ESG / Waste, Environment and the Circular Economy
Our specialist Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) and Planning Group has extensive experience in advising international and domestic public and private clients. We provide solutions based on our expertise in sectors such as energy, construction, manufacturing, chemical, pharmaceuticals, technology, oil and gas, waste, food and drink, health, medical devices, transport and water.
We understand the concerns that arise when operating in those sectors, and our team has local industry knowledge. We work with your technical and financial advisors to give clients options that reflect commercial realities. We will be part of your team with your other advisors to guide you through the environmental, planning, licensing and regulatory requirements to navigate a project safely from concept to operation, completion, and remediation if required. We advise extensively on strategic infrastructure planning in Ireland and we represent developers in achieving permission and in defending High Court challenges to permission.
Our lawyers are experts in negotiating with health, safety and environmental regulators such as the EPA, HSA, local authorities and Government Departments regarding licensing, compliance investigations and financial provision. We frequently advise on litigation involving regulatory prosecutions and on potential corporate and individual liability for health and safety offences.
We lead the environmental, planning and safety due diligence of asset and share purchases. The team is highly skilled in negotiating and drafting relevant provisions in transactional and financing documents including related warranties and indemnities. The team has almost 20 years’ experience in advising on the permitting of large wind farms in Ireland.
Experience
A selection of our more recent ESG related experience is set out below:
- Representing clients in planning and other permitting applications, including regarding onshore and offshore renewable assets such as wind farms with battery storage and solar parks, and in related planning appeals and oral hearings.
- Advising on judicial review and other planning litigation such as planning injunctions.
- Advising European Recycling Platform on all aspects of business, including the WEEE Directive.
- Advising on environmental risk assessment.
- Advising on environmental, health and safety auditing and compliance.
- Advising on contaminated land.
- Advising on M&A transactions: environmental and planning due diligence, environmental warranties and indemnities.
- Advising on applications for and transfers of environmental permits and licences; drafting related financial guarantees and bonds.
- Defending environmental and planning prosecutions.
- Advising on habitats, nature conservation and biodiversity.
- Advising on Seveso (COMAH) regulations.
- Advising on legal aspects of the proposed decommissioning plan for an offshore energy asset, including legal ‘stress-testing’ of Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment.
- Advising a client on its waste-to-energy facility in County Meath and on a proposed 240,000 tonne pa facility.
- Advising a client on the jurisdiction of the Irish courts on damage occurring within Ireland’s territorial seas, Exclusive Economic Zone, and on ‘offshore installations’.
- Advising waste and recycling companies on their commercial contracts and their standard terms and conditions.
- Advised a client on the disposal of part of its waste business in Dublin.