. Atul Sharma handles both contentious and non-contentious matters, with a track record in successfully representing national power corporations before the Supreme Court of India and advising on EPC contracts in the aviation sector. Anand Srivastava leads international arbitration matters and handles the expansion and development of large-scale mixed-use immovable objects. Other areas of focus for Srivastava include EPC contractual matters; he recently advised an international desalination company on liabilities pertaining to the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010. Milind Jha supports international holding companies on acquisitions of domestic renewable companies. Ravi Varma handles cases involving breaches of construction contracts, while Milanka Chaudhury works on regulatory and contentious matters pertaining to the aviation sector.

Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co fields one of the market’s strongest project finance practices in the energy and infrastructure sphere. The team can regularly be found advising major asset managers that focus on investments into steel plants, railway constructions, hospitality expansions, transmission projects and wind farms. Heading the practice, Jatin Aneja leads on high-value transactions with an impact on the airport and railway sectors in India. Deepto Roy advises international asset management firms on equity investments into renewable assets of multinational renewable energy companies. Siddhartha Sen works on cross-border acquisitions involving FDI in the road, airport, real estate, and oil and gas sectors. Further bolstering the firm’s project finance expertise, Debashree Dutta and Anurag Dwivedi handle external commercial borrowing, domestic and bilateral loans, and leveraged finance.

DSK Legal advises on an array of high-value matters across India in the infrastructure, energy and transport sectors. With notable experience in project finance, government contracts and PPPs, Anjan Dasgupta, based in the Mumbai office, provides transactional and regulatory advice in mega-projects. Likewise, Ajay Shaw assists domestic and international clients on inbound investments in both debt and equity funding and restructuring. Dinesh Pardasani, in the New Delhi office, specialises in advising clients on sustainability and energy projects. With the addition of Srinivas B.R., Siddharth Suresh and Brijita Prakash, along with their teams from Dua Associates, the projects team has been further bolstered with real estate expertise fused into infrastructure project advisory. Samir Malik and Avinash Kumar Khard specialise in regulatory and project finance, respectively.

The boutique energy, infrastructure and natural resources practice at IndusLaw, co-led by Hyderabad-based Deepak Chowdhury and Arun Kumar in Delhi, specialises in land procurements for the development of power plantations, solar energy projects and fuel stations. The pair further assist foreign financial investors and foreign energy renewable companies on regulatory issues relating to the development of infrastructure projects. The capability of the team is far-reaching, with a range of legal support provided on EPC contracts, PPP negotiations and loan agreements on waste management and transport infrastructure projects.

The projects and energy practice at Luthra and Luthra Law Offices India acts for a diverse set of clients, including developers, contractors, domestic and foreign investors and multilateral institutions. Despite the departure of Pallavi Bedi and Prabjot Singh Bhullar, the arrivals of Avirup Nag and Sabrina Afroze from IndusLaw, Piyush Mishra from AZB & Partners and Ishita Gupta from HSA Advocates, as well as the continued presence of Rajiv K. Luthra and Karan Mitroo, has assisted the buoyancy of the practice. Nag focuses on M&A and investment deals for market-leading national renewable energy producers, and advises clients on transactions involving the purchase or sale of energy and infrastructure assets. Deepak Kumar Thakur handles project structuring, pre-development and implementation of projects and project management. With key support provided by associates Afroze and Gupta, the practice continues to advise on negotiating term-sheets, and finalising EPC and O&M contracts.

Onshore and offshore oil and gas project advisory is a specialism of Phoenix Legal‘s projects and energy team. Co-founding partner Abhishek Saxena is based in the Delhi office, from which he leads on a variety of cross-border deals in the aviation, industrial and LNG production sectors, operating notably on project finance and EPC contract matters. Likewise, Harsh Arora, a banking and finance specialist, counsels domestic and international commercial banks and multilateral agencies on debt and equity investments in Indian energy companies. Alongside Saxena, Pranav Srivastava leads on contractual and transactional design, procurement and construction matters in the oil sector and is a key contact for contentious matters, regularly representing clients in domestic and international commercial arbitration.

The team at Saraf and Partners  has extensive expertise across infrastructure, energy and natural resources projects. It advises on both domestic and international projects providing a full service which includes documentation negotiations and financing and investment aspects. Founding partner Mohit Saraf offers decades of experience across projects relating to telecoms, airports and roads in addition to power and energy matters; his level of expertise is such that he has been involved in advising the government of India on draft policies. A key name in the practice is Bikash Jhawar who focuses on the corporate M&A side and also assists clients with navigating Indian foreign investment regulations and practices.

A core strength of Spice Route Legal‘s projects and energy practice is the range of legal services provided for its diverse list of clients operating in the alternative fuels, fuel technology and renewable sectors. For co-founder and head of the alternative energy, sustainability and e-mobility practice and corporate, M&A and private equity group, Praveen Raju advises international and domestic clients in the solar, electric mobility, infrastructure and energy drone technology, and hydrogen fuel cell technology segments. Raju offers advice on acquisitions and inward investment, in particular matters pertaining to O&M agreements, EPC contracts and land acquisitions for constructing and expanding energy-related tech facilities. Alongside Raju, star senior associate Janhavi Joshi helps clients navigate regulations and advises them on foreign inward investments into their companies through share purchases. The pair deal extensively with contractual and transactional arrangements.

BRUS CHAMBERS, Advocates & Solicitors is highly regarded for its robust shipping practice and regularly advises on projects related to the maritime and shipping sector, such as the expansion and development of ports. In addition, the team, based in Mumbai and led by Shrikant Hathi and Uttam Hathi, with support provided by Pritish Das and Aanchal Chaurasia, undertakes a range of projects and infrastructure mandates. Advising energy companies to set up a bio-diesel plant and acquire renewable energy plants, assisting infrastructure development firms on expanding and setting up industrial parks for manufacturing purposes, and counselling a global spice manufacturer on its expansion give a flavour of the broad scope of the firm's offering.

Steered by the trio of Alok Dhir, Purusharth Singh and Guranpreet Singh Sarna, Delhi-based firm Dhir & Dhir Associates is well versed in due diligence processes on project developers, and debt investments for power and infrastructure projects. With experience in project finance and capital markets, Sarna routinely advises both lenders and borrowers on the financing of wind, solar, hydro and waste management projects across India. The scope of work handled by the team also includes drafting of financing and security documents, conducting due diligences on project documents and issuing enforceability opinions on transaction documents.

Ramanathan Chandrasekaran leads Fox Mandal & Associates‘ infrastructure and project finance practice. Chandrasekaran predominantly works on concession agreements and EPC contracts on a range of areas from energy storage facilities to water treatment projects and domestic construction companies. Also present in Chennai, Jeevanandham Rajagopal advises domestic manufacturing companies on contractual relationships with renewable energy companies for the maintenance and operation of wind projects, and supports joint ventures between energy companies for renewable energy projects. Bangalore-based partner Prashantha Kumar, who has expertise in real estate, routinely conducts land title due diligences for the acquisitions of land for solar and wind projects in the southern states.

Juris Corp‘s projects and energy team predominantly advises foreign and domestic financial institutions. New Delhi-based partner Ankit Sinha supports international and domestic lenders in structuring term loan facilities for domestic companies with business interests in engineering, construction, manufacturing and the supply of goods and services for operating projects. In Mumbai, Saurabh Sharma acts for banks in infrastructure and renewable energy financings.

Krishnamurthy and Co advises banks, investors, developers and energy companies on equity and debt financing for a range of renewable energy and infrastructure projects. The projects and energy practice has a pan-Indian presence, with lead partners Rukmini Roychowdhury located in Mumbai and Rashmi Deshpande, who joined from Khaitan & Co. in 2021, in Bengaluru. As such, the team is strategically placed to advise clients on land title acquisitions, leasing and due diligence for the construction and development of solar projects across India for renewable companies.

At Legacy Law Offices, the vastly experienced Gagan Anand is regularly sought out by private construction companies, lenders and government agencies for consultations on the development and implementation of projects across a variety of infrastructure sub-sectors. In Chandigarh, Shalini Munjal, who was recently appointed co-managing partner, provides transactional support for PPP projects across diverse sectors and also advises on EPC contracts. Madhav Sharma supports clients on evaluating bids for infrastructure and energy projects, drafting and vetting concessions and O&M contracts. Also in Chandigarh, associate Eshjyot Walia has contributed to the successful completion of multiple projects in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Assisting clients in bio-fuel projects is a recent development of the firm’s projects, infrastructure and energy practice.

S&A Law Offices specialises in dispute resolution in cases relating to projects and infrastructure. As arbitration and litigation experts, Manoj Kumar Singh, Gunita Pahwa and Nilava Bandyopadhyay have successfully represented companies in the waste management, solar energy, port development and road construction sectors in disputes concerning contractual breaches.

Under the leadership of Vineetha MG, the projects and energy team at Samvad Partners is particularly active in project finance. The team provides a robust offering in this field, with recent highlights including advising domestic banks on restructuring loan facilities for a construction company and assisting domestic wind and solar project developers on structured financing for the construction and implementation of renewable projects. The team saw the departure of M&A specialist Harish Narasappa in May 2022, but promoted key practitioner Sitara Pillai to partner.

Sarthak Advocates & Solicitors advises energy companies engaged in providing renewable and sustainable services on restructuring their financial agreements. Abhishek Nath Tripathi leads the restructuring and insolvency practice at the firm and as such is well versed in assisting both borrowers and lenders on loan and security agreements. Tripathi also regularly works alongside disputes expert Mani Gupta in arbitration and insolvency proceedings.