Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP has been a specialist in the energy and natural resources sectors for over 30 years with expertise advising on deals, developments, and disputes relating to renewable energy, including on several novel projects.

A Bristol team led by energy and natural resources real estate head Simon Hughes is acting as sole advisor to Renewable Energy Systems (RES) on all aspects of the development of their onshore wind, storage and solar portfolio, including new development and life extension projects.

Significantly, head of the firm’s UK energy practice Richard Cockburn in Edinburgh has also led advice to RES on its £3bn joint venture with Octopus Renewables to develop green hydrogen plants across the UK. In May 2023, the firm joined Hydrogen South West which drives the development of hydrogen infrastructure across the region.

In Leeds, the construction group provided legal counsel to Envision AESC regarding the design, construction and completion of the UK’s first at-scale battery manufacturing plant. Once complete, the 119GWh-capacity factory will manufacture batteries for Nissan’s electric vehicles.

The team also works with clients contributing to biodiversity protection; the Edinburgh banking and finance practice supports Triodos on all financing, real estate, and energy issues regarding the rewilding projects on large estates in Scotland. This constitutes one of the first financings of its kind in the UK.

The firm has achieved the EcoVadis Gold medal, placing it in the top 5% of reporting companies globally. As part of the goal to achieve net zero by 2030, it also measures scope 3 emissions and plans to enhance its procurement strategy to improve on this. In early 2023, it became the first law firm to join The Solent Cluster, the first major decarbonisation initiative to substantially reduce CO2 emissions across the Solent and Southern England.