
Renewable Energies

Safely shaping the
ecological future.
LEBUHN & PUCHTA advises businesses on legal issues in the field of renewable energy and with regard to offshore projects in cases involving marine casualties, other property and environmental damage or warranty issues.
In the offshore field, we have particular expertise of the legal issues arising in connection with the installation and operation (O&M) of wind turbine generators. Our work also extends to photovoltaic and onshore wind farms, biomass-energy and storage systems. Our firm has particular knowledge and experience of the planning and investment risks related to offshore facilities and with regard to issues of environmental and product liability.
We advise businesses on legal issues relating to shipbuilding and the construction of marine and offshore facilities, transformer substations and submarine cable-laying, or to mechanical engineering. This strong focus enables us to advise our clients throughout offshore or near-shore wind farm planning, construction and operation phases, including the controlling and handling of deficiencies in performance. For many years our clients have benefited in these areas from our extensive knowledge of the industry as well as from our specialist legal and technical knowledge.
Where maritime construction law disputes arise, for example involving physical defects, warranty issues, delay or impediments to delivery, we represent our clients before the ordinary courts of law and in both national and international arbitration proceedings. Our lawyers are frequently called upon to act in arbitration proceedings as arbitrators, adjudicators, or legal experts.
Our expertise also extends to the structuring of joint ventures and equity-funded investment vehicles.
- We have advised a client in the negotiation of a ship building contract for a prototype offshore wind turbine installation vessel designed to carry and install generators with a specific type of foundation. The design involved many novel technical solutions and the contract structure included complex ownership and security arrangements.
- We have advised a client in connection with its chartering in of a special purpose wind turbine installation vessel to complete the installation of an offshore wind farm. This involved considering the inter-relationship with the shipbuilding contract for the vessel, due to the fact that the vessel was to be delivered into the charter as a newbuilding, and also specific risks affecting the completion of the wind farm as a project.
- We have advised a client in relation to planning issues for the laying of submarine power cables in the German North Sea for offshore wind farms.
- We have advised a client in the negotiation, as part of a tender process, of charters for special vessels such as accommodation vessels used in the construction of off-shore windfarms.
- We have advised a client in connection with the securing of vessel capacity for a continuous environmental monitoring programme for a group of wind farms.
- We have acted for a solar panel manufacturer in defending high value warranty claims on account of allegedly defective solar panels and conducting recourse actions for the client against sub-contractors.
- We have advised and represented major manufacturers of wind turbines in connection with ill-founded warranty and damages claims by operating companies.
- We have advised and represented major suppliers to offshore construction projects regarding the installation of wind turbines and other types of offshore facilities.
LEBUHN & PUCHTA is a member of the wab - Wind Energy Agency Bremerhaven/Bremen e.V. as well as the Cluster Renewable Energies Hamburg.
Already in 2012 we were awarded the title “Renewable Energy Law Firm of the Year in Germany” by Corporate Intl.