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published JANUARY 11, 2010

SJ Berwin senior associate appointed as OFT Director of Mergers

International legal practice Norton Rose LLP has advised The Crown Estate on the ground breaking Round 3 offshore wind farm development in UK waters. This landmark project is anticipated to deliver 25,000MW of power in 9 Zones developed in parallel around the UK by 2020 with a total investment estimated to be approaching £100bn. Norton Rose has advised The Crown Estate since the inception of the concept in March 2008. The 9 Zones were put out to competitive tender in Summer 2008 and attracted a large volume of responses from across the globe. Following the analysis of the bid submissions and the resulting negotiations with the preferred bidders a commercial agreement was reached between The Crown Estate and a selected developer of each of the nine Zones. The dedicated Norton Rose team was jointly led by London energy partners Nicholas Pincott and John Wood and real estate partner Raj Mangat, with specialist support from Partners and Associates in a wide range of disciplines including construction and development, financing and security, planning and environmental, competition and procurement, dispute resolution, regulatory, insurance, tax and intellectual property. Following the close of the commercial agreements John Wood commented on the importance of the project for the UK energy industry: "We are very proud to have been at the centre of this ground-breaking transaction, which is unique in the world and puts the UK at the very forefront of offshore renewable energy. The level of investment will be immense and will transform wind energy from its current, relatively modest position, into being a major part of the UK's energy mix. For example the total generation capacity of Round 3 projects will be equivalent to 21 Sizewell B nuclear power stations." Nicholas Pincott spoke about the impact that this ground breaking deal is likely to have on the renewables market going forward: “In addition to making the UK the leader in offshore wind generation, it is anticipated that Round 3 will act as a massive stimulus to all elements of the supply chain for offshore wind farms. This will include not only wind turbines, but also foundations and steel work, cabling and installation vessels. It will tap into the UK's expertise in offshore installation, meaning new investment and jobs across these sectors.” The formal announcement was made by the Prime Minister and The Crown Estate.