Christopher Aird
Chris is a project finance, energy and infrastructure lawyer based in London. At Norton Rose Fulbright, he focuses on the financing of renewable energy projects and is ranked as a “Leading Associate” by Legal 500 UK 2025 for Projects, energy and natural resources: Renewables.
Chris regularly advises sponsors, investors and lenders on the development and financing of projects spanning a variety of sectors, including onshore and offshore wind, green and blue hydrogen, solar PV, CCUS and battery storage. He has developed a particular expertise in the energy transition, and has advised on projects located in the United Kingdom, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Chris is a co-author of Norton Rose Fulbright’s Global Offshore Wind Report and has previously undertaken a secondment to the in-house legal team of a major international energy company.
Practice Area
Panel
- Contributing Author
Qualified Year
- 2019
Membership
- Solicitors Regulatory Authority
- Renewable UK - Green Hydrogen Working Group
- Scottish Renewables
Qualifications
- BA in History (2015)
- Graduate Diploma in Law (2016)
- Legal Practice Course (2017)
- Solicitor, qualified in England & Wales 2019
Education
- University of Bristol (2015)
- BPP University (2016- 2017)
2 Contributions by Christopher Aird
PRACTICE NOTES
UK Low Carbon Hydrogen Agreement (LCHA): structure, eligibility, payment mechanisms, lender considerations and legal basis, with funding via HM Treasury and the Gas Shipper Obligation
Low Carbon Hydrogen Agreement (LCHA)
For fuller analysis of how regulation, consenting and incentivisation shape the net zero energy transition in England and Wales, see: Collinson and Hockman on Energy Law: Regulating, Consenting and Incentivising the Energy Transition. That textbook offers extensive treatment of topics addressed in this Practice Note. This Practice Note sets out a synopsis of the Low Carbon Hydrogen Agreement (LCHA), the principal support mechanism within the UK for subsidising low carbon hydrogen production schemes. It assumes project finance will be pursued and therefore addresses matters of interest to project finance lenders alongside hydrogen producers and wider stakeholders. It contains a thorough examination of the LCHA’s framework and objectives, eligibility conditions, the principal counterparties, and the payment architecture—covering the Difference Amount, the Price Discovery Incentive and the Sliding Scale Top-Up Amount. It also considers the headline terms and commercial issues for low carbon hydrogen producers and project finance lenders, the statutory footing for the programme, and the scope to stack LCHA revenue support with other hydrogen, carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) measures and/or additional government assistance. All such elements mirror the issues explored throughout this guidance...
Energy
PRACTICE NOTES
UK low carbon hydrogen business models and funding: HPBM, HTBM, HSBM and H2PBM; LCHA, LCHS/LCHCS, HARs and NZHF
Collinson and Hockman on Energy Law: Regulating, Consenting and Incentivising the Energy Transition
For an in-depth examination of regulation, consenting and incentivisation of the net zero energy transition under the laws of England and Wales, see also the above work. That textbook offers detailed analysis of matters addressed in this Practice Note. This Practice Note sets out an overview of the principal revenue support mechanisms being developed by the UK government for low carbon hydrogen schemes in the UK, together with the pathways by which such funding is granted and the associated processes through which awards are made. It concentrates on the business model for qualifying projects falling within hydrogen production, and outlines the proposed business models for hydrogen transport, hydrogen storage and hydrogen to power (H2P) generation. It also covers the Low Carbon Hydrogen Standard (LCHS), the Low Carbon Hydrogen Certification Scheme (LCHCS), the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund (NZHF) and the results and outcomes of UK Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HARs) held to date so far...
Energy
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