Energy

Climate protection targets that are binding under international and European law lead to far-reaching changes in the regulatory framework and the economic market environment. This opens up new business opportunities in competition. However, long-term capital-intensive investments by energy suppliers and industrial companies can also be economically endangered. Whether our clients want to seize new business opportunities or protect and secure their investments and previous businesses, the experts in our Energy industry group advise them at the highest level.

 

Our team of more than 40 lawyers from all relevant fields of law is proud to be commissioned by our clients when transactions, projects, cooperations, reorganisation, restructuring, arbitration or litigation proceedings become difficult and complex. In such cases we can use our specific legal and tax knowledge to the advantage of our clients. In addition, our partners contribute many years of industry knowledge, economic expertise, a deep understanding of technology and political empathy. We pursue a strategic consulting approach.

 

Our expertise covers the entire value chain in the energy industry, the extraction and production of coal, oil and gas, their maritime or land-based transport via ships, pipelines and transmission networks, the generation of electricity in conventional and renewable energy plants of all kinds, the storage of gas and electricity, the operation of distribution networks, the trading and sale of electricity and gas as well as media such as heat, cold or hydrogen.

 

Our clients include leading energy utilities, their generation, grid, trading or wholesale companies, independent power generators and energy traders, large industrial companies, project developers as well as financial investors and banks. They rightly place their trust in our many years of expertise and in the fact that we always advise them at the highest level.

Our range of advisory services

Corporate/M&A
  • Purchase and sale of utilities and grid operators
  • Power plant, underground gas storage and renewable energy projects
  • Joint ventures and cooperation agreements, restructuring of utilities
Energy law/Energy regulation
  • Implementation of unbundling provisions
  • Regulation of network connection and network access
  • Regulation of use-of-system charges / incentive regulation
  • Concession agreements, concession levies, sale and transfer of networks
  • Cooperation of network operators, network leasing
  • Power supply and energy trading contracts / trading of emission certificates
  • Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) / Combined Heat and Power Act (KWKG)
  • Contracting
Antitrust law
  • Price control of electricity, gas, water and district heating / abuse of dominance proceedings
  • Cooperation of utilities and network operators
  • Validity and enforceability of long-term supply agreements
  • German and European merger control notifications / coordination of international merger control filings
  • Antitrust compliance and antitrust fine proceedings
Public procurement law
  • Privatisation of utilities
  • Concession agreements and participation in utilities
  • Procurement of energy demand, services, or street lighting
Environmental and planning law
  • Approval of power plants and renewable energy projects
  • Approval of line construction or expansion projects
  • Emission trading scheme for power plant operators and industrial enterprises
  • Mining law advice with regard to natural gas and oil production or natural gas underground storage
Real estate
  • Leasehold agreements or leases in conventional power plant or renewable energy projects
  • Engineering, procurement and construction agreements as well as services and O&M contracts for conventional power plant or renewable energy projects
  • Residential contracting projects
Dispute resolution
  • National and international arbitration proceedings in connection with energy or infrastructure projects or gas price adjustments
  • Investment protection proceedings before international arbitration courts under the Energy Charter Treaty, UNCITRAL or ICSID
Capital markets, banking and finance
  • Equity and debt financing of acquisitions and investments
  • Financing of infrastructure projects
  • Investment funds in the field of renewable energy
  • Regulation of energy trading
Tax law
  • Tax structuring in support of transactions
  • Tax optimisation of joint ventures, cooperations, reorganisations
  • Transfer pricing advice
  • Energy taxation

News

07.02.2024
Luther advises on the largest Net Zero project in the European steel industry - EUR 2.6 billion funding approved for the use of green hydrogen
19.12.2023
District heating in Berlin: Luther successfully advises the State of Berlin in the bidding process for the acquisition of Vattenfall Wärme Berlin
05.12.2023 Blog
The European Commission’s Wind Power Action Plan of 24 October 2023 – Immediate Actions to Strengthen the European Wind Energy Sector
04.12.2023 Blog
European Court of Justice rules: an energy supplier and a food distributor can be ‘potential competitors’
27.07.2023 Press Release
Luther advises Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben on award of contract for BKA building in Berlin

Key Contact >>

Key Contact

Dr Holger Stappert

Partner

T +49 211 5660 24843

Team Energy

Portrait Rechtsanwalt Hans-Christian Ackermann

Hans-Christian Ackermann
Partner
Dusseldorf

Dr. Konrad Adenauer
Partner
Cologne

Dr Stefan Altenschmidt, LL.M. (Nottingham)
Partner
Dusseldorf

Dr Stephan Bausch, D.U.
Partner
Cologne

Dr Arndt Begemann
Partner
Essen

Dr Carsten E. Beisheim
Partner
Dusseldorf

Dr Michael Bormann
Partner
Dusseldorf

Dr Jürgen Bremer
Partner
Dusseldorf

Dr Johannes Becker
Counsel
Cologne

Bernhard Burkert, LL.M. (Stellenbosch)
Counsel
Berlin

Yelena Bonzel
Senior Associate
Dusseldorf

Rechtsanwältin Valerie Blettenberg

Dr Valerie Blettenberg
Associate
Munich

Lilith Boos
Associate
Dusseldorf

Tarik Bilici, LL.M.
Junior Consultant
Dusseldorf

Dr Sabrina Desens
Partner
Leipzig

Philipp Dietz, LL.M. (Edinburgh)
Partner
Cologne

Dr Borbála Dux-Wenzel, LL.M.
Partner
Cologne

Patrick Diessner, LL.M. oec.
Senior Consultant
Munich

Dr Gernot-Rüdiger Engel
Partner
Hamburg

Dr Martin Fleckenstein
Partner
Berlin

Nicole Fröhlich
Partner
Frankfurt a.M.

Cosima Flock
Counsel
Dusseldorf

Henrik Fischer
Associate
Leipzig

Dr Stefan Galla
Partner
Essen

Franz-Rudolf Groß, LL.M. (London)
Counsel
Dusseldorf

Dennis Gerdes
Legal Consultant
Hamburg

Dr Richard Happ
Partner
Hamburg

Dr Christian Horn, LL.M. (Tulane)
Partner
Berlin

Ekkehard Hübel
Counsel
Hamburg

Ramona Hubracht, LL.M. Taxation
Counsel
Frankfurt a.M.

Isabel Hoyer
Associate
Frankfurt a.M.

Dr Guido Jansen
Partner
Dusseldorf

Dr Helmut Janssen, LL.M. (King's College London)
Partner
Brussels, Dusseldorf

Philipp Kersting
Partner
Jakarta

Dr Rolf Kobabe
Partner
Hamburg

Dr Stefan Kobes
Partner
Berlin

Karsten Köhler
Partner
Leipzig

Christiane Kühn, LL.M. (Hong Kong)
Partner
Munich

Philipp Kropatscheck Nguyen, LL.M.
Of Counsel
Singapore

Katharina Klenk-Wernitzki, Dipl. Reg.-Wiss
Counsel
Berlin, Cologne

Lena-Annika Kauer
Senior Associate
Hamburg

Dr.iur. Andreas Knaul, LL.M. diap (ENA)
--
Berlin

Esma Koc-Agca, B.A. Taxation
Consultant
Frankfurt a.M.

Elisabeth Lepique
Managing Partner
Cologne

Prof. Dr Tobias Leidinger
Partner
Dusseldorf

Dr Andreas Meyer-Landrut
Of Counsel
Dusseldorf

Mee Foo Moh
Of Counsel
Singapore

Dr Mathias Mailänder
Counsel
Hamburg

Andreas Mally
Counsel
Leipzig

Johannes Müller
Senior Associate
Munich

Pauline Müller
Associate
Dusseldorf

Daniel Naumann
Counsel
Leipzig

David Nückel
Associate
Dusseldorf

Ulf-Dieter Pape
Partner
Hanover

Dominika Peter
Associate
Berlin

Stephanie Quaß
Senior Associate
Frankfurt a.M.

Tim Rauschning
Partner
Hamburg

Dr Stephan Rippert LL.M.
Partner
Munich

Benedikt Rechner
Senior Associate
Berlin

Dr Markus Sengpiel
Managing Partner
Cologne

Dr Björn Simon
Partner
Frankfurt a.M.

Dr Holger Stappert
Partner
Dusseldorf

Gerd Stuhlmacher
Partner
Munich

Leif Dustin Schneider
Counsel
Ho Chi Minh City

Christoph Schnoor
Senior Associate
Hamburg

Jacqueline Dutz
Associate
Leipzig

David Steinschulte
Associate
Dusseldorf

Dr Johannes Teichmann
Partner
Frankfurt a.M.

Dr Frederic Tewes
Senior Associate
Dusseldorf

Volkan Top
Senior Associate
Hamburg

Jenny Tsynn
Senior Associate
Leipzig

Jade Timmermann
Legal Consultant
Leipzig

Marc Urlichs
Counsel
Dusseldorf

Dr Angelo Vallone
Partner
Dusseldorf

Dr Andreas Vath
Partner
Munich

David Wölting
Senior Associate
Dusseldorf

Leander Waack, LL.M.
Associate
Munich

Julia Walther
Associate
Leipzig

Quirin Wedel, LL.M. (London)
Associate
Hamburg

Simon Wickel
Associate
Dusseldorf

Prof. Christian Zanner
Partner
Berlin

Vanessa Zimmermann de Meireles, LL.M. (Geneva MIDS)
Associate
Hamburg

Credentials

E.ON – Post-Merger Integration of Innogy SE into the E.ON Group
Vertically integrated Gas Wholesale & Trading Company – Reorganisation and strategic re-positioning
Vattenfall – Investment arbitration proceedings against the Federal Republic of Germany in connection with the nuclear phase-out in Germany
Leading power generators – Advising on coal phase-out in Germany and the Netherlands
Statkraft - Representation before the Federal Administrative Court in connection with planning approval procedure for a 380 kV high-voltage line
Gas Wholesale Company - Connection of an LNG landing station to the gas pipeline network
IRI Investments – Participation in Veja Mate offshore wind farm
Eneco - Acquisition of LichtBlick SE
Avacon – Joint venture with Salzgitter and Linde in an innovation project for emission-free steel production from "green" hydrogen
TrailStone – Sale of the direct marketer e2m Energy2market to the French EDF Group
Avacon – Expansion of 110kV high-voltage grid, regional planning and planning approval procedure as well as demand planning process for the grid development plan for electricity
Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie – Decommissioning and dismantling of the research reactor Berlin II
Utilities of Cottbus, Halle (Saale), Schwerin – New build gas turbine and gas engine power plant projects
E.ON Energy Projects –Industrial power plant project for DSM Nutritional Products at the Grenzach-Wyhlen site
Tennet TSO – Litigation proceedings with regard to delayed connection of an offshore windfarm
E.ON/PreussenElektra – Representation in ICC arbitration proceedings against Belgian Electrabel for refund of nuclear fuel tax
E.ON – Representing in investment arbitration proceedings against Spain seeking damages for changes in promotion of renewable energy projects
MEAG Munich Ergo Asset Management – Participation in STEAG-Fernwärme
Financial investor – Indirect participation in the Nord Stream 2 project and the EUGAL pipeline
Open Grid Europe – Advising on the acquisition of TSO jordgas Transport from Statoil in joint venture with Gasunie