insight - Burges Salmon

Sector work featured in this annual review 2012:ENERGYTRANSPORTFOOD, FARMING & LANDREAL ESTATEFINANCIAL SERVICESAEROSPACE & DEFENCESPORTHOTELS & LEISUREINDUSTRIAL & CHEMICALRETAILMastering marine potentialBurges Salmon has fast established itself as aformidable player in the marine renewable energysector, building on our longstanding credentials in thewider energy and offshore renewables field. We haveadvised clients on The Crown Estate’s first wave andtidal commercial leasing round in the Pentland Firth,Scotland, using our experience of acting for bidderson all three UK offshore wind rounds.Over the last two years we have worked directly with jointventure MeyGen on its pioneering Round One marinescheme in the Inner Sound, Pentland Firth, which will be theworld’s largest tidal energy project. Once operational, it willbe capable of generating 400MW which is the equivalentelectricity used by approximately 400,000 homes.The firm is advising on all legal matters including consenting,real estate, energy regulation, grid connection, corporateand construction procurement. This work is led by head ofrenewables Ross Fairley in collaboration with partnersWill Gard, Julian Boswall, Euan Bremner, Nick Graves andDominic Davis, and senior associates James Phillips andCraig Whelton.It is our work on flagship projects like MeyGen that saw usnamed as the UK’s ‘Adviser of the Year: Legal & Financial’at the inaugural Renewable Energy Infrastructure Awardsin 2011, sponsored by New Civil Engineer and MaterialsRecycling Week.Burges Salmon was proud to host the UK’s first marineenergy park launch in early 2012, attended by the ClimateChange Minister Greg Barker. Plus, a number of ourpartners are helping to shape marine energy policy by sittingon influential, UK-wide industry working groups.We have also been securing a growing number of highcalibre clients in the field of wave and tidal renewable energy.This includes Wave Hub, the world’s largest test site forwave energy arrays, located in the South West of England.Artist’s impression showing turbineson the seabed, connected by cables to aPower Conversion Centre on landMeyGen is a flagship marine power project involving a vast network of stakeholders includingthe local community, The Crown Estate and all levels of government. Burges Salmon’s in-depthunderstanding of both the marine energy landscape and the associated regulatory climate hasplayed a significant role in keeping our development and consenting process on track.Dan Pearson, CEO, MeyGenINSIGHT Burges Salmon Annual Review 2012 9