Effective 31 January 2025, Government Decree No. 7/2025 has revised the feed-in-tariff rates for renewable power plants that are part of the feed-in-tariff (“FiT”) system in Hungary. The Decree took effect on the day it was announced, making it currently enforceable and applicable. The key amendments are outlined as follows: Starting in 2025, the annual indexation for FiT power generators will be discontinued until the state of danger declared in relation to the war in Ukraine concludes, but no later than 2029. The exception to the above rule is if the annual average inflation in Hungary exceeds 6%. FiT power generators will no longer be subject to the “Robin Hood” tax applied to
Kinstellar is pleased to announce the promotion of Mario Kijanović from our Belgrade office to Managing Associate. Mario’s expertise spans a variety of sectors, including renewable energy projects, commercial and industrial leasing, acquisitions, disposals, and complex capital transactions. He has assisted a wide range of clients, from the public sector to some of the world’s largest property and renewable energy project developers. Mario has provided advisory services on major acquisitions for leading international clients such as Two Rivers, Besico, and Strabag, further solidifying his reputation as a trusted advisor. Mario is also recognized as a Rising Star in Real Estate and Construction by Legal 500
Kinstellar Budapest, acting as the lead counsel for Hungary, has successfully closed the landmark Project Bluesky transaction, advising the Hungarian Power Exchange (HUPX) and the Hungarian Transmission System Operator, MAVIR. As part of the particularly complex Project Bluesky transaction, EMS (Serbian Transmission System Operator), ELES (Slovenian Transmission System Operator) and EPEX SPOT (European Power Exchange SE) agreed to the cross-border transformation of the Slovenian ADEX Skrupina holding company, into a Hungarian company, ADEX Szervezett Villamosenergia-piac Holding (ADEX HU). Kinstellar advised on the Hungarian law aspects and implementation of the cross-border transformation, while ODL Law Firm acted as
Kinstellar assisted United Energy Group (UEG)’s internal legal team to successfully complete the acquisition of Green Profit EOOD, a developer of a photovoltaic (PV) project under construction. The Simeonovgrad-Polyanovo PV project, located in southern Bulgaria, has a forecasted capacity of 250 MW. The acquisition, which was finalised on 15 November 2024, marks a significant expansion for UEG, a Hong Kong-based producer of traditional and renewable energy. The team that advised UEG throughout the completion of the project was led by Nina Tsifudina (Partner) and Atanas Mihaylov (Counsel) and included Mladen Minev (Counsel), Simeon Vachev and Nikolay Gergov (Senior Associates).
Stay competitive in Hungary’s evolving energy market by understanding the Guarantee of Origin, a crucial certification now available for renewable gas. This change could open doors for businesses focused on sustainability and compliance. Earlier this year, the amendment to the Act XL of 2008 - Natural Gas (the “Natural Gas Act”) brought a significant shift: the introduction of a Guarantee of Origin for renewable gas, similar to what we have seen in the electricity market. The guarantee of origin is an electronic document designed solely to certify, using objective, transparent, and non-discriminatory criteria, that a given share or quantity of gas produced by a specific generation unit qualifies as renewable
Kinstellar is delighted to announce that Emőke Kovács, an accomplished legal practitioner in energy law, has joined the firm’s Budapest office as Of Counsel. With an extensive and well-established career in the energy sector, Emőke’s expertise further enhances the strength and reputation of our energy law team. With over 20 years of experience working at energy companies and law firms, Emőke is a highly respected and trusted legal expert in the field. She focuses on advising clients from the electricity and gas industries on regulatory matters, as well as a wide range of issues within the energy sector. Emőke has significant experience in electricity and gas trading, energy and heat distribution, and compliance
Romania is set to hold its first contracts for difference (“CfD”) auction in the next few weeks. The Ministry of Energy has taken further steps and issued the order for initiating the CfD auction under the CfD scheme. On 6 September 2024, Order No. 1290/2024, approving the launch of the first auction for the State aid scheme in the form of contracts for difference for the production of electricity from renewable sources of onshore wind and solar photovoltaic energy, as well as the rules of the procedure for the first auction (“Order 1290/2024”), was published in the Official Gazette of Romania and entered into force on the same date. The total capacity targeted is 1,500 MW of renewables; specifically
Kinstellar is delighted to announce that we have successfully advised China Southern Power Grid International on its acquisition of a 35% stake in ACWA Power Bash Wind Project Holding Company Limited and ACWA Power Uzbekistan Wind Project Holding Company holding 100% in Bash and Dzhankeldy Uzbek project companies, respectively. The projects represent a combined 1 GW capacity and over USD 1.3 billion of investments. This transaction marks the first acquisition of large-scale renewable energy projects in Uzbekistan. Each of Bash and Dzhankeldy wind farm plants is developed based on a ‘Build, Own, Operate, Transfer’ model and consists of 79 wind turbines (158 turbines in total) that will generate 3,235 gigawatt-hours
SOG in cooperation with Kinstellar is proud to announce its role as legal counsel to Strickland Metals Limited, an ASX-listed mineral exploration company from Australia, on its acquisition of Zlatna Reka Resources d.o.o. Beograd-Vracar. This acquisition marks a significant development in Serbia’s burgeoning mining industry, as the project holds an impressive 5.4 million ounce gold resource. Kinstellar’s team, led by Senior Associates Sara Ostojić and Mario Kijanović, as well as Associate Vuk Vučković, provided comprehensive legal services for this acquisition. Our involvement included a thorough legal due diligence of the mining titles, permits, and accompanying documentation of the target company. Zlatna
Kinstellar has advised Canadian Nuclear Partners (a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation, one of the world’s largest power generators, and a corporation wholly owned by the Government of Ontario) on the framework agreement for the refurbishment of Unit 1 at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant, operated by the state-owned nuclear energy producer, Nuclearelectrica. The framework agreement has an approximate value of EUR 240 million and represents a critical milestone in completing the refurbishment of Unit 1. Canadian Nuclear Partners will support Nuclearelectrica with the delivery of project management services, technical assistance, consultancy services and professional training specific for the refurbishment of
Kinstellar is proud to have advised the MOL Group, a leading international integrated oil and gas company, in connection with legal aspects of the MOL Group’s flagship EUR 1.3 billion new polyol complex in Tiszaújváros, Hungary. The new polyol complex, which has just been inaugurated, has the capacity of producing around 200,000 tonnes of polyol per year, and providing long-term employment for nearly 300 people. This landmark project had started in 2017 and Kinstellar has been assisting MOL in connection with the project from 2020. As a result of this project MOL has become the first company in the CEE region to have a fully-integrated value chain from crude oil to polyol production. The Kinstellar team
Kinstellar has successfully advised leading developer BIG Mega Renewable Energy on a EUR 92 million financing agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and OTP Bank to build and operate the 102 MW Urleasca wind farm in Brăila county, Romania. The milestone project marks BIG Mega Renewable Energy’s first renewable investment in Romania, with the signing of the financing agreement highlighted as a crucial milestone for the company’s expansion strategy in Romania and the Balkans. The Urleasca wind farm is expected to make a significant contribution to Romania’s renewable energy goals, with generation capacity of 292 GWh per year. The financial closing is expected mid-2024. Kinstellar’s