Partner

Philip Duffield

Languages

English

Social media

Philip Duffield is a partner in our Energy & Infrastructure team, based in London. He has been a partner since 2013 and specialises in advising developers, investors and lenders on the construction, operation, commercial and financing aspects of projects in the UK and worldwide.

Philip’s practice covers a wide range of sectors but primarily focuses on clean and flexible energy. CMS is recognised as a market leader in both the Energy and Infrastructure & Project Finance sectors in the UK, and is top ranked in Legal 500 in both practice areas. He advises on both new (primary) projects and also the acquisition and disposal or projects in the secondary market.

Many of the transactions on which Philip has advised have been based on a PPP model and/or have successfully secured project-finance debt. He has extensive knowledge of what is needed to make projects bankable, both in terms of government-backed projects and also purely commercial projects. He regularly advises on projects that are innovatively structured or financed or which involve emerging technologies. His clients include public sector entities, commercial developers, energy and utility companies, infra funds, pension funds and banks.

Awards & Recognitions

01 –

Quote

"Philip Duffield has proved outstanding support, expertise and experience on infrastructure projects. Expertise and experience is backed up by terrific hard work and team work and is fantastic to work with."

Chambers, 2026

Relevant experience

Battery energy storage: A wide range of clients on procurement and construction of over 6GW of battery energy storage projects in the UK, including Amp Energy, Cubico, DIF, Eku, Equinor, Field, Harmony, InterGen, Masdar Arlington, Sembcorp, SSE, Statera, Temporis, West Burton Energy and Zenobe.
Hydropower: SSE and Statera on the development of new pumped hydropower schemes in the UK, totalling over 2GW of new generation and storage capacity, and First Hydro on the existing hydro plants at Dinorwig and Ffestiniog.
Offshore Wind: On innovative floating offshore wind projects, including the UK’s largest operational floating project (Kincardine) and Offshore Wind Ltd on the development of the 100MW White Cross floating project (and the 480MW Morecambe fixed bottom project); clients including bp, SSE, EDF and EDP Renováveis on various construction and operational contracts for other fixed bottom offshore wind projects (including for projects in Germany and the Greater Gabbard, Galloper and Moray Firth projects in the UK); National Grid, John Laing, Dalmore and DIF on their bids for numerous OFTO (offshore transmission owner) projects.
Onshore Wind: various clients including Rezolv, GIG (and their lenders), Aviva Investors, ScottishPower Renewables, EDF Energy Renewables and Octopus on the development, acquisition and project-financing of various onshore wind projects in jurisdictions including the UK, Scandinavia and Romania.
Solar: a number of clients and their lenders (including re:cap, Cero, Cell Energy, British Solar Renewables, BBIP, Nord/LB, and Low Carbon), on the development, acquisition and project-financing of portfolios of solar PV parks in the UK, including on construction, O&M, power purchase and grid connection arrangements. A number of recent projects have been co-located with batteries.
Biomass and Energy-from-Waste: Equitix, Aviva Investors and R&P Clean Power as developers and owners of several new biomass and energy-from-waste plants in the UK.
Other Energy: National Grid and ScottishPower on construction contracts for Eastern Green Link 1, a £2.5bn HVDC link between Scotland and England, as well as ongoing advice on further UK HVDC projects; Statera on a new 450MW gas peaking power plant at Thurrock; and various clients on EV charging infrastructure.
Health: IFC on the procurement of Shillong Medical College and Hospital, the first PPP medical college project in India; and Clinicenta on its successful bids for the North London and GC9 independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) projects, the latter being the only ISTC scheme to be project-financed.
Transport: a consortium comprising Vinci, Alstom, Meridiam, OFI and Keolis in relation to the Nottingham Tram Phase 2 PPP project, to upgrade and extend the existing tram system in Nottingham; Société Générale as lenders’ agent in relation to the RAV light rail project in Vancouver, Canada; and IFC on the procurement of the Milot-Morine PPP road project in Albania.
Defence: Babcock as training and FM subcontractor for the Royal School of Military Engineering project in the UK to provide accommodation and training to the Ministry of Defence.

Education

2002 – LPC, College of Law, London
2000 – PGDL, BPP Law School, London, Oxford
1999 – B.A. Modern History, University of Oxford, Oxford

sectors

Construction & Engineering Energy & Climate Change Infrastructure & Projects

Insights

Global Reach

UK Pay Gap Report 2024