The recent hiring of Valentina Eigner as partner has further strengthened the team's expertise in the energy sector. This strategic addition reinforces the Energy & Climate Change team's position as a trusted advisor for investments and project development across the entire energy sector, including start-ups, established market participants, public utilities, independent power producers and energy consumers, as well as innovative service providers.
In the context of the energy transition, growing investment activity and an increasingly complex regulatory environment, clients require integrated legal advice combining regulatory, project and transactional expertise. CMS is responding to this demand by continuing to expand its Vienna-based energy practice. By combining regulatory expertise, project-focused legal advice and transactional capabilities, CMS provides comprehensive support across the entire energy law spectrum, including the development, implementation and management of complex energy projects and cross-border transactions, as well as the structuring, financing and execution of innovative business models.
With Valentina Eigner, CMS has gained a recognised energy law expert who combines in-depth regulatory knowledge with interdisciplinary project and transactional experience. She has extensive experience in structuring and negotiating complex international energy trading agreements, including power purchase agreements (PPAs) and BESS Flexibility Purchase Agreements, as well as contractual structures for biogas and renewable hydrogen. Her arrival further strengthens the firm’s capabilities in emerging market segments and future-oriented energy business models, expanding its expertise in innovative contractual and commercial structures.
Another key member of the team is Georg Gutfleisch, who primarily focuses on corporate and M&A matters. He specialises in energy transactions and projects, as well as ESG-related mandates, across Austria and the CEE region. He specialises in structuring and implementing M&A transactions and joint venture projects in renewable energy generation, battery energy storage systems and energy infrastructure. He also regularly advises on EPC projects, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and decentralised energy-sharing concepts.
Thomas Hamerl is a leading expert at the intersection of energy law, infrastructure and public procurement law. He has extensive experience in complex projects involving renewable energy, grid connections and flexibility services, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) solutions, battery and gas storage, energy supply agreements, PPAs and tolling agreements, as well as installation and maintenance contracts. He also advises on data centres and telecommunications infrastructure.
The team is further supported by associates Alexandros Hantasch and Konstantin Kladivko, who are involved in transactional, project-related, regulatory and market-related matters.
This interdisciplinary setup enables CMS to provide clients with comprehensive support in navigating the opportunities and challenges arising from the energy transition. The team helps clients to successfully implement investments, projects and innovative business models in a rapidly evolving market.
From left to right: Thomas Hamerl, Valentina Eigner, Georg Gutfleisch
