International law firm Osborne Clarke has advised Ameresco Ltd ("Ameresco") on its partnership with Bristol City Council for the Bristol City Leap project ("City Leap").

The Osborne Clarke team advising on this deal was led by Simon Hancock (Projects, Partner) and Keir Pimblett (Projects, Associate Director), with support from David Smith (Projects, Senior Associate) and Anisah Ahmed (Projects, Trainee). Matthew Lewis (Corporate, Partner and UK Head of Energy and Utilities) led on the corporate documents and partnership set-up, with support from James Archer (Corporate, Associate Director) and Abigail Pinkerton (Corporate, Trainee).

Employment advice was provided by Paul Killen (Partner), Nick Haywood (Associate Director) and Emily Shields (Paralegal), pensions advice was provided by Brent Wright (Partner), IP and data protection advice was provided by Marie-Claire Day (Commercial, Senior Associate), banking advice by Caroline Saul and Jakub Kubicki (Projects, Partners), and subsidy control advice by Marc Shrimpling (Competition, Partner).

Ameresco is a leading renewables and energy efficiency company offering energy solutions for public and private organizations. Leveraging budget neutral solutions, Ameresco eliminates the financial barriers that traditionally hamper energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

City Leap is designed to operate over a 20 year period and will span the 34 ward areas that make up the City of Bristol. Ameresco and Bristol City Council have formed City Leap Energy Partnerships Limited, a unique public private partnership to develop opportunities for low carbon infrastructure in Bristol. Ameresco, in collaboration with Vattenfall Heat UK in relation to the heat network, will provide services to support the partnership entity and provide energy efficiency upgrades, wind and solar services, project financing, long-term operations and maintenance and more.

Services will address all sectors of the built environment, enabling Bristol to experience lower energy costs, cleaner air, improved energy infrastructure and a boost to the local economy through the city-wide decarbonization effort.

Targeting net zero goals through energy and infrastructure investment opportunities, the project is designed to attract approximately £1 billion of inward investment to Bristol.

This deal further showcases Osborne Clarke's established and well-respected position as one of the leading law firms advising on renewable energy projects and transactions. Climate change represents a significant challenge to our planet and to businesses trying to achieve their net zero targets, and decarbonisation is crucial to addressing this challenge.

Osborne Clarke is supporting its clients on projects to procure, fund and develop the sustainable infrastructure, buildings and land use of the future. The team’s experience and understanding of the energy sector means they are well placed to advise on clients' decarbonisation journeys.

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