Partner, Solicitorsjournal

DLA Piper success

3 Oct 2024Announcements

DLA Piper advises Rubicon on financing for Anaerobic Digestion Plant

DLA Piper Advises Rubicon on Financing for Anaerobic Digestion Plant

DLA Piper has successfully advised Rubicon Capital Management on the establishment and structuring of an Irish funding vehicle to facilitate capital deployment from its newly launched Infrastructure and Energy Transition Debt Fund. This funding will support the construction and ongoing management of an anaerobic digestion plant in Wales, sponsored by abrdn Global Sustainable Infrastructure Partners and The Circular Economy Developments Ltd (TCED).

Strategic Investment

This project marks the maiden transaction for Rubicon’s Infrastructure and Energy Transition Debt Fund, highlighting its commitment to investing in assets that generate long-term secured revenue streams while contributing to environmental goals. Specifically, the anaerobic digestion plant will divert food waste from land spreading, aligning with sustainability objectives.

DLA Piper's Role

The transaction was led by DLA Piper’s Finance practice, with partner Charlotte Lewis-Williams and legal director Stefanie Atchinson at the forefront. They were supported by a comprehensive cross-border and cross-discipline team that included partners Conor Houlihan, Iain Elder, Michael Graham, and Maura Dineen, along with legal directors Jennifer Jin and Dubravka Grujic. Additional team members included senior associates Tom Metcalfe, Sophie Linnell, and Oisin Mulvihill, as well as associates Mmanake Msiza, Tasha Chia, and Maximilian Mitscherlich, with Kieran Teo serving as trainee solicitor.

Comments from Leadership

Charlotte Lewis-Williams remarked, “Rubicon's newly sponsored fund offers flexible, innovative debt solutions with a strong focus on sustainability. DLA Piper is uniquely positioned to assist with this strategy, and we look forward to partnering with Rubicon on further tailor-made deals across the core, core+, renewables, sustainability, infrastructure, and energy transition sectors.”

Jesus Gonzalez Torrijos, CEO of Rubicon Capital Management, added, “We are excited to partner with abrdn for the first transaction of our Infrastructure and Energy Transition Debt Fund. This project allowed us to provide a tailor-made solution while meeting a challenging timeline.”

abrdn’s Role

abrdn, a global investment company with over £500 billion in client assets under management, plays a crucial role in this initiative. The funding is sourced from its aGSIP IV – abrdn Concession Infrastructure’s fourteenth infrastructure fund and its fourth global infrastructure fund series. With over 20 years of experience, abrdn’s Concession Infrastructure team manages a diverse portfolio of infrastructure assets across Europe, the Americas, and Australia.

Impact of the Project

The Deeside anaerobic digestion facility represents a significant milestone for TCED. The company aims to decarbonize high-energy users by developing a network of carbon-negative renewable energy plants. By converting food waste into renewable energy and green fertilizer, this facility will be instrumental in reducing emissions and advancing the UK’s transition to a circular economy.

This project not only reinforces the commitment of Rubicon and its partners to sustainable investment practices but also highlights the role of innovative financing solutions in fostering environmentally beneficial infrastructure development.

Legal News desk contact: editorial@solicitorsjournal.com

Latest Articles

Government scraps audit reform

What the collapse of the Audit Reform Bill means for regulation, accountability and legal practice

Sewage pollution litigation after Manchester Ship Canal

How the Supreme Court’s ruling is reshaping nuisance claims, protest litigation and regulatory limits across England and Wales

FCA non-financial misconduct rules clarified

The FCA’s final guidance on non-financial misconduct offers clarification, but leaves firms grappling with judgement-heavy implementation

Judiciary launches new diversity strategy initiative

The judiciary's new strategy aims to enhance diversity in the UK judicial system over five years

Personal injury claims numbers plummet dramatically

The number of personal injury claims in the UK has hit unprecedented lows, especially motor injury claims

Government urged to review legal costs

A senior costs lawyer has called for an independent review of fixed costs in the legal industry, highlighting the detrimental impact on firms and access to justice.

Building Safety Act litigation redefines investor risk

Recent case law shows how courts and tribunals are extending Building Safety Act liabilities beyond what investors originally anticipated

US musicians lose challenge over UK performers' rights restrictions

High Court rules treaty obligations non-justiciable in domestic law without parliamentary incorporation.

Actinon PTE Limited v Char Biocarbon Inc: Affirmation and contractual obligations

Commercial dispute highlights principles of waiver by election and contract interpretation

Matthew Haydon v R: Court of Appeal clarifies "likely" in explosive substances offences

Court confirms "likely" means "could well happen" rather than "more probable than not"

Cloisters Business Centre v Anvari: mixed-use premises and service charge protection

Court confirms tenants of mixed-use properties qualify for statutory service charge controls.

NHS commissioning activities fall outside TUPE protection, Court of Appeal rules

Employment law case clarifies when healthcare reorganisations trigger transfer protections for staff.

BTR Core Fund v HMRC: Upper Tribunal clarifies overpayment relief exclusions

Stamp duty land tax overpayment relief and the meaning of "mistake in a claim"

Court of Appeal rules criminal earnings count as income for ESA purposes

Criminal activity constitutes work and generates income for benefits assessment purposes.

Alpha Anne v Great Ormond Street Hospital: Indirect discrimination and TUPE transfers

Post-transfer pay disparity constitutes unlawful indirect race discrimination despite TUPE complications.

SJ Interview: Joelle Grogan

Dr Joelle Grogan is a legal scholar specialising in the rule of law in times of crisis. She presents The Law Show on BBC Radio 4, and is Co-Academic Director of the Rule of Law Clinic at the CEU Democracy Institute (Budapest), and a Senior Research Fellow at the UCD Sutherland School of Law. Her work focuses on constitutional accountability, emergency powers, and legal misinformation. In this interview, she examines the pressures facing the rule of law in the UK, from executive power and court delays to media narratives, emergencies, and the impact of AI on legal practice.

AI in Law: responsibility never delegated

As AI becomes routine in legal practice, regulators and courts insist accountability stays firmly with the human professional