Vishal Ahuja is an energy and utilities specialist with over 25 years' experience in acting for private industry, governments and market bodies in the electricity, gas, rail and water sectors. These industries are characterised by a high level of regulation including access and pricing regimes and, in the energy sector, complex wholesale and contracting markets. He has deep sectoral knowledge of these markets and regulation aligned with expertise in corporate, competition and commercial law. This combination allows him to provide focussed advice when leading large transactions in these industries for clients which have included energy privatisations, infrastructure asset sales and acquisitions, complex ACCC clearances, energy development projects and implementing access regimes and managing access disputes.
Highlights include:
- advising AEMO Services with the Capacity Investment Scheme tenders (over 8GW to date) and NSW Roadmap tenders (over 5GW to date)
- advising the Energy Security Board and Australian Energy Market Commission on over 20 rule change / reform projects in the last 5 years
- advising offtakers on over 2GW of new battery and hybrid developments and on the development of the Waratah Super Battery
- advising on regulatory and development issues for over $20B of transmission projects (including Project EnergyConnect, Central West Orana, Humelink, VNI West, Western Renewables Link and Hunter Transmission Project)
- advising on the procurement of system security services including 14 projects in Victoria as part of the Victorian Renewable Development Plan
- acting for EnergyAustralia, APA and CKI on a number of transformational transactions
- acting for the NSW Government and Sydney Water on the privatisation of the Sydney Desalination Plant
- implementing a new rail access undertaking and contract structure for Australian Rail Track Corporation in the Hunter Valley.
Vishal is particularly focussed on the transition of the electricity industry as it decarbonises and has advised extensively on the national electricity law and rules over his career. He has led a number of complex energy reform projects for governments and market bodies, including the National Energy Guarantee, Retailer Reliability Obligation, Integrated System Plan, transmission related rule changes (including contestability, designated network assets, planning, financeability, concessional finance) and the implementation of renewable energy zones. He has also assisted with the development of renewable energy projects and advised a number of Australia's largest corporates with their sustainability programs, such as Telstra, BHP, Westpac, BlueScope and CSIRO in relation to corporate power purchase agreements and renewable energy procurements.
