Energy

Overview

The energy sector is facing significant transformation and challenges as the world moves towards a net zero future and faces geopolitical and legislative uncertainty. Navigating an evolving energy mix and market opens the door for new opportunities.

Who we are

We are a multidisciplinary team with dedicated specialists in new and traditional energy sources.

We work with project proponents, governments, commercial and industrial customers, and regulators across the full spectrum of renewable energy, power, utilities, hydrogen, and oil and gas. We advise clients across the full energy project lifecycle and transactions, from generation and transmission to retailing.

Here are some of the ways we’ve helped clients:

• transition closed mining projects to renewable energy precincts;
• with approval risk for major new pumped hydro, wind and solar projects;
• with battery energy storage system (BESS) development, grid connection, offtake and power purchase agreements (PPAs) ;
• with renewable energy acquisitions, divestments, development, operations and regulatory compliance;
• manage and negotiate complex connection agreements to facilitate the connection of major energy infrastructure to electricity networks;
• with gas wholesale procurement, supply, trading, marketing, processing and transportation;
• kick-start and scale up their operations, such as the first gas swap agreement in Australia and the first marked-to-market gas price review arbitration;
• with financing for Australia’s first commercial scale offshore wind project in Australia; and
• develop the Australia’s first hydrogen production plant.

Experience

We continue to be an advisor of choice for the nation’s biggest energy projects and deals. Don’t just take our word for it, see for yourself the breadth of our experience.

• Renewable portfolio acquisition: advised Squadron Energy on the acquisition of CWP Renewables, one of the largest renewable energy transactions in Australian history. The portfolio of projects contained a battery energy storage system (BESS), solar and wind.
• Port Kembla Energy Terminal: advised Australian Industrial Energy on the development of Australia’s first liquid natural gas (LNG) import terminal in Port Kembla, New South Wales.
• Victoria’s electricity transmission network: advised VicGrid with its core role in planning and facilitating the expansion of Victoria's electricity transmission network, to enable the connection to the grid of new renewable energy facilities.
• EnergyConnect Project: advised Transgrid on Australia’s largest energy transmission project which involves a new 900km 330kV transmission line to connect the energy grids in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
• Helping companies in the energy transition: advised Idemitsu for over a decade as they make the energy transition, including on transforming one of the oldest open-cut mines to the Muswellbrook Renewable Energy Technology Precinct and a proposed 250MW pumped hydro project in the Hunter Region.
• Hydrogen: advised on the development first-of-their-kind hydrogen projects across Australia, including Queensland’s first hydrogen facility in Townsville for Sun Metals. We also advised a Japanese consortium on co-development of commercial-scale hydrogen production, liquefaction, storage and export facilities at the Port of Hastings in Victoria, supported by a A$2.35 billion Japanese government grant.
• Star of the South Offshore Wind Project: advising Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners on its partnership with Australia's Offshore Energy Ltd to develop and project finance the A$10 billion 2GW "Star of the South" project, which will be the largest offshore wind farm project in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Energy from Waste: advised off takers for the East Rockingham Waste to Energy Plant and the Pioneer Sugar Mill Biomass Plants, which divert tonnes for waste from landfill into dispatchable energy.
• Gas supply: advised Senex on its high-profile A$1 billion Atlas gas project, which saw success with Senex entering into agreements for up to approximately 130 petajoules (PJ) of long-term domestic gas supply to major Australian gas retailers and power plant operator ENGIE.

Resources

Explore our experts’ latest thinking:

• Net Zero Exceptionalism – this report explores the emergence of a new attitude of exceptionalism in Australian policy, regulatory and investment settings, which aim to facilitate the speedy development of energy transition infrastructure. It focuses on the perspectives of global investors and businesses assessing these opportunities in the Australian market.
• The Era of Digital Complexity in Australian Energy, Utilities and Infrastructure – this report explores the changing nature of procurement and contracting in increasingly digitally-connected infrastructure, energy and utilities projects. It argues that traditional risk and procurement models fall short in Australia’s new era of heightened regulatory demands, governance requirements and sophisticated cyber risks.

Recognition

• Tier 1 – Energy (Transactions & Regulatory) (2024), The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific
• Tier 1 - Infrastructure Projects & Construction (2024), The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific
• Tier 1 - Project Development: Energy (2024), IFLR1000
• Clayton Utz advising Squadron Energy on acquisition of CWP Renewables
• APAC Acquisition Deal of the Year (2023), Project Finance International
• Asia-Pacific Renewables Acquisition Deal of the Year, APAC (2023), IJInvestor Awards; and
• Infrastructure Deal of the Year (2023), Mergermarket M&A Australia Awards