Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) advised leading Ireland-based solar IPP Amarenco on preparing the legal due diligence report and on project law matters relating to a €65m debt facility raised by Société Générale and Rabobank for the repowering and refinancing of the Claudia battery storage plant in southwestern France.
Originally designed as a one-hour BESS, Claudia is now being upgraded to two hours of storage, doubling its energy capacity from 105 MW/100 MWh to 94 MW/188 MWh, and extending the asset’s lifetime whilst reusing existing infrastructure. First battery deliveries are expected in Q1 2026, with commercial operation planned for early 2027.
With over 200 employees, Amarenco has deployed more than 2,000 large-scale solar photovoltaic and storage infrastructure projects across three continents, mainly in Europe. It has raised nearly €500m from renowned investors since 2020 and has more than 500 MW of installed solar power across Europe.
The WFW Paris Energy team that advised Amarenco was led by Regulatory, Public Law and Project Partner Laurent Battoue, assisted notably by Counsel Antoine Bois-Minot.
