Centre for Commercial Law Studies
Energy and Natural Resources Law Institute Newsletter Winter 2017 - Issue 3 ENRLI Director’s Introduction
Publications and Research
As we approach the end of the first semester for the 2017/18 student intake, we are faced with many uncertainties in the UK and in the sector. We have reflected the mounting interest in the impact of Brexit both here in the UK and in the rest of the EU, with two Forum events. The first was for our aspiring sector lawyers under the appellation “New Voices” and the second was a “full” Forum event in September, which was expertly chaired by Sir Oliver Letwin. For more detail see below.
Research at the ENRLI continues to develop. Our PhD programme expanded in 2017 with four full-time PhD students covering a range of international energy law issues. Several of these students will have research published in 2018. A notable departure was Lauren Downes, our research associate, who moved to the Cloud Legal Project team at CCLS to research legal and regulatory issues of cloud technology in the energy industry, such as blockchain.
The last six months has also seen further external support extended to the Institute through new members and donations. We remain very grateful for all the support offered to us which takes many forms, including teaching, mentoring and internships: it has an enduring impact. May I take this opportunity to wish all our students, alumni, members, supporters and staff, seasons greetings.
Lauren with Professor Raphael Heffron completed the EU Horizon 2020 project with 5 other partners from the EU in 2017. An exciting development was that it formed the basis of a Project of Common Interest which was subsequently listed for further funding by the European Commission in late 2017. Raphael has published on energy justice, nuclear energy law, the just transition, energy investment clauses and mining law. He is also currently Guest Editor for an interdisciplinary energy journal special edition Applied Energy on energy justice and lead Guest Editor for a special issue for the Journal of World Energy Law and Business on legal issues for decommissioning in the energy sector. Norah Gallagher’s chapter on the ‘Energy Charter Treaty Renewable Energy Disputes’ has gone to print in International Arbitration in the Energy Sector (OUP, 2018) edited by Maxi Scherer. Norah is working on updating the ECT Chapter in World Arbitration Report (Juris) and the student Handbook (Thomson Reuters) for 2018.
Our Members: 20 Essex Street Chambers Ashurst Clifford Chance Covington & Burling Dentons DLA Piper ExxonMobil Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer FTI Consulting Herbert Smith Freehills Norton Rose Fulbright Shell
www.ccls.qmul.ac.uk/energy