Safeguard Mechanism Bill passes Parliament setting stage for Safeguard Mechanism reforms

The Safeguard Mechanism (Crediting) Amendment Bill 2023 was passed by the Australian Parliament on 30 March 2023.  The Bill was primarily introduced to enable the crediting element of the reform, however the changes negotiated with the Australian Greens Party are not limited to crediting and will extend beyond amendments to the Bill itself. We explore key aspects … Read more

Podcast: Patents for the clean energy transition: the debate continues

In this podcast, Emma Iles and Rebekah Gay from our Melbourne and Sydney offices are joined by Andrew Wells from our London office to discuss the role of intellectual property rights in a rapid and fair renewable energy transition. Global players are competing to set increasingly ambitious net-zero emissions targets. Do patents help or hinder … Read more

Africa’s competitive edge as a clean hydrogen hub

The following article by Nina Bowyer, a partner based in our Paris office and the co-Head of the firm’s Africa Practice Group, and Barbara McNulty, an associate based in our London office, was first published by Africa Oil Week (AOW) ahead of AOW 2022, taking place in Cape Town in October 2022. Herbert Smith Freehills … Read more

UK REVIEW OF ELECTRICITY MARKET ARRANGEMENTS: STARTING GUN FIRED ON MULTI-YEAR REVOLUTIONARY REFORM?

On 18 July 2022 the Government released a consultation on options for all non-retail electricity markets in Great Britain: the wholesale market, balancing mechanism and ancillary services. Everything is on the table from the most radical to the incremental. Investors and market participants should pay attention. Days after the new Energy Security Bill was introduced … Read more

IP in the energy transition: An obstacle or a facilitator?

The Director of the US Patent and Trade Mark Office, Kathi Vidal, has described how important the US system of patent protection is to the development of a clean-energy future in an address to the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit (see the full address here). Read more

GENEX meet BESS Challenges and Opportunities

The PFI Global Energy Report 2022 includes a case study on GENEX’s recent financial close on their stand-alone 50MW/100MWh lithium-ion Bouldercombe Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). This article was written by members of Energy Sector team, partners Elizabeth Charlesworth, Peter Davis, and Kristen Percy, with solicitor Antonia Xu. To access the PFI Global Energy Report … Read more