Mary Sargent

Mary is a Senior Associate in our Natural Resources team who specialises in renewable energy projects for landowners looking to diversify their land and business models. She acts for both farmers and landowners, as well as developers, across the sector.

Mary is particularly interested in changes in policy that affect the renewable energy sector and helps clients navigate the complex landscape of the sector and the long term impacts on landowners of entering into such projects, ensuring that her client's interests are protected in the face of changing policy.  She has a particular expertise in the additional opportunities for landowners that are emerging in the sector, in relation to natural capital and Biodiversity Net Gain.

She has been involved in a number of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) up to 1.5GW, in particular those which involve a number of landowners collaborating and working on large scale projects.  Her experience covers the whole life-cycle of schemes from feasibility and initial Heads of Terms through construction and operation, including due diligence work on funding requirements and managing the all-important balance between environmental/agricultural issues and power generation. 

More recently she has been involved in an increasing number of emerging technology projects including battery storage, hydrogen generation and Electric Vehicle charging schemes. Mary is also involved in working on schemes to manage Natural Capital, and the increasing focus on environmental issues that developers and builders must navigate including Biodiversity Net Gain and nutrient neutrality agreements.

Recent energy projects on which Mary has worked include:

• Acting for multiple landowners in relation to a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project solar, battery and other technology energy generation scheme across c. 1,600 acres with a 500MW export capacity. The scheme involves complex phasing arrangements and addresses issues resulting from rail crossings, and protecting other future development in the vicinity.
• Acting for multiple landowners in respect of a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project involving solar, battery, wind and other technologies of upwards of 1,000 acres with complex point of connection elements. Lease will include multiple complex rental streams including several layers of turnover rental income.
• Acting on various solar and battery projects involving complex landowner structuring (headleases/ pension funds/ tax planning) and complex overage settlement provisions, mines and minerals complexities and other complex title issues (restrictive covenants and involvements with the Coal Authority, Crown Estate etc).
• Acting for a landowner in respect of a 200MW battery storage system and new substation to serve nearby solar scheme with an 800MW total export capacity.

Mary’s recent Natural Capital work includes:

• Drawing up a natural capital services collaboration provisions between landowners and developers.
• Advising on and drawing up documentation between a landowner and developers for the allocation of biodiversity units to achieve local planning authority biodiversity net gain requirements.
• Advising on water neutrality/offset contracts between a developer and a landowner.