Francesco Palmeri

Counsel
Regulatory & Public Law

Francesco is specialized in assisting clients in relation to authorization, regulatory and commercial and public subsidies matters as well as in real estate issues related to the renewable energy sector (wind, solar photovoltaic/concentration, hydroelectric, hydrogen and biomethane).
He advices in the development of renewable energy projects in Italy concerning all regulatory aspects for authorization, construction, connection, operation and access to incentives of renewable energy plants.
Francesco has also gained experience in cross-border M&A transactions and project finance in the energy and infrastructure sector and assist clients in drafting and negotiating transaction documents, including SPAs, joint venture agreements, development agreements and PPAs.

Francesco cured the following publications:

Pianeta Terra – ANEV, Associazione Nazione Energia del Vento: – “Competenze in materia di PAUR: l’impasse tra Regione e Provincia. Il caso della Regione Puglia.” – L’impatto del COVID-19 nel settore energetico.
Quotidiano Energia: – Impianti FV, il nodo dei documenti delle procedure salva-Alcoa – 2019; – Impianti Fer, i vantaggi della cessione volontaria dei terreni – 2018; – Fer, i rischi di investire in una società scissa da un’altra azienda – 2018.

Notable Experience

Representative transactions Francesco has recently advised include assistance to:

iCON Infrastructure, on the acquisition of 100% of Sestrieres SpA, a company managing one of the most important European ski infrastructures;

Acea Group, a leading Italian multi-utility, in the sale to the British investment fund Equitix, managed by Equitix Investment Management Limited, of a majority stake in the company that owns the photovoltaic assets already in operation or being connected to the grid in Italy.

European Energy, in:

the acquisition of a 20MW wind project in Italy and in the negotiation and drafting of the sale and purchase agreement, the turbines supply agreement, the balance of plant agreement, and the construction management agreement;
the acquisition of a ready-to-build 123 MW PV project in Italy, the largest one in Italy.

KGAL Investment Management, in structuring of a joint venture with Premier Group, a leading operator active in several countries in Europe, to develop plants from renewable sources, mainly photovoltaic and wind power, in various regions of Italy.

An international developer in the structuring and execution of a competitive process for the selection of an investor for co-development of an approx. 300 MW solar pipeline in Italy, including with respect to drafting and negotiating all the transaction documents with the selected investor (being one of the largest European asset managers in the renewables space).

A global wind towers’ producer in the acquisition of an 18 MW wind project from an investor and drafting a supply and co-development agreement for a total wind farm pipeline of over 140 MW.

An Italian based developer and an international investor active in the field of renewable energy sector in the sale by the former to the latter of a pipeline of utility scale solar projects in Italy having an aggregate expected capacity of about 235 MW which are being developed in Sicily, Italy.