Stefanie Atchinson
Legal DirectorStefanie Atchinson is a Legal Director in our Finance group advising on complex, large-scale renewable energy and infrastructure projects across the UK and more recently, in the Middle East and Africa (often on a P3 and project finance basis).
Stefanie has extensive experience representing project sponsors, contractors, lenders and governments with equal ease. She also advises on schemes at different stages in the procurement process from project development to the post completion and operational phases.
Stefanie regularly carries out extensive due diligence and risk analysis on projects for clients who seek out her expertise to help them structure contracts, strategise negotiations and give pragmatic, commercial advice on complex issues particular to this industry.
EXPERIENCE
Stefanie’s recent experience includes advising:
- a developer on a series of biochar and (biomass) power production projects to be implemented in Africa.*
- a special purpose acquisition company listed on the LSE in relation to its reverse takeover of an oversees hydrogen developer.*
- hedging banks in relation to a project sponsor’s USD630m investment in wind and solar assets in Brazil. *
- a U.K. based infrastructure fund on the acquisition and ongoing operation and maintenance of a water treatment facility in North Carolina.*
- a contractor on the construction and operation of various solar farm projects in the UK.*
- energy infrastructure funds and developer clients on the delivery and funding of various renewable energy facilities (including RDF-based waste to energy facilities, CHP and biomass installations).*
- a joint venture on the development, finance, and construction of a GBP250m waste tyre processing facility.*
- an infrastructure fund and its co-sponsors on the delivery and funding of a GBP50m large-scale energy battery storage project.*
- on a number of bids by sponsors for waste to energy PPP/PFI contracts (including to financial close).*
- infrastructure funds on various secondary market acquisitions in the transport, housing, student accommodation, street lighting, and education sectors across Europe and North America. *
- significant experience of working within the education sector throughout the UK and internationally (in particular, Qatar) for bidders from schools (including PFI Schools, Grouped Schools, BSF and Priority Schools) to student accommodation (including estate transfers, nominations agreements and some of the more novel structures such as the “income strip”). *
- sponsors and developers on a number of housing PPP/PFI regeneration schemes in the U.K. (including to Financial Close). *
- a high-net-worth client in connection with the structuring and development of a mixed-use real estate project in Qatar with an estimated value of USD550m. *
- an infrastructure fund and its partners on the delivery and funding of several primary health care centres in Ireland. *
- government agencies in the Middle East on the development and promotion of PPP, including the application of best practice, the establishment of PPP units, and the drafting of standard form documents.*
- various Sponsors and assets managers on: *
- ad hoc contractual queries, variations, performance issues, warning notices and payment disputes.
- resolution of disputes relating to construction defects, operational issues (service failures and unavailability), liability for deductions and termination. *
- handback on project expiry. *
- advising replacement contractors, project companies, and investor clients on issues of the day including post-Grenfell (in particular, fire safety and cladding) and the Carillion liquidation. *
- BPP Law School, Legal Practice Course, 2003
- BPP Law School, Graduate Diploma in Law, 2002
- University of Oxford, BA, Modern History, 2001
