James Wood-Robertson > Shoosmiths LLP > Leeds, England > Lawyer Profile

James is an experienced commercial infrastructure lawyer, who has advised on major capital projects across a variety of sectors in the UK and overseas, including energy from waste, renewable energy, transport, education, health, leisure, and serviced accommodation.

James is a recognised specialist in the waste sector having advised at procuring authority, sponsor or funder level on more than twenty waste PPP projects in the UK, Europe, the GCC and Africa.  In recent years, James has advised on a significant number of renewable energy projects, including the acquisition, disposal, financing and refinancing of onshore wind and large scale solar PV projects and rooftop solar PV schemes involving local authorities and housing associations.  He also has considerable experience of advising generators, end-users/off-takers and licensed suppliers on power purchase agreements, including corporate/end-user PPAs  and heat supply agreements and district heating projects.

His recent experience includes:

• advising a West Yorkshire local authority on the procurement of its waste management PPP project and advising a major UK waste business on its successful bid for a waste PPP project in Scotland;
• advising a leading Chinese solar manufacturer and developer on the drafting and negotiation of EPC and O&M contracts on several ground-mounted solar PV projects and advising on the disposal of its developed sites;
• advising Taiwan’s leading solar PV panel manufacturer on all of its UK housing association rooftop solar PV projects;
• advising a leading UK bank on the negotiation and completion of its power purchase agreement with an operator of a portfolio of landfill gas power plants, which provides sufficient electricity to meet 20% of the bank’s energy requirements;
• advising an onshore wind developer on its end-user power purchase agreements with two large corporates and advising the developer and funder of a large onshore wind farm in Scotland on its Contract for Difference (CfD) PPA;
• advising a national infrastructure business on heat supply agreements with a school and a residential development in respect of heat generated by the transformers in a major substation being constructed in Highbury, North London; and
• advising the UK’s leading airline on its project agreement governing its move from the North Terminal to the South Terminal at Gatwick.