Our team of renewable energy solicitors is well known in the region for its increasingly important role in renewable energy contracts. Opportunities for landowners have increased in line with growth and heightened interest in the sector, but there are associated risks and interests that have to be prioritised and balanced.
As part of a multi-disciplinary commercial practice, our renewable energy team can draw on some of the very best commercial advice available relating to wind turbine and solar farm projects. BHW’s Corporate, Commercial and Commercial Property departments are both highly ranked in the Legal 500 guide.
We always consider the long-term impact of any proposed project, including factors relating to the status of any retained business, succession and tax planning, and the impact that market changes might have over the duration of each project.
In addition to acting for landowners on solar farm and wind turbine projects, we have industry-leading expertise in secured lending for renewable energy projects, including acting for the lenders, sponsors and investors of those projects.
Our recent Renewables work includes:
- Acting for loan sponsors for 800 kW wind turbine in Desford, Leicestershire, securing a first legal charge on the leasehold interest and a chattels mortgage over the turbine. We also provided additional advice on other guarantees, debentures and corporate guarantees.
- Acting for the landowner in a 27-year lease of a site for the construction of an 800-kW wind turbine in Derbyshire, with deeds of easement for access.
- Acting for the landowner on a proposed option to Sun Edison for a solar farm on 24 acres of land in Derbyshire.
- Acting for the funder of a 500-kW wind turbine in Somerset, obtaining security over the leasehold interest and assignment and step-in rights for all the key agreements including the Power Purchasing Agreement, Grid Connection Agreement and the benefit of the feed-in tariffs.
- Acting for the landowner in relation to an Option Agreement and subsequent lease of 70 acres of land to Sun Edison/Northern Solar for the development of a solar park. We also secured important terms for reinstatement, grazing rights, assignability, rent review and direct funding agreements.
- Several matters acting for landowners in connection with options for Hallmark Powergen Limited to take leases of sites at farms in the East Midlands with extensive rights of construction and restrictions on the use of the retained land.
