Italy

DLA Piper in Italy has an impressive range of clients in the renewable energy sector.

Head of the corporate group, Giulo Maroncelli, recently assisted Ortus Power Resources Italy with the terms and conditions associated with developing solar and wind projects. Senior independent counsel Francesco Novelli, who has over 40 years’ experience, especially in the project finance space, assisted Falck Renewables with its joint venture with BlueFloat Energy for the co-development of five offshore wind farms with an estimated capacity of more than 5GW. Together, Novelli and Maroncelli jointly acted for ERG Power Generation in the sale of Hydro S.r.l, owner of 527 MW of hydropower plants in operation the country.

A founding member of the Legal Sustainability Alliance, the firm has successfully integrated ESG into its operations. Across all its jurisdictions, lawyers collectively provide more than 230,000 hours of pro bono work annually with one specific focus on climate justice and conservation.

Denmark

In Denmark, DLA Piper is a go-to firm for clients seeking advice on matters pertaining to renewable energy.

A team led by Per Vestergaard Pedersen is providing advice to the Greenland Government regarding hydropower operations in the country, including granting exploitation licenses and environmental regulatory issues, thereby supporting the country’s green transition.

In another cross-border matter, the group also assisted Faroese national power company ELFELAGIÐ SEV with its refinancing worth Kr. 2.4bn, which is to be used to support the Faroese Government’s green energy policy, including the ambitious goal for the Faroe Islands to be powered by 100% green energy by 2030.

Alongside its work for clients, the firm also seeks to raise awareness and improve education on climate change mitigation and adaptation. A team in Denmark developed training on the Aarhus convention and environmental justice.

The firm’s global commitment to sustainability is evident in its early signing of the UN Global Compact in 2013. It has since received ISO 14001 and 50001 certifications, and certification from the Carbon Trust. 

Hungary

Head of energy and procurement at DLA Piper in Hungary, Gábor Simon, is experienced in advising on a range of renewable energy projects. He is currently assisting Solin Energy with its cross-border virtual cPPA models for its PV plants under development in Hungary and Kosovo.

Péter Györfi-Tót, who heads up the Hungary finance, projects and restructuring group, also advises notable renewable energy clients with expertise in Hungarian energy regulation.

The firm also actively contributes to thought leadership on climate, environmental and ESG matters: In 2021, the Hungarian real estate practice launched its own green real estate podcast series led by Szilárd Kui and Gábor Borbély and in collaboration with the banking and finance group.

Regionally, the firm stands out as the only law firm in Europe to advise the European Commission, under two successive framework contracts, on contractual and regulatory aspects of the European Emissions Trading Scheme Regulations (EU ETS) and the Common Auction Platform.

Netherlands

DLA Piper in the Netherlands is involved in innovative green IT projects. Amsterdam-based IT, competition and privacy law expert Khaled Dadi is assisting Rabobank with the implementation of agroforestry carbon reduction schemes. This includes the launch of a new ‘Carbon Insights’ app which allows bank customers to track the carbon footprint of their purchasing patterns.

The firm is also involved in numerous high-value sustainable financing matters, such client Royal A-ware Food Group’s €400m ESG-linked financing provided by a syndicate of banks.

The construction group has a strong focus on renewables and is currently leading the multi-disciplinary advice to Hitachi Energy Sweden AB / Hitachi ABB Power Grid as one of the bidders in a consortium with Petrofac International (UAE) on the tender and construction of wind farms in the IJmuiden Ver wind energy area forming part of the Netherlands 2030 Offshore Roadmap with a combined capacity of 4 GW.

Globally, the firm publicly discloses its environmental impact through the CDP disclosure system and has committed to reducing absolute emissions across all SBTi scopes by 90% by 2040, and in the short term has an SBTi goal to cut scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 from 2019 levels.

Spain

DLA Piper set up its multidisciplinary ESG group in Spain in 2020. The team stands out for its assistance with the bidding and acquisition process of high-value renewable projects.

Juan Gelabert Chasco leads the firm’s advice to Aquilla Capital on several renewable projects, including the acquisition of a 1200 MW portfolio of 24 PV plants under development in Spain. In another recent matter, head of Spain’s corporate practice José-María Gil-Robles and her team advised Shell on its potential acquisition of several PV plants and wind farms across Spain with around 2.5 GW output.

Internal best practices from across the firm’s global operations include a commitment to sourcing 100% electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030, up from 61% at present, and cutting supply chain emissions by 25%, also by 2030.

Norway

In Norway, DLA Piper’s renewable energy team is comprised of go-to advisors covering a range of client needs in the sector. The team was further strengthened in 2021 with the addition of Siren Skalstad Ellensen, who has extensive M&A experience within the renewables sector. Clients also benefit from the firm’s presence across all Nordic countries.

In a current highlight, Skalstad Ellensen and Kaare Oftedal are advising MEAG on its proposed investment of €480m in a wind portfolio with a combined capacity of 258 MW.

Globally the firm has partnered with the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance of which it was a founding member. It is also a founding member of the Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers and has partnered with Carbon 13 to support start-ups with a focus on reducing carbon emissions on a pro bono basis.

One of the pillars of the firm’s pro bono efforts across the Nordics is to support climate justice and conservation. The firm also provided pro bono assistance to the Boards Impact Forum, the Nordic chapter of the Climate Governance Initiative, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, whose purpose is to engage board directors in the Nordics and internationally to accelerate climate actions and innovation for sustainable business. The advice centred around the setup of the organisation and directions on development.