Renewable energy is the fastest growing power source as interest and investment in renewable energy projects involving hydro, solar, wind and biomass continue to rise across Canada and internationally. As the industry evolves, so do the legal and regulatory requirements associated with the development and financing of renewable energy projects. Osler’s Renewable Energy team has the experience and expertise to help clients successfully navigate the complexities of this shifting landscape.
Osler’s Renewable Energy team, a core component of our widely recognized and highly respected Energy Group, advises on all aspects of developing, financing, operating and transacting for renewable energy projects across Canada and internationally. We act for various levels of government, developers, contractors, generators, transmission and distribution companies, municipal and provincial electric utilities, lenders and underwriters, public and private investors (including pension funds and private equity funds), and energy marketing and trading companies.
Clients choose Osler for our ability to provide end-to-end coverage on the legal issues facing their hydro, wind, solar and biomass renewable energy projects including:
- Power purchase and other renewable energy project agreements
- Corporate structuring, tax planning and optimization
- Equity and debt financing
- Project non-recourse financing
- Regulatory compliance
- EPC and balance of plant agreements
- Environmental attributes
- Emissions reduction purchase agreements
- Renewable energy credit purchase agreements
- Transmission, regulatory compliance and commercial aspects
- Renewable energy credit purchase agreements
- Aboriginal rights, consultation and commercial arrangements
- M&A and joint venture agreements
- Dispute resolution and litigation
Osler is the only law firm to have acted for the Ontario Power Authority (which merged with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) in 2015) on Ontario’s Feed-In Tariff Program documents at the inception of the program. This work, together with Osler’s experience as procurement counsel on other key developments in the electricity space, is an advantage to our clients. We offer unparalleled institutional insight into Ontario’s forms of power purchase agreements and other procurement contracts for electricity resources, the manner in which they are administered by the IESO, as well as the complex policy dynamics among the various government agencies and other stakeholders involved in these projects.
Our extensive solar energy experience includes acting on various high-profile projects. We assisted innogy SE, an energy company based in Germany, with the development and construction of two landmark solar projects in Alberta with a total capacity of 57 MWp through innogy’s EPC company and direct subsidiary BELECTRIC. These projects, The Hull (30 MWp) and Vauxhall (27 MWp), were jointly developed by BELECTRIC and Solar Krafte for the past two years. The planned investment for these milestone projects will be in the “mid double-digit million euro range,” which would put this investment in the range of C$60-90 million.
Our work puts us at the leading edge of the market, allowing us to help our clients navigate the complexities of today’s renewable energy industry and economic environment domestically and in foreign jurisdictions. We regularly speak, write and provide commentary on renewable energy issues and we are active members of the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) and the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA).