The liberalisation following the adoption of the new Energy Act has resulted in great demand for legal support concerning airports and industrial sites. As long as the company concerned is not privileged with a so-called site network (“Arealnetz”), it has to comply with numerous obligations, ranging from generation, supply and distribution to network operation, thereby including all stages of the value chain.

Other important issues for operators of industrial sites and airports are the unbundling requirements of the future Energy Industry Act, the restructuring according to the new obligations of the latter as well as the preparation for an active regulation management.

Moreover, professional advice is needed in relation to improved terms and conditions of power purchase and optimisation of electricity taxes according to the Electricity Tax Act (Stromsteuergesetz). Finally, BBH advises its clients in the context of privatisation and outsourcing projects of airports and industrial sites, where a large range of sector-specific questions need to be addressed next to the energy-related structure of the company: The relevant questions range from structural advice (corporate and tax law) and procurement questions to sectoral and regulatory requirements like air traffic law.

Contact persons in this area are Dr. Martin Riedel (Berlin) andDr. Christian Jung (Cologne).