The energy, power and utilities team from Burges Salmon has been shortlisted in the Energy and Infrastructure Team category at the Legal Week British Legal Awards 2016.
The firm’s energy team has received the shortlist for the work it has carried out advising M&S on community energy scheme M&S Energy Society.
M&S Energy Society, a joint collaboration between M&S and community energy organisation Energy4All, generates renewable electricity from solar panels installed on M&S stores across the UK. For this first fund raising round, the Society invited Members to invest between £100 and £100,000 to fund the installation of solar panels on nine M&S stores. M&S will buy all the energy generated to power its stores. The Society is targeting an annual return of five per cent each year for its Members with any surplus being applied to fund community based projects.
As well as providing an alternative investment opportunity for ethically conscious customers, each installation will result in a reduction of CO2 emissions released by the M&S stores. M&S already uses 100 per cent renewable electricity in its stores. This initiative will also help to fulfil M&S’s additional green energy commitment; to ensure that 50 per cent of the renewable electricity used in its UK and ROI building operations comes from small-scale renewable sources by 2020.
Led by energy sector partner Nick Churchward, the firm’s energy, corporate, construction and real estate teams acted for M&S on all aspects of the project.
Winners of The Legal Week British Legal Awards will be announced at an awards dinner at Finsbury Square on Thursday 24 November 2016.
For more information, please visit The British Legal Awards website.