From our position as a leading energy law firm, we provide the support that organisations operating within the fast-moving, challenging and dynamic energy sector require to thrive. Our specialist knowledge and skills have earned us our valued reputation as a trustworthy energy law firm as we continue to offer practical advice and find innovative solutions for our clients in this challenging sector.

At Womble Bond Dickinson, we operate in the energy sector on a local, national and global scale. Our energy clients hail from across the globe and range dramatically from entrepreneurial new entrants and joint ventures to established independents, vertically integrated utilities, funders, financial institutions, governments, regulators and worldwide energy giants. It is our ultimate goal to enable each of our clients, big and small, to meet their ambitions, fulfil their potential and achieve sustainable growth .

Energy law firm industry expertise 

Just one part of our responsibilities to our clients within the energy and natural resources sector is to immerse ourselves fully in every aspect of the sector and, with decades of experience as one of the best law firms for clean energy, we have gained a great depth of experience across the various forms of energy and power. We apply that experience to identify the best route through the complex issues that affect organisations operating in this sector.

As part of our work within the energy and natural resources sector, the Womble Bond Dickinson energy law firm team regularly assists clients with a full range of legal issues affecting deals, operations, projects and disputes relating to:

  • Clean energy
  • Energy transition
  • Decarbonisation
  • Conventional and renewable energy development and generation
  • Energy service and provision
  • Energy infrastructure, including transmission, transportation and distribution
  • Upstream, midstream and downstream energy
  • Energy storage
  • Energy trading and cost-of-service rate making
  • Negotiation of energy purchase agreements and related hedging arrangements
  • Electricity, gas and water utilities
  • Siting, consenting, licensing and permitting
  • Energy-related patents and IP protection
  • Decommissioning.

The wide net which we have cast over the entire energy sector translates into our ability to advise our clients confidently on all legal matters within the industry and further build our reputation as one of the best law firms for energy.

In the UK, we advise on the full range of issues affecting major utility businesses and developers of power/renewables projects. We guide clients at all stages of a project's lifecycle, including planning and consenting, JDAs and JVs, real estate acquisition, project finance, M&A and construction. Our team has a deep understanding of the regulatory codes and agreements needed to access energy grid infrastructure. In addition, we advise on a range of industry issues such as price caps, heat networks, smart meters, DSR, onsite generation and grid solutions (including vehicle-to-grid, energy storage and flexibility markets).

In the US, our team represents major integrated utility companies, complex joint venture participants, independent power producers, facility operators, banks, private equity funds, international diversified energy companies, and renewable project developers in a broad range of energy sector transactions in the US and around the world. Our work covers the full spectrum of renewable technologies including: offshore wind, wave and tidal, solar, geothermal, methane/biomass (including energy from waste and anaerobic digestion), ethanol and hydrogen.

We work in partnership with a range of industrial and manufacturing businesses on their strategies for onsite generation/distributed energy as a way to generate and distribute their own electricity (and heat), frequently from clean energy.

Are you in need of legal advice and guidance from a leading energy law firm? At Womble Bond Dickinson, we employ exceptional lawyers who are experts in this sector and can provide solutions to you and your organisation. To browse through our energy and natural resources lawyers and professional staff, simply follow this link to our people search page.

Examples of work

  • Advising RES, the global renewable energy company, on the sale of the Port of Tyne 35MW battery storage project to the Foresight Group, one of the first M&A deals for an energy storage project in the UK
  • Advising Ofgem on the implications of developing a new regime to competitively tender new, separable and high value transmission assets (CATO)
  • Represented tax equity investors in solar, wind and biomass energy projects utilizing federal investment tax credits
  • Instructed by Vattenfall in relation to the Norfolk Vanguard offshore wind farm – promoting the Development Consent Order and dealing with consenting strategy, as well as land assembly
  • Instructed by Vattenfall in relation to the Norfolk Vanguard offshore wind farm – promoting the Development Consent Order and dealing with consenting strategy, as well as land assembly
  • Advising EDF Energy Renewables on real estate aspects and construction contracts for the Blyth offshore wind project
  • Assisting Gateshead Council, Newcastle City Council and the Royal Borough of Greenwich on a range of regulatory issues connected with the introduction of district heating networks, with a particular focus on the regulatory issue relating to the distribution of electricity and third party access to networks
  • Advised Chrysaor, the UK oil and gas independent, on a multi-billion dollar deal to acquire a package of UK North Sea assets from Shell
  • Advised Petrofac on a group reorganisation project and on various offshore contractual and regulatory issues
  • Advised Total E&P UK on a spectrum of matters including the West of Shetland infrastructure, the Shetland Island Regional Gas Export System and regulatory issues arising from the sale of St Fergus
  • Advised Vitol E&P on its acquisition of a 65% shareholding in Rialto Energy (Cote d’Ivoire) Limited (now Vioco Petroleum Limited), the provision of a $50m loan facility and related shareholders agreement, including advising on a new production sharing contract with the Ivory Coast government
  • Represented Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company in the resolution of a $400 million default termination dispute with the EPC construction contractor arising out of a $1.2 billion commercial nuclear plant decommissioning project. This engagement included state court litigation, a FERC rate case and strategic advice on project completion 
  • Advising KiWi Power on the real estate aspects of battery storage projects and the regulatory issues surrounding those types of projects
  • Advising bidders and winning consortia in the Round 4 and ScotWind UK offshore wind processes.
Key contacts
Related sectors
Related services
Overview

From our position as a leading energy law firm, we provide the support that organisations operating within the fast-moving, challenging and dynamic energy sector require to thrive. Our specialist knowledge and skills have earned us our valued reputation as a trustworthy energy law firm as we continue to offer practical advice and find innovative solutions for our clients in this challenging sector.

At Womble Bond Dickinson, we operate in the energy sector on a local, national and global scale. Our energy clients hail from across the globe and range dramatically from entrepreneurial new entrants and joint ventures to established independents, vertically integrated utilities, funders, financial institutions, governments, regulators and worldwide energy giants. It is our ultimate goal to enable each of our clients, big and small, to meet their ambitions, fulfil their potential and achieve sustainable growth.

Find an expert

Key contacts

People with expertise in energy and natural resources

Browse more people
Related insights
All insights and events
Our expertise

Our expertise in energy law

Just one part of our responsibilities to our clients within the energy and natural resources sector is to immerse ourselves fully in every aspect of the sector and, with decades of experience as one of the best law firms for clean energy, we have gained a great depth of experience across the various forms of energy and power. We apply that experience to identify the best route through the complex issues that affect organisations operating in this sector.

As part of our work within the energy and natural resources sector, the Womble Bond Dickinson energy law firm team regularly assists clients with a full range of legal issues affecting deals, operations, projects and disputes relating to:

  • Clean energy
  • Energy transition
  • Decarbonisation
  • Conventional and renewable energy development and generation
  • Energy service and provision
  • Energy infrastructure, including transmission, transportation and distribution
  • Upstream, midstream and downstream energy
  • Energy storage
  • Energy trading and cost-of-service rate making
  • Negotiation of energy purchase agreements and related hedging arrangements
  • Electricity, gas and water utilities
  • Siting, consenting, licensing and permitting
  • Energy-related patents and IP protection
  • Decommissioning.

The wide net which we have cast over the entire energy sector translates into our ability to advise our clients confidently on all legal matters within the industry and further build our reputation as one of the best law firms for energy.

In the UK, we advise on the full range of issues affecting major utility businesses and developers of power/renewables projects. We guide clients at all stages of a project's lifecycle, including planning and consenting, JDAs and JVs, real estate acquisition, project finance, M&A and construction. Our team has a deep understanding of the regulatory codes and agreements needed to access energy grid infrastructure. In addition, we advise on a range of industry issues such as price caps, heat networks, smart meters, DSR, onsite generation and grid solutions (including vehicle-to-grid, energy storage and flexibility markets).

In the US, our team represents major integrated utility companies, complex joint venture participants, independent power producers, facility operators, banks, private equity funds, international diversified energy companies, and renewable project developers in a broad range of energy sector transactions in the US and around the world. Our work covers the full spectrum of renewable technologies including: offshore wind, wave and tidal, solar, geothermal, methane/biomass (including energy from waste and anaerobic digestion), ethanol and hydrogen.

We work in partnership with a range of industrial and manufacturing businesses on their strategies for onsite generation/distributed energy as a way to generate and distribute their own electricity (and heat), frequently from clean energy.

Are you in need of legal advice and guidance from a leading energy law firm? At Womble Bond Dickinson, we employ exceptional lawyers who are experts in this sector and can provide solutions to you and your organisation. To browse through our energy and natural resources lawyers and professional staff, simply follow this link to our people search page.

In need of an energy lawyer? Look no further.
At Womble Bond Dickinson we have an exceptional team of talented lawyers and business professionals who can offer guidance and find the solutions right for your business. We have both broad and niche expertise across all our UK and US offices.
Contact an expert
Our work

Examples of our work and how we’ve helped companies of all sizes with a wide range of challenges.

  • Advising RES, the global renewable energy company, on the sale of the Port of Tyne 35MW battery storage project to the Foresight Group, one of the first M&A deals for an energy storage project in the UK
  • Advising Ofgem on the implications of developing a new regime to competitively tender new, separable and high value transmission assets (CATO)
  • Represented tax equity investors in solar, wind and biomass energy projects utilising federal investment tax credits
  • Instructed by Vattenfall in relation to the Norfolk Vanguard offshore wind farm – promoting the Development Consent Order and dealing with consenting strategy, as well as land assembly
  • Advising EDF Energy Renewables on real estate aspects and construction contracts for the Blyth offshore wind project
  • Assisting Gateshead Council, Newcastle City Council and the Royal Borough of Greenwich on a range of regulatory issues connected with the introduction of district heating networks, with a particular focus on the regulatory issue relating to the distribution of electricity and third party access to networks
  • Advised Chrysaor, the UK oil and gas independent, on a multi-billion dollar deal to acquire a package of UK North Sea assets from Shell
  • Advised Petrofac on a group reorganisation project and on various offshore contractual and regulatory issues
  • Advised Total E&P UK on a spectrum of matters including the West of Shetland infrastructure, the Shetland Island Regional Gas Export System and regulatory issues arising from the sale of St Fergus
  • Advised Vitol E&P on its acquisition of a 65% shareholding in Rialto Energy (Cote d’Ivoire) Limited (now Vioco Petroleum Limited), the provision of a $50m loan facility and related shareholders agreement, including advising on a new production sharing contract with the Ivory Coast government
  • Represented Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company in the resolution of a $400 million default termination dispute with the EPC construction contractor arising out of a $1.2 billion commercial nuclear plant decommissioning project. This engagement included state court litigation, a FERC rate case and strategic advice on project completion 
  • Advising KiWi Power on the real estate aspects of battery storage projects and the regulatory issues surrounding those types of projects
  • Advising bidders and winning consortia in the Round 4 and ScotWind UK offshore wind processes.
Testimonials

"They have an outstanding grasp of the inherent complexity of energy projects in the renewables sector and can draw from a wide range of experience."

Chambers and Partners, 2023

"The response time is consistently excellent and their attitude is always very constructive: one of finding solutions rather than listing problems."

Chambers and Partners, 2020
Further information and resources