Renewables

No other Australian law firm has the comprehensive understanding of the key legal, commercial and policy issues facing the renewable energy industry that we have.

We draw upon experience that spans the major sources of renewable and clean energy – in particular, green energy projects involving solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and hydroelectric infrastructure batteries and other forms of energy storage – to help you invest in, create and deliver world-class renewable projects.

Our understanding helps you to deliver

Australia’s renewable energy market continues to attract interest from developers, contractors, manufacturers, governments, as well as local and international investors.

And when they want to do business in this sector in Australia, Clayton Utz is the natural choice. We've assisted many Australian and international companies with the approvals, planning, development, acquisition, operation and disposal of projects over many years.

Our experience covers large and small-scale renewable projects, major power plants and district based generation systems, and the sale and purchase of renewable energy and environmental instruments.

With this has come an in-depth understanding of what our clients need at each stage of a renewable energy project, including project structuring, development approvals, rights to access infrastructure, tenure, construction, native title, operation and maintenance, power purchase and sale, electricity derivative agreements stakeholder engagement, licensing and safety.

We bring together a team of legal experts across the life cycle of renewable energy projects incorporating M&A, joint ventures, project financing, electricity law, project due diligence expertise, as well as specialist legal advice on environment and planning, property, native title, construction, electricity markets and electricity network connection agreements.

Recognition

 

• Client Choice Awards: Winner – Best Provider to Power & Utilities (2021)
• Legal 500 Asia Pacific: Tier 1 – Project Development (2021)
• Legal 500 Asia Pacific: Tier 1 – Energy (2021)
• Chambers Asia Pacific: Ranked in Energy & Resources (2021)
• IFLR1000: Project Development: Tier 2 – Power (2021)

Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2021) (Energy):

• "Clayton Utz is highly active in large-scale domestic and cross-border energy transactions, with on-the-ground experience across Australia. The team acts for a number of major domestic oil and gas providers, corporates, utilities companies, and renewable energy clients, reflecting broad expertise across the space.

Chambers Asia Pacific (2020) (energy & Natural Resources):

• Dependability is the keynote of much of the feedback for this team. One client speaks of Clayton Utz as "one of the most reliable firms in the market," while another calls its lawyers "obviously highly knowledgeable and experienced in this practice area."

Solar

Sun Brilliance: advised on a 128MW solar farm in Cunderin, Western Australia. This is the biggest solar farm in Western Australia by size and biggest to date by output.

Sun Metals: advising on the A$300 million expansion of its zinc refinery in Townsville, Queensland, including a 125MW integrated industrial solar farm.

Sun Metals: advising on the A$300 million expansion of its zinc refinery in Townsville, Queensland, including a 125MW integrated industrial solar farm.

CS Energy: advised on the proposed 250MW solar thermal power station at Kogan Creek in Queensland.

Ergon Energy: advised on the Lakeland 33MW solar and battery storage connection and access agreements at Cooktown far north Queensland. Also advised on long-term renewables offtake arrangements from FRV's large scale Lilyvale 100MW Solar Farm.

Transport for NSW: advised on its offtake arrangements with the Beryl Solar Farm.

Adani Renewables: assisted with its Rugby Run Solar Project approvals, including Foreign Investment Approvals and land access.

Origin Energy Solar: advised on its solar cities projects in Adelaide.

Wind

Star of the South Offshore Wind Farm: advising Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners on its partnership with Australia's Offshore Energy Ltd to develop the proposed A$10 billion 2GW "Star of the South" project – Australia's first offshore windfarm.

Monash University: advised on its unique Corporate PPA offtake arrangements from the Murra Warra Wind Farm Project.

Queensland Government: advised on the development requirements for the Forest Wind 1200MW wind farm.

Hydro Tasmania: advised on all aspects, relating to the Bluff Point, Studland Bay, Musselroe and Waterloo Wind Farm Projects. Also acted on the sale by Roaring 40s Renewable Energy of its Chinese and Indian wind farm assets.

China Energy Conservation & Environmental Group: advised on joint venture between China-listed wind power companies CECEP and Xinjiang Goldwind.

CGN Wind Energy: advising on approvals and planning issues for the Mortons Lane Windfarm, including timing issues under the applicable planning permit and cultural heritage issues arising from proposed variations to the design.

Confidential client: advising a confidential client on the prospective divestment of AGL Energy Limited’s 50% participating interest in the Macarthur Wind Farm project by way of a competitive sale process.

Macquarie Bank & Perpetual: acted in Perpetual’s acquisition from AGL of a 95MW wind farm development (now fully constructed) near Hallett in South Australia.

Origin Energy: advising on the acquisition of Yass Valley wind farm and landowner documentation.

Clayton Utz has also advised Origin on the establishment of the Dundas Tablelands Wind Farm, including property and access arrangements.

Union Fenosa: acted in the acquisition of interests in seven wind farm projects situated in New South Wales and Victoria.

Alcoa Alumina: advised on the 180MW Portland wind farm project, including on the connection, power supply and financing/tripartite issues.

Infigen: advised on the development and project financing of the Woodlawn Wind Farm - the first merchant project financed wind farm in Australia.

Pumped hydro, hydrogen and energy storage

Hydro Tasmania: advised on the construction of a number of hydro-electric power stations associated with reticulated water storage lakes in South Australia.

Origin Energy: acted on the acquisition of Shoalhaven Hydro Power Stations from the NSW Government of gentrader rights and the assets for the Shoalhaven hydroelectric power stations.

Ergon Energy: advised securing 270MW of renewable energy. This included offtake agreements for electricity and RECs to underpin the construction and operation of Mt Emerald Wind Farm 170 MW and the Lilyvale Solar Farm 100MW. The process involved consideration of multiple renewable options including battery storage technologies.

Alinta: advising on regulatory aspects of battery storage.

S2R: advising on next generation battery storage development.

Energy Queensland (Yurika): advised on the Yurika solar, battery and electric vehicle (EV) charging deal with QIC for installation of renewable generation behind the meter at major shopping centres reducing the carbon footprint of those centres.

Talison Lithium: advising Talison, the major electricity off-taker for the A$511 million East Rockingham Resource Recovery Facility.

Idemitsu: advising on its end of mine life renewable energy projects, including biomass, solar and pumped hydro storage and generation.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries: advised on a pilot hydrogen project which included a hydrogen storage facility.

Sun Metals: advising on its development of Queensland's first renewable hydrogen facility in Townsville Queensland, including grant funding from the Queensland Government’s Hydrogen Industry Development Fund.

Electricity and renewables regulatory

Brisbane Airport Corporation: advised on its electricity procurement and renewable embedded generation and network regulatory requirements including on supply arrangements.

Northern Territory Government: advising the Northern Territory Government on proposed renewable electricity offtake, renewable electricity certificates and other green benefits able to be generated and transferred and the transmission of electricity as part of the Project Development arrangements for the A$22 billion Sun Cable Project development.

Origin Energy: advising on the electricity and gas regulatory aspects of Origin's new Kraken platform, which will streamline and automate interactions between Origin and its electricity and gas customers across their various sources of power.

Scentre Group: advised on its embedded network and embedded renewable generation across Australian sites.

Talison Lithium: acting on its corporate renewable electricity PPAs that will underwrite new biomass renewable energy projects in Western Australia, including Renewable Electricity Certificate purchase agreements.

TransGrid: advising on back-up generation arrangements to support reliable supply to Broken Hill, and on large-scale battery connection elsewhere on its grid.

Celestino: advising Celestino on its energy strategy and electricity network arrangements at the Sydney Science Park development, an A$5 billion mixed-use smart city that will create an internationally recognised epicentre for research, development, commercialisation and innovation in the heart of Western Sydney.

Sydney Metro: advising Sydney Metro, Australia’s largest public transport infrastructure project, on the electricity and renewable electricity certificate procurement for several of its lines.