Hydrogen seems to become the new trend in sustainable energy production and there is an effervescence of clean hydrogen production projects across the world. Thus, it is estimated that clean hydrogen could meet 24% of energy world demand by 2050 and there are 750 hydrogen projects in the pipeline of the European Green Hydrogen Alliance. With the European Green Deal aim of climate-neutrality by 2050, decarbonizing the energy sector, which accounts for 75% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, is an essential step, hydrogen being regarded as a key component to deliver decarbonized energy.

January is always a good time to look back, take stock, and make plans. And 2021, while a complicated year, was in no way uneventful. Across CEE, we’ve had lawyers and law firms variously reporting on – besides the obvious pandemic-related restrictions and increased work flexibility – a record year for M&A transactions, growing green energy, effervescent capital markets, a surprisingly solid real estate sector, ascendant ESG practices, a renewed focus on infrastructure, and TMT going from strength to strength.

On 15 February 2022, a long-awaited draft law No. 5436-d “On the Amendment of Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding the Development of Energy Storage Facilities” (“Draft Law“) was adopted in its entirety by the Ukrainian Parliament at its second reading. The Draft Law develops the legal framework for the deployment of energy storage facilities (“ESF“), which has been very limited until now, and introduces relevant concepts and requirements into the laws of Ukraine “On the Electricity Market” and “On the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission” aligned with the EU electricity acquis.

Karol Brzoskowski was appointed Partner, while Paulina Kimla-Kaczorowska, Barbara Pancer, Kamil Majewski, and Rafal Siwek have been promoted to Local Partners with Greenberg Traurig's Warsaw office, as of January 1, 2022.

Significant changes to the legal framework governing the electricity sector were enacted at the end of 2021 under Government Emergency Ordinance no. 143/2021 (Ordinance 143) and ANRE Order no. 137/2021 (Order 137). Among these changes, two categories are of outmost importance for producers, as detailed below.

Former Senior Associate at Kinstellar moves to Mol Group as Head of Mergers and Acquisitions Legal.