Matthew Brown
Matthew is a Partner in the Energy & Climate Change Team.
Matthew has a track record of advising government, regulators, network companies, developers and investors on energy sector regulation, renewables, and wider transactions in the utilities sector.
With more than 450 energy and climate change lawyers, including over 100 partners, the CMS Energy and Climate Change practice is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Led from its centres of excellence such as London and Aberdeen, the practice works across 75 offices globally. Building on 40 years of experience advising on power, oil & gas and renewables through to energy disputes, emerging areas and Energy Transition, CMS is uniquely placed to ensure clients receive advice best suited to their commercial needs and to our collective future.
Practice Area
Panel
- Consulting Editorial Board
Qualified Year
- 2009
Qualification
- MA English Literature, 2001 to 2005
Education
- BPP (2006 - 2007)
- University of St Andrews 2001 - 2005
- LPC (2007)
- GDL (2006)
3 Contributions by Matthew Brown
PRACTICE NOTES
Great Britain Contracts for Difference: legal architecture, eligibility, allocation and auction rules, standard terms, key parties, CIB, OLR/NDD, RO interplay, and AR7–AR8 updates
For a fuller analysis of the regulation, consenting and incentivisation of the net zero energy transition under the laws of England and Wales, see also: Collinson and Hockman on Energy Law: Regulating, Consenting and Incentivising the Energy Transition. That textbook offers comprehensive treatment of the topics addressed in this Practice Note, with in‑depth discussion of the same issues.
What is the background to the CfD regime?
Contracts for Difference sit at the heart of the government’s Electricity Market Reform (EMR) programme, introduced in 2013. EMR was devised by the UK government to encourage investment in secure capacity and affordable, low‑carbon electricity generation.
The principal mechanisms enacted through the EMR reforms include:
the Contracts for Difference (CfD) regime, the focus of this Practice Note, structured as a contract that grants owners of new build low‑carbon generation projects a long‑term, stable revenue stream in respect of the electricity they generate while their plant is in operation
the Capacity Market (CM) regime, which provides a regular payment/retainer to reliable forms of electricity capacity (in the form of generation plant, electricity storage (such as batteries), reduction in electricity demand and international interconnection wires), in return for such capacity being
...
Energy
PRACTICE NOTES
Smart Export Guarantee in Great Britain: legal basis, supplier duties, eligibility, metering and SEG Export Agreement terms for small-scale low-carbon generators
For comprehensive commentary on the regulation, consenting and incentivisation of the net zero energy transition under the laws of England and Wales, see also: Collinson and Hockman on Energy Law: Regulating, Consenting and Incentivising the Energy Transition. That textbook offers an in-depth treatment of matters addressed in this Practice Note.
Introduction to the Smart Export Guarantee
This Practice Note sets out a detailed account of the ‘Smart Export Guarantee’, a regulated scheme giving owners of small-scale, low-carbon installations in Great Britain a guaranteed contract to sell surplus electricity they produce. It considers, among other points, power purchase terms under the Smart Export Guarantee, the part played by electricity suppliers within the mechanism, and the categories of technology that can participate. The Smart Export Guarantee took effect on 1 January 2020. The proposal first emerged during consultations that announced the confirmed closure (for new installations) of the small-scale Feed-in Tariff (FiT) from 1 April 2019. This is because a key outcome of ending the FiT is the cessation of the ‘Export tariff’ provided by the FiT, which offered a guaranteed route to market for...
Energy
PRACTICE NOTES
UK CCUS: legal, regulatory and policy framework—cluster sequencing, transport and storage licensing, and revenue support models (DPA, ICC, LCHA, BECCS, GGR) under the Energy Act 2023
For detailed commentary on the regulation, consenting and incentivisation of the net zero energy transition under the laws of England and Wales, see also: Collinson and Hockman on Energy Law: Regulating, Consenting and Incentivising the Energy Transition.
The textbook supplies thorough analysis of matters addressed in this Practice Note. This Practice Note presents an outline of the law and policy concerning carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) in the UK. It examines:
what CCUS entails and the principal categories of technologies it covers
the main drivers, barriers and risks associated with deploying CCUS
the progress of CCUS clusters within the UK
current and past government policy and legislative developments to boost CCUS deployment, including creating business models to introduce an incentive mechanism for CCUS projects
policy progress on repurposing existing oil and gas assets for CCUS projects
selected funding routes for CCUS projects, including the Carbon Capture and Storage Infrastructure Fund
the prevailing national and international legislative framework supporting CCUS projects
This summary reflects the matters discussed throughout this Practice Note and provides further context for readers considering CCUS policy and law.
For more information on the following specific aspects of CCUS: planning framework applicable to CCUS projects, see Practice...
Energy
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