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UK

James Douglass

Partner

England & Wales

020 3319 3700

james.douglass@keystonelaw.co.uk

James is a highly experienced energy and infrastructure lawyer with a focus on cutting-edge projects across a range of sectors and environments. He specialises in LNG and energy transition including renewable electricity and gas, green hydrogen and battery storage, and data infrastructure such as data centres and data cables, alongside traditional oil & gas, infrastructure, and resources.

James has extensive expertise in project contracts, including EPC, O&M, fuel and feedstock supply, and offtake agreements, project financing, project acquisition and development, structuring, joint ventures, and governance arrangements.

James has advised clients across the globe including the UK, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Africa, Russia and Central Asia, CEE and Latin America/Caribbean. James was based in China for 8 years and has worked with many Chinese clients on their outbound energy and infrastructure projects.

Expertise

James advises on cutting-edge energy transactions, including LNG projects, hydrogen, renewables, and battery storage. His work spans project development, project financings, and energy transition projects across multiple jurisdictions.

Experience

  • Advised on multiple renewable power transactions in the UK including a 325MW and BESS onshore wind project in England, private wire and virtual PPAs, community based private wire and smart energy schemes.
  • Advised on power to data centre PPAs in the UK and a data cable project from Gibraltar to Morocco.
  • Advised Amazon, Galp Energia SGPS, and many other corporate buyers and generators on corporate renewable power purchase agreements.
  • Advised on the negotiation and structuring of over 35 independent power projects for renewable and conventional technologies, including the key project contracts, from development agreements/joint venture agreements to EPC, O&M, offtake/PPAs and grid connection, to related project financing.
  • Advised ONGC Videsh, as leader of an Indian consortium on the acquisition of a 10% stake in the Lower Zakum field, UAE.
  • Advised on the Malta, Al Zour (Kuwait), Tema (Ghana), HiGas (Sardinia), Elbehafen, Lubmin and Mukran (Germany), Port Kembla Energy Terminal (Australia), Dakar LNG (Senegal)and FGen (Philippines), Manzanillo (Dominican Republic), Guangdong Dapeng (China) and Sines (Portugal) LNG regas terminals.
  • Advised the project sponsors (Shell, Mitsui, Mitsubishi and Gazprom) on the US$6.7 bn project financing of the Sakhalin 2 LNG project in the Russian Federation, for Galp Energia SGPS on the US$4.675bn project financing of the Coral Sud FLNG export project in Mozambique and sponsors and lenders on LNG liquefaction projects in Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Malaysia, Nigeria, Angola, Mozambique, and the United States.

Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.

Recognition

Recognised by Best Lawyers UK for Projects 2020–2025

Recognised by The Legal 500 UK for M&A: smaller deals £10M-£100M 2024

Recognised by Who’s Who Legal for Project Finance 2023

Recognised by Chambers Asia for Projects & Infrastructure (International Firms): China 2013

Member, Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN)- member of working groups on Renewable fuels, CCUS and ESG

Senior Fellow and Member of Global Research Council, Tulane University School of Energy Law and Policy

James qualified as a solicitor in 1990. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2025, he worked at the following firms:

  • Linklaters
  • Brown Rudnick
  • Baker Botts