Alex is the Head of Sustainability and ESG and a member of the Arthur Cox Sustainable Business Committee, with particular responsibility for the firm’s Pro Bono practice.

Alex has a broad based infrastructure and utilities practice, with particular expertise in renewables, energy and natural resources law. Alex has almost twenty five years energy regulatory, transactional and major projects experience in Ireland and Australia and has been centrally involved in the liberalisation of the energy markets in both jurisdictions. He has extensive experience acting for government, regulators, financiers, market participants and customers, both on the island of Ireland and internationally, and combines broad industry expertise with a strong background in energy regulation and reform. He leads our cross-departmental ESG Group, which assists clients with the identification and integration of ESG priorities at all levels of their business.

Relevant Experience

• Renewable Power: Advised sponsors and lenders on over 1GW of installed renewable power projects on the island of Ireland, including the €500 million Dublin Waste to Energy PPP; over 900MW of onshore wind projects, multiple CHP projects and advising the State in relation to the consenting of all offshore wind projects in Ireland
• Conventional Power: Advised the sponsors on almost all large IPPs in Ireland including the 343MW CCGT Huntstown Phase I Power Project (first IPP in Ireland); the 401.5MW CCGT Huntstown Phase II Power Project; the 445MW CCGT Whitegate Power Project; and the 431MW CCGT Great Island Power Project
• Interconnectors: Advised Mutual Energy on the operation and funding of the 500MW HVDC Moyle Interconnector; and EirGrid on the €150 million Phase 1 and €600 million Phase 2 funding of the 500MW HVDC East West Interconnector
• Upstream Gas: Advised the State in connection with the consenting and regulation of upstream petroleum including all offshore consents for the Corrib Gas Field and the CRU on development and implementation of the Petroleum Safety Framework
• Downstream Gas: Advised on the Islandmagee Gas Storage Project; the Scotland to Northern Ireland Gas Pipeline; and the CRU in relation to downstream gas regulation including defence of landmark judicial review proceedings in relation to gas tariffing arrangements, establishment of an all-island system operator; implementation of Entry/Exit; development of the Unified Code of Operations and licensing of gas storage
• Regulation: Advised government, regulators and market participants in relation to the implementation of I-SEM (Ireland and NI), the Common Arrangements for Gas (Ireland and NI); the Single Electricity Market (Ireland and NI); MAE (Ireland); BETTA (GB); the National Electricity Market (Australia); Gas Entry/Exit (Ireland); NTS Exit Reforms (GB); and Gas Retail Market Implementation (Australia)
• Mergers & Acquisitions: Advised on more than €4 billion in energy sector M&A, including Arcapita in respect of its disposal of Viridian Group to I-Squared Capital, Gas Natural Fenosa on its acquisition of Vayu and Centrica in respect of its acquisition of Bord Gais Energy
• Project Finance: Advised borrowers and lenders on more than €4 billion of energy sector project financing, including the Dublin Waste to Energy PPP Project, the 500MW HVDC East West Interconnector, the 343MW Huntstown Phase I CCGT, the Seven Heads Gas Field and a number of Ireland’s largest windfarms including the 95MW Meedandreen Extension and 89MW Oweninny Phase one.