Chris Staples

Chris is a corporate partner in the firm’s Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure practice, is a sector leader for Energy & Utilities and co-head of the firm’s Global Commodities group. He regularly advises leading corporates and banks, as well as funds and governments on energy and commodity market-driven investments covering a broad range of sector-specific challenges and transactions.

Chris has many years' experience advising on trading and energy related matters including joint ventures, M&A and commercial agreements. He is particularly noted for his expertise in relation to climate change and renewable energy and its implications for clients.

Work highlights

Chris has advised on a number of the market’s most significant energy and commodity sector matters. Recent mandates include:

• Jingye Iron & Steel in relation to the purchase of the assets of British Steel from its liquidators including blast furnaces, primary production, port facilities and rolling mills in the UK’s largest industrial insolvency
• SSE and Equinor in relation to their successful purchase from Energy Capital Partners of Triton Energy which holds the generation assets at Deeside, Indian Queens and Saltend.
• the Special Administrators of Bulb on the hive down of its assets and subsequent sale to Octopus Energy
• SSE and Equinor on the sale of 20% of Dogger Bank, the world’s largest off-shore windfarm, to ENI
• ExxonMobil in relation to the sale of its northern and central North Sea interests to private equity house NEO Energy
• A consortium of banks led by JP Morgan and Standard Chartered in relation to the restructuring of positions held by them on the LME on behalf of stainless steel producer Tsingshan Holdings Group following a short squeeze in the LME nickel market
• AIM listed hydrogen electrolyser manufacturer ITM Power in relation to a 250million new equity raise by way of accelerated book build
• Mercuria in relation to the delisting of Argentinian Shale Gas producer Phoenix Global Resources
• SSE in relation to the sale of 51% of its Seagreen offshore windfarm to Total Energies
• Private equity fund, ARA Partners, in relation to its strategic equity investment into CF Partners
• Equinor New Energy in relation to its investment into battery storage business Noriker Power
• Base Carbon in relation to an investment into the deployment of cookstoves in Vietnam by way of a prepayment agreement alongside Citibank Global Markets.

Chris works on a pro bono basis for the Malaria Consortium; a non-profit organisation that specialises in the prevention, control and treatment of malaria and other communicable diseases. In this capacity, Chris advises the organisation on all legal issues that arise, from the day to day questions on commercial contracts and disputes, to more complex strategic level issues.

Chris studied natural sciences at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University and law at Nottingham Law School.