Energy & Natural Resources
Overview
Our Energy practice has developed as a specialized practice within our firm over more than 20 years of involvement in major transactions in the Romanian energy sector.
Constantly attuned to the national and EU developments in the energy sector, our team provides clients with thorough advice related to the constantly evolving legislative climate of Romania and the EU energy market, anticipating the consequences of such developments from the perspective of the specifics of each of their energy business.
Zamfirescu Racoti Vasile & Partners has the resources to handle all aspects of complex deals and highly structured transactions in the energy field: expertise, local knowledge and experience, sophisticated financial, technology and operational insights, thorough understanding of economics, intricate regulatory schemes.
Areas of Work
- Acquisition and restructuring of companies acting in the energy field
- Conventional energy matters
- Dispute resolution with regard to specific energy matters
- Joint ventures, projects and ppp
- Matters related to energy trading
- Privatization and post-privatization
- Renewable energy matters
Selected Assignments
Examples of our work in this area include assistance to:
- A globally integrated aluminium Group regarding building and commissioning a power plant, the value of the project amounting to EUR 1,5 billion;
- A London based investment fund regarding the acquisition of four energy solar parks with an installed power of 30 MW;
- One of the largest vertically integrated aluminium producers in Europe in the tender process regarding the establishment of an IPP type joint venture company in order to implement a „Green/Brown-Field” project for the construction of a new energy group of minimum 500 MW at the Rovinari
- Thermal Power Plant, a project with a value of over EUR 750 million
- The Romanian Gas and Electricity Market Operator in matters regarding the energy market in Romania, including legal assistance regarding the regulations and contracts to be applied/concluded in relation to/with the participants to Romanian gas and electricity market;
- One of the largest aluminium producers in Central and Eastern Europe during the investigations conducted by the European Commission (EC) in respect to its contracts with Romania’s electricity generator. Following an in-depth investigation, the EC concluded that electricity supply contracts signed by the state-owned Romanian electricity generator with our client did not involve state aid within the meaning of the EU rules.
Awards & Accolades
Chambers Europe, Romania: Energy and Natural Resources
Chambers and Partners
We bring in-depth legal experience in projects, corporate transactions, dispute resolution, arbitration and commercial work, financing, privatizations, energy regulatory matters and act in the following key energy sectors: hydropower, electric energy, nuclear energy, oil and gas, mining and metals, petrochemicals, renewable energy.
Our team has extensive experience in handling matters related to the privatization of large state owned companies and the acquisition and reorganization of energy companies, including legal, functional and decision making unbundling, as well as matters related to specific agreements, concessions, licenses, permitting and operation and other regulatory matters with respect to both conventional and renewable energy sources.
We provide overall legal assistance with special focus on green energy regulatory matters, legal due diligence, including analysis on titles over the plots of land upon which the project is developed and regulatory matters. Furthermore, we assist our clients to obtain all the necessary permits/authorizations/licenses required for the project and to conclude all necessary agreements for the development of the project. We provide as well legal assistance in negotiations with commercial banks and financial institutions for the purpose of raising financing for the project.
Our team has significant experience in the procedures related to authorizing and licensing in the field of natural gas and in the energy sector. The firm served in connection with important privatization and M&A projects in oil and gas, and also in Greenfield and brownfield projects.
We are actively involved on behalf of our clients in the legislation process in the energy field in Romania, comments to normative acts and negotiations carried out representing industrial energy consumers, with ANRE (Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority), the Ministry of Energy, the Competition Council, the European Commission, regarding initiating, supporting and promoting projects to amend the applicable legislation in force and regulatory framework in the energy area.
Loyal clients return to this ‘professional and knowledgeable’ energy and natural resources group time and again because they can ‘count on its advice’.
(Chambers and Partners)