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James Snape

Partner
Head of Projects
Lawyer

Portrait of James Snape

James Snape

Partner
Head of Projects
Lawyer

Contact
CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP
Cannon Place
78 Cannon Street
London
EC4N 6AF
United Kingdom
Languages English

James is a partner in the Energy, Projects and Construction Group. He specialises in complex infrastructure and energy projects, public procurement, outsourcing, joint ventures and strategic partnerships..

He has worked on major infrastructure, energy and PPP projects for over 15 years in the UK, mainland Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia acting for sponsors, funders and public authority clients. He has advised on over 30 closed PPP/PFI Projects in sectors including transport, education, health, custodial, waste and renewable energy.

James and the team also provides specialist support on secondary market and M&A transactions in the infrastructure, energy and PPP sectors to our clients including leading infrastructure, pension and sovereign wealth funds.

He is recognised by clients and peers as one of the leading commercial lawyers in the waste and biomass sectors where he has advised clients on the construction, financing and operation of numerous waste to energy and biomass facilities in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Singapore, Malaysia, Jordan, the Caribbean and the UAE together with disputes related to the design and construction of these types of facility.

James Snape is "very sharp, very creative and has incredible technical knowledge," notes a source, who adds: "His input and impact was tremendous." He has a focus on waste and renewables PPP work. - Chambers and Partners.

"He is a heavyweight when it comes to dealing with local authorities on waste issues. He finds win-win solutions for the contractor and the local authority." Chambers & Partners

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"James has a good understanding of commercial priorities."

Chambers, 2023

"James has an in-depth knowledge of the subject. He is able to explain complex issues to a broad base of people."

Chambers 2018

"James has a good understanding of commercial priorities."

Chambers, 2023

"James has an in-depth knowledge of the subject. He is able to explain complex issues to a broad base of people."

Chambers 2018

Relevant experience

  • Babcock Wilcox Vølund – advising on a number of waste to energy and biomass projects in the UK, UAE and Caribbean including the design and construction of a proposed 320,000 tonne per annum waste to energy facility in Hertfordshire, UK.
  • Biffa Plc – advising Biffa on a number of waste to energy projects and bids for PPP contracts including the West Sussex MRMC Project to design, build and finance a new state of the art £150m waste treatment facility near Gatwick Airport. The Project included a hybrid funding structure with the procuring authority and Biffa providing finance to the Project SPV.
  • ISquared Capital – advice on due diligence in connection with the proposed acquisition of a major UK energy from waste business.
  • Greenland Group – advice to this leading Chinese developer in connection with a decentralised energy and district heating scheme at RAM Brewery, Wandsworth, London
  • The International Quarter – advising the developer (a JV between Lend Lease and London and Continental Railways) on the district heating scheme at the legacy Olympics site at Stratford, London.
  • Low Carbon – advising on a proposed pathfinder decentralised energy and district heating project in the UK.
  • Agrivert Group – advising this leading developer and operator of Anaerobic Digestion Facilities in the UK on a number of projects in England and Wales.
  • Stellar Energy Limited – advising in relation to the proposed development of an Advanced Thermal Treatment Plant to treat waste on the island of New Providence, Bahamas.
  • The Government of Malaysia – advice in relation to the procurement of a waste to energy plant in Kuala Lumpur.
  • Skanska ID and FCC Consortium on the £2bn North London Waste Services PPP Project, a complex PPP Procurement including the operation and maintenance of existing facilities whilst new facilities were constructed on the adjacent site.
  • Viridor on the Peterborough Waste PPP Project The project included the design, construction and operation of a new energy from waste facility in Peterborough to supply electricity to over 5,000 homes.
  • Cory Environmental and Wheelabrator Consortium on the successful consortium on the £500m Norfolk Waste PFI Contract. The project involved the design, construction, financing and operation of a new 30M/W energy from waste facility at Kings Lyn in Norfolk. The project included a highly innovative funding structure featuring senior and mezzanine debt.
  • Essex County Council in relation to the Essex Partnership Waste PFI Contract which reached financial close in 2012 and is supported by over £100m in PFI credits. The procurement was won by a consortium of Balfour Beatty Investments and Urbaser S.A. with senior debt of circa £150m provided by Bayern LB and SMBC.
  • John Laing Investments and Shanks Waste Management Limited on its bids for a number of waste PPP Procurements including Glasgow Waste PFI Project.
  • Amey and Cespa S.A. on its bids for various Waste PFI Projects including Cheshire.
  • Skanska ID and Aecom on its bids for various Waste PFI Projects including North Yorkshire.
  • Wheelabrator Inc. and Shanks Waste Management Limited on its bid for various Waste PFI Projects including the Arc21 Project in Northern Ireland.
  • Laing O'Rourke – advising in connection with a strategic review of its PFI and PPP Portfolio.
  • Infrared Capital Partners – advising in relation to variations and extensions to Barnet Hospital PFI.
  • JLIF – advice in relation to due diligence on a number of operating PFI and PPP Portfolios.
  • A major Dutch Pension Fund – advice in relation to a proposed acquisition of operating infrastructure and PPP assets in the UK, Spain and Italy.
  • Lend Lease on its involvement in the Calderdale, Manchester and Worcester Hospital PFI Projects.
  • Serco Plc – advising Serco on a series of outsourcing contracts for back office services including a pathfinder outsourcing and strategic joint venture with Peterborough City Council.
  • VFS – advising this Indian based company on successfully winning a series of contracts with UK Visas for the outsourced processing and management of visa services across the world for the UK Government.
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Memberships & Roles

  • Member, The Chartered Institute of Wastes Management
  • Member, The Law Society of England and Wales
  • Registered Foreign Lawyer, Singapore
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Publications

  • Editor of the Sweet and Maxwell PFI Looseleaf
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Education

  • 1998 – LPC, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth
  • 1997 – Law LLB (Hons), DeMontfort University, Leicester
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Expertise

Feed

19/08/2022
Turn­ing the ther­mo­stat: UK moves to reg­u­late heat 
The En­ergy Bill (the “Bill”), which was in­tro­duced to Par­lia­ment on 6 Ju­ly 2022 takes aim at provid­ing a reg­u­lat­ory frame­work to sup­port the Gov­ern­ment’s com­mit­ment to fully de­car­bon­ise heat­ing...
Law-Now Energy & Climate Change
30/03/2022
Con­sulta­tion opens on de­vel­op­ing the UK Emis­sions Trad­ing Scheme
On 25 March 2022, the UK, Welsh, and Scot­tish Gov­ern­ments and the De­part­ment of Ag­ri­cul­ture, En­vir­on­ment and Rur­al Af­fairs in North­ern Ire­land (the “Au­thor­ity”) launched a joint con­sulta­tion (the...
Law-Now Energy & Climate Change
19/08/2020
Do En­ergy from Waste plants fall with­in the Con­struc­tion Act?
A re­cent TCC de­cision has con­sidered wheth­er En­ergy from Waste plants fall with­in the power gen­er­a­tion ex­emp­tion in sec­tion 105 of the Hous­ing Grants, Con­struc­tion and Re­gen­er­a­tion Act 1998 (the “Con­struc­tion...
Law-Now Energy & Climate Change
30/11/2018
When are de­vel­op­ment agree­ments covered by the pro­cure­ment rules?
The Court of Ap­peal re­cently is­sued its judg­ment in Faraday De­vel­op­ment Ltd v West Berkshire Coun­cil, mak­ing the first De­clar­a­tion of In­ef­fect­ive­ness in an Eng­lish pub­lic pro­cure­ment case. The judg­ment...
Law-Now Infrastructure & Projects
18/07/2018
Re­new­able Trans­port Fuel Ob­lig­a­tions
On 15 April 2018, the Re­new­able Trans­port Fuels and Green­house Emis­sions Reg­u­la­tions 2018 (the “Reg­u­la­tions”) came in­to force, amend­ing the Re­new­able Trans­port Fuel Ob­lig­a­tions Or­der 2007 (the “RTFO”)...
Law-Now Energy & Climate Change
05/01/2016
In­fra­struc­ture in­dex: bridging the gap
This art­icle was pro­duced by Nabarro LLP, which joined CMS on 1 May 2017.Cre­at­ing an at­tract­ive en­vir­on­ment for in­vest­ment is nev­er easy. It of­ten seems there is a pleth­ora of op­por­tun­it­ies, but very...
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