The Environmental Group at Yigal Arnon & Co. offers transactional, regulatory and litigation counseling to clients in the private, business and government sectors, including in such fields as energy, renewable energy, gas, water, sewage, desalination and waste treatment.
Our extensive experience has included working on the light rail projects in Jerusalem (Red and Green Lines) and Tel Aviv (Red Line), the construction of thermo-solar and photovoltaic power plants, as well as on natural gas ventures, sewage and water treatment projects, and desalination and other utilities projects.
We also provide environmental risk management services to large financial institutions and guide our clients through financial closings in infrastructure and energy projects. For many years, we have also helped private- and public-sector clients to draft and submit bids in gas, clean and renewable energy tenders, and in other environmental projects.
Environmental regulation and compliance affect most businesses today. Our Environmental Group covers the landscape, advising on day-to-day matters as well as in transactions that are linked to environmental regulation. For example, we:
Our Environmental Group stays updated on the latest developments, trends and regulations, enabling us to offer ongoing environmental advice and updates as well as help with regulatory and compliance requirements, permitting processes and due diligence reviews in M&A transactions. Our in-depth understanding of the industry also informs our work with relevant authorities and the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
The Environmental Group at Yigal Arnon & Co. advises foreign and local private- and public-sector clients in infrastructure and energy projects, tender procedures, regulatory compliance, transactions and litigation, calling on our decades of experience when guiding them in regard to applicable environmental requirements, risks and opportunities.
Our large team of experts—including lawyers from the firm’s other practice groups as necessary—has represented the government and various public-sector entities in some of the largest and most innovative environmental infrastructure projects in the country. Our team has also been involved in regulation and litigation in the more “traditional” environmental spheres, such as hazardous or solid waste management, asbestos and air and water pollution. We represent clients that manage some of the largest solar energy, renewable energy, offshore gas explorations, clean public transport, sewage removal and treatment, water treatment and other environment-related projects.
Tenders: Yigal Arnon & Co. has played an active role in many high-profile public tenders in which government companies, banks and infrastructure companies were involved. This includes mass transit, solid and liquid waste management, water desalination and other infrastructure projects. We have decades of experience representing the three key players in these kinds of projects: the government, the bidding companies and the financing banks.
Energy: Our energy sector clients include some of Israel’s leading cleantech funds, as well as cleantech startups. In solar energy, we handle a range of transactions, advising on corporate and commercial matters, and we have been involved in an EPC solar roofing installation and maintenance project. We also represent the State of Israel in the largest BOT projects in the country and are counsel to the government in its solar energy projects.
Yigal Arnon & Co. has likewise been involved in matters involving biogas facilities, contracts for the purchase of electricity from private-sector producers, the purchase of natural gas, contracts intended to discontinue use of environmentally unfriendly fuels and to transition to natural gas and transportation projects based on clean energy.
As one of the first law firms to enter into Israel’s thriving offshore natural gas industry, we have represented some of the largest banks in the world in their financing capacity. We have also been involved in the sale of oil assets and in large-scale financing projects, both in the project finance stage and in the pre-transactions and post-completion stages. Our clients there have included oil and gas entities and international banks. Our team’s regulation experts performed due diligence reviews for these banks ahead of their investments in these projects, and for other large multinationals in mergers and acquisitions with leading Israeli firms in this sector.
We also represent natural gas clients, including large consumers, helping them with their purchase agreements and with converting their plants to natural gas.
In addition, we have gained considerable environmental protection experience while working on the light rail projects in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the construction of thermo-solar and photovoltaic power plants, natural gas ventures, sewage and water treatment projects, desalination and other utilities projects.
Yigal Arnon & Co. has a highly regarded environmental claims, torts and insurance claims practice. We represent large companies, including multinationals, in litigation of this kind, as well as some of the largest commercial entities in Israel, leading local and foreign insurers, and individuals.
Our team also has deep experience in representing Israeli and foreign insurers in environmental actions, in the courts and in arbitrations, and as both plaintiffs and defendants.
With our go-to Insurance and Torts Practice, we have also represented major corporations in large-scale environmental claims at the heart of the Kishon River, Ramat Hovav and Mount Carmel fire disaster claims. Given our handling of these and other substantial environmental disputes, Yigal Arnon & Co. is well-known for its expertise in defending corporations against mass tort claims alleging environmentally-induced disease.
