People: Michelle Thomas

Michelle Thomas

Partner

E-mail michellethomas@eversheds.com
Tel 0845 498 7553
International +44 29 2047 7553

Practice areas

• Corporate
• Energy

Practice notes

Michelle Thomas is a partner in our Core Corporate Group.  She also heads the Clean Energy and Sustainability Group and advises with the team across all clean energy and sustainability projects.  Michelle is also qualified in New York.

Her recent renewable energy experience includes advising developers and debt and equity funders across all technologies including on shore and off shore wind, biomass, biofuels, geothermal, solar, hydro, tidal and wave.  Clients include RWE Npower, Centrica, Statkraft, RES, Novera, ECO2, Good Energies, Investec, Barclays Capital and Regen.

Michelle has advised on some of the market's largest renewable energy transactions such as Statkraft's investment in the £1.5 billion Sherringham Shoal project and bids for the London Array offshore wind farm (with a development value of £1bn+), Thanet offshore wind farm.  Michelle has also advised on numerous onshore wind farm deals including bidding for an investment in the 200MW onshore Griffin wind farm, the sale of Savills' interests in a 1000MW+ wind portfolio to Koop Energie, the sale of the 16MW Tullo wind farm project from West Coast Energy to Eneco Wind UK and the acquisition by Statkraft of  Catamount Energy SC3's shareholding in Catamount Cymru Cyf.  In addition, Michelle has also advised on equity investments for PurePower and Regen in relation to their equity fund raising for biomass projects.

Michelle is currently advising a number of bidders on the Round 3 offshore wind programme, including the Forewinds Consortium (RWE, SSE, Statkraft and Statoil Hydro) and the WPD/Clipper Consortium.
 
Michelle is also involved in advising on clean energy projects in the emerging markets including China, India, the Philippines, Thailand and Africa.
 
Michelle advises numerous clients in the sector on competitive and non competitive acquisitions and disposals such as the sale of CLPE Holdings (£120m) to Macquarie, EPR (£200m) to Macquarie, SRG and Scottish Biofuels' renewable energy portfolio to Infinis.
 
She writes regularly on the opportunities and challenges facing the sector and is a regular speaker at conferences including REFF India, REFF China, BGCC Biomass conference, IMECHE Renewables Conference, REA biomass conference and Financing Carbon (London).

The team also advises clients in the food and retail sector, local authorities, the transport sector, real estate developers and clients in the education and healthcare sectors on sustainability issues more widely.
 
Michelle is on the Panel of CBI Climate Change and is a member of the Consultation Board of PLC Environment.

She is rated by as one of the leading lawyers in the renewable energy sector in Chambers 2008 as "rounding out the renewable energy practice with her finance and transaction skills" and is "held out by commentators as a market leader".