England - London • Projects, energy and natural resources
Norton Rose Fulbright
The ‘diverse, long-standing and focused’ practice at Norton Rose Fulbright is headed up by Rob Marsh, who is vastly experienced in the financing of energy projects. The team ably advises both developers and lenders on the full gamut of energy work which spans an array of sectors, including solar, onshore wind and renewables. The team is well-equipped to handle complex matters at both domestic and international level. Charles Whitney, for example, has an incredible focus on a range of work in Uzbekistan, and is described as a standout practitioner.’ Christopher Down, noted as a ’thoughtful and dedicated partner’ also has a specialism in this international work. ‘Exceptional operator’ Stephen Rigby has a focus on UK energy and natural resources-related corporate finance work, and Madhavi Gosavi, also finance-focused, is another name to note. Finance specialist Nicky Davies has bolstered the London team with her July 2022 internal relocation from the firm’s Singapore office. Matthew Hardwick and Daniel Giemajner both departed to Akin in September 2022.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Norton Rose Fulbright has a diverse, long-standing and focused team that routinely leads on almost all significant large-scale and complex transactions in Uzbekistan. They have a great track-record of facing quite formidable issues in a challenging jurisdiction.'
‘Charles Whitney is a standout practitioner who leads on work in Uzbekistan. He is a seasoned professional who is familiar with intricacies and legal developments, committed to advising on the private side of investment and infrastructure transactions.'
'Chris Down is a thoughtful and dedicated partner who spends his time on many energy deals in Uzbekistan. He is very reasonable, delicate and diplomatic when negotiating with the government and he knows how to persuade the public side to accept the client's concerns and challenges.'
'Timothy Han is an attentive and scrupulous associate. He leads on the key workstreams and manages well what is hardly manageable when a complex transaction develops in several directions.’
‘The team has real strength-in-depth and a vast knowledge of our sector and our business.’
‘Stephen Rigby is an exceptional operator - he knows our business inside-out and provides invaluable support.’
‘The team is very experienced in the Uzbekistan market. They have worked both for the developers and the lenders and know the ins-and-outs of the energy sector and its issues. They are always commercially-oriented and pragmatic, their value-for-money is exceptional.’
‘Charles Whitney and Chris Down are highly professional gentlemen. Chris Down is a great expert in project documentation, he knows his stuff, is very attentive to details and is quick in understanding even the most complex Uzbek-law matters. Charles Whitney gets his client the best deals, is very pragmatic and always keeps the bigger picture in his mind.’
Key clients
- MUFG
- bp
- Lightsource bp
- Brookfield
- Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar)
- ExxonMobil
- Greencoat UK Wind plc
- IFC
- Marubeni
- Ministry of Finance of Angola
- Neoen
- Shell
- Oceanwinds
- CIBC
- Santander
- Société Générale
- CA-CIB
- Quinbrook
Work highlights
- Advising the sponsors on the circa. £1.9bn on Moray West offshore wind farm in the Moray Firth, Scotland.
- Represented Masdar in relation to the financing of a 500MW onshore wind farm located in the Navoi region of Uzbekistan.
- Advised a consortium comprising KEPCO, Kyushu and EDF on its combined 40% stake, developing and operating the transmission system for 35 years alongside ADNOC and TAQA.
Lawyers
Leading individuals
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Rob Marsh