“Kirsti Massie is extremely knowledgeable on the regulatory side of things”Legal 500 UK
Overview
Sponsors, developers, and government and financial institutions turn to Kirsti Massie to advise them on energy development and procurement projects. Having spent a number of years working (including inhouse) for large international energy companies, Kirsti’s knowledge base spans traditional thermal generation (including gas, coal and nuclear), renewable technologies (including wind, solar, biomass and geothermal), battery and storage technologies and increasingly energy transition and green hydrogen technologies.
Kirsti advises projects all around the world, including the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Her experience extends to fuel supply arrangements, power and other offtake arrangements, tolling agreements, energy and emissions trading, transmission and transportation capacity arrangements for electricity interconnectors and transborder gas pipelines and auction rules as well as other project development agreements. Kirsti also advises on energy regulatory issues including the EU Third Energy Package as well as UK energy regulation.
Areas of Focus
Spoken Languages
- English
- French
Experience
Advised:
- Cummins with respect to its bid for the supply of electrolysers to a green ammonia project to be developed in Oman.
- Cummins with respect to its bid for the supply of electrolysers to a green hydrogen project to be developed in Germany.
- P2X with respect to the development and operation of a renewable power to e-fuels plant to be developed and constructed in Portugal including advice with respect to project structuring issues, Portuguese energy regulatory matters and various commercial agreements.
- Sunfire GmbH in respect of its electrolyser framework supply arrangements for use in the power to e-fuels projects to be developed together with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.
- US methanol/ e petrol supplier with respect to the RTFO regulatory regime and accreditation requirements in the UK.
- Global auto company with respect to its global PPA strategy
- Major chinese battery and EV developer regulatory issues relevant to the expansion of its battery manufacturing business globally.
- Investec and the lender group in relation to a £192 million refinancing of the Saltend, Indian Queens and Deeside power plants, owned by Triton Power Limited. The Saltend power plant forms part of the Zero Carbon Humber industrial cluster, which aims to deliver low carbon hydrogen production facilities and CCUS, and the plant is intended to switch from natural gas to low carbon hydrogen. The Zero Carbon Humber consortium recently won £75 million to accelerate decarbonisation in the UK’s most carbon intensive industrial region through a grant from the UK government;
- Karadeniz in relation to the development and financing of a LNG – to – power project in South Africa, as part of the Emergency Power Procurement Program, including advising on the FSRU Charter, LNG Sale & Purchase Agreement, Terminal Use Agreement, Gas Supply Agreement, Power Purchase Agreement and Implementation Agreement;
- British Land in relation to the ownership, operation and maintenance and Bulk Heat Supply arrangements concerning a combined heat and power energy centre, forming part of a mixed commercial and residential use development in London;
- Green Network Energy Limited with respect to the revocation of its electricity supply licence, the “Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR)” process and advising Green Network UK plc in respect of the administration of Green Network Energy Limited’s electricity supply business, including advising on interactions and discussions with Ofgem, electricity trading and supply arrangements and ROCs and other renewable obligation arrangements;
- JERA with respect to its investment in a floating offshore wind development project in France, including advising on the joint venture and shareholder arrangements, constitutional documents and French foreign investment law issues and filing procedures;
- The government procuring authority in respect of the 1200 MW Hassyan clean coal power project in Dubai including drafting and negotiating the power purchase agreement, government support agreement and shared facilities arrangements together with the RfP and bid process documents*;
- The lenders in connection with the development and financing of a 630 MW coal fired power plant in South Africa*;
- The project company in connection with the proposed 1000 MW DC power interconnector between UK and France including advising on regulatory issues and capacity auction and sale issues*;
- The project company in connection with Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the €9bn Nord Stream gas pipeline project connecting the Russian and European gas grids*;
- The lenders on the proposed US $multi billion Nabucco pipeline which pipeline was to link Turkey and Austria via Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary*.
- The Government of Uzbekistan on the initial development of the ADB solar programme including advice with respect to expression of interest documentation, use of new PPP law and analysis of IFC scaling solar PPA.*
- The Saudi Power Procurement Company on the procurement of and project documentation for for the Sudair Solar PV IPP.*
Represented:
- The project company and sponsor in connection with development of a 2,640 MW coal-fired power generation plant and associated facilities in the Arab Republic of Egypt*;
- Investec and lender group in connection with the refinancing of a 1200MW CCGT in Saltend*;
- A large European energy company on (i) the acquisition and financing of the biomass conversion of the Lynemouth power plant; (ii) the £318 million acquisition of two CCGT power plants in the UK; and (iii) the acquisition of the 2GW Eggborough Power Station in the UK*;
- The lenders, including commercial banks and export credit agencies, in connection with the US$2.1 billion financing of the Riyadh PP11 greenfield, 1730 MW gas-fired power plant in Saudi Arabia*;
- The commercial lenders and export credit agencies in connection with the US$2.5 billion 1200MW gas fired power plant in Saudi Arabia*;
- The developer and borrower in respect of a wind farm to be developed in Finland*;
- The lenders in connection with two wind and two solar energy projects totalling 315 MW in South Africa as part of that country’s renewable power programme*;
- The lender of a £77 million financing facility to be used to acquire and further develop 60 MW of solar PV plants in the UK*;
- The sponsor group on the development and financing of a 50MW solar plant in Egypt*;
- A consortium of senior lenders in respect of the provision of €460 million in funding for the €655 million construction and operation of a 165 megawatt offshore wind farm located of the Belgian coast*;
- The lenders in connection with the €890 million financing of an offshore wind project in the North Sea*;
- The Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan on a number of renewable and power mandates*.
- Undertook a bankability review and commercial analysis of the power offtake and other project arrangements for an oil shale fired power plant located in Jordan, such review and analysis being undertaken for the benefit of the Jordanian National Electricity and Power Company (NEPCO).
- Acted for an infrastructure fund on its acquisition of one of the largest cogeneration power providers in France and which owned and operated 32 natural gas-fired generation facilities in France*.
*Experience gained prior to joining Mayer Brown
Perspectives
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October 102023
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September 012023
Events
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November 222022
News
Education
College of Law, Guildford, Law Society Finals
King's College London, Post Graduate Diploma in EU Competition Law
Pembroke College, University of Cambridge, BA
Admissions
- England and Wales
- Leading individual for Power – Legal 500 UK 2021-24
- Band 2 – Power Chambers UK and Chambers Global 2022 & 2023
- Notable Practitioner for Energy – IFLR 100
- Global Leader – Project Finance – Who’s Who Legal 2023
- Ranked in Transition Economist “Top 100 Women in the Energy Transition” (Technology and Innovation) for 2021