Category: Poland

CMS has advised the Lewandpol Group on a project to build a hybrid solar and wind farm in Poland. Norton Rose Fulbright advised ING Bank Slaski, PKO Bank Polski, and mBank on a PLN 766 million senior secured financing for the project. Gessel reportedly advised a Polish Development Fund investment fund on providing a PLN 100 million subordinated loan.

Lewandpol Holding is a Polish private investor operating in the renewable energy sources sector.

According to Norton Rose, the deal involved financing for the “construction of the Kleczew Solar & Wind project including a 193-megawatt-peak photovoltaic plant and an up to 19.2-megawatt wind farm located in the Kleczew commune in Greater Poland.”

According to CMS, “Kleczew Solar & Wind, located in Kleczew, Wielkopolska Voivodeship, Poland, will be the first large-scale project to combine solar and wind energy in Poland and one of the largest renewable energy parks in Central and Eastern Europe. The expected capacity of the farm exceeds 200 megawatts and has the possibility to further expand. Kleczew Solar & Wind is scheduled to start producing electricity in 2023 and is expected to produce enough to meet the needs of around 100,000 households.”

The CMS team included Partners Lukasz Szatkowski and Michal Mezykowski, Counsel Martyna Markiewicz, Senior Associates Jan Radziuk and Magdalena Czenko, Associates Kacper Stanosz, Patrycja Styczynska, and Karolina Bandzul-Krol, and Lawyers Alicja Smyklinska, Andrzej Szostak, and Maciej Lorenz.

Norton Rose’s team included Partner Tomasz Rogalski, Senior Associate Cezary Zawislak, Associates Karolina Majcher and Patryk Gelar, and Lawyer Jakub Chmiel.

DWF has advised the consortium of Rubau Polska and Poltores on the tender procedures for the design and construction of two sections of the S-19 and S-10 expressways.

Rubau Polska, founded in 2011, and Poltores are full subsidiaries of Spain-based construction group Construcciones Rubau.

According to DWF, the procedures specifically concerned “the design and construction of the 15.8-kilometer-long S-19 expressway from the end of the Wola Skromowska bypass to Lubartow, in the Lublin Voivodeship, which resulted in the signing of a contract worth PLN 389 million on September 15, 2022,” and the “design and construction of the 11.8-kilometer-long S-10 expressway between the Torun Zachod and Torun Poludnie junctions, in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship, which resulted in the signing of a contract worth more than PLN 339 million on January 20, 2023.”

DWF’s team included Partner Piotr Kunicki, Counsel Lukasz Gembis, and Senior Associate Paulina Sawicka.

Greenberg Traurig has advised the Trigea Real Estate Fund on its acquisition of City Logistics Wroclaw II from Panattoni. Szybkowski Kuzma Jelen Brzoza-Ostrowska advised Panattoni. Baker McKenzie reportedly advised Trigea on tax matters.

“The logistics property developed by Panattoni comprises two fully leased warehouse buildings with a total lease area of 38,178 square meters,” Greenberg Traurig informed.

Established in 2019, the Trigea Real Estate Fund is a Czech fund focusing on commercial properties, including office buildings and retail. The fund operates in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Previously, Greenberg Traurig also advised the Trigea Real Estate Fund on its acquisition of a logistics park near Poland’s Tricity (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on September 19, 2022). 

“After the acquisition of Panattoni Park in Gdynia, Wroclaw was a logical step to expand our presence in urban logistics,” Trigea Real Estate Fund Chairman of the Board of Directors Tomas Trcka commented. “We firmly believe that this type of asset will help create significant value for our shareholders in the long term.”

The Greenberg Traurig team was led by Senior Associate Aleksandra Kaczmarek and Associate Jakub Gajzler and included Senior Associate Agnieszka Gul-Czajkowska, Associates Alicja Flis, Bruno Jasic, Marcin Gralewski, and Jedrzej Antoszewski, and Junior Associate Maciej Smaczynski.

The SKJB team included Partner Anna Brzoza-Ostrowska, Senior Associate Izabela Kultys, and Associate Marta Stefaniak.

Linklaters has advised the Somerston Group on the sale of Newbridge Poland to the Greenman Group. White & Case advised Greenman.

The Somerston Group engages primarily in real estate investment and development.

According to Linklaters, “Newbridge Poland, rebranded into Greenman Poland, is an asset manager and developer in the convenience retail sector. Greenman Poland has EUR 150 million in assets under management, comprising retail parks and shopping centers totaling 87,000 square meters. The acquisition marks Greenman’s entry into the Polish market.”

Linklaters’ team included Warsaw-based Managing Associate Monika Lerka, Senior Associate Ewa Sinkiewicz, Associate Michal Kostewicz, and Junior Associate Aleksandra Mielniczuk as well as further team members in Luxembourg.

White & Case’s team included Warsaw-based Local Partner Jakub Kutzmann and Associates Paulina Walczak and Jakub Khier, with further team members in Germany and Luxembourg.

Gessel has advised SunRoof on its most recent EUR 13.5 million investment round with the participation of World Fund, Nordic Alpha Partners, and Legal & General Capital.

SunRoof is a start-up that creates two-in-one solar roofs and solutions to support smart energy management. According to Gessel, it “offers innovative technology that replaces the traditional roof and therefore provides an alternative to separately installed photovoltaic panels. The company also offers homeowners a complete energy management system.”

According to the firm, the funding will be used for the “implementation of expansion plans in Europe and the US.”

In 2022, Gessel advised SunRoof on its PLN 70 million investment round (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on September 22, 2022).

Gessel’s team included Partner Michal Bochowicz, Associate Dominik Kaszuba, and Junior Associate Julia Gardecka.

Gessel did not respond to our inquiry on the matter.

Dentons has advised Develia on its preliminary agreement for the EUR 70 million sale of the Wola Retro office building in Warsaw with the Adventum Group. Act BSWW advised Adventum.

The transaction is expected to close in April 2023.

According to Dentons, “the investment, apart from two newly built A-class office buildings, also comprises an existing modernist building from the 1930s, adapted for the needs of modern offices in cooperation with a conservationist.” The total area of the complex amounts to 24,500 square meters, while the maximum floor area can be 3,300 square meters.

Both Dentons and Act BSWW also advised on Develia’s previous sale of Sky Tower to Adventum (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on September 27, 2021).

Develia is a Wroclaw-headquartered real estate development group carrying out residential and commercial investments in Warsaw, Wroclaw, Krakow, Gdansk, Lodz, and Katowice.

The Adventum Group is an investment fund manager focused on Central European real estate investments.

The Dentons team included Partner Bartlomiej Kordeczka, Counsel Martyna Racz-Suchocka, and Senior Associate Kornelia Borowiec.

The Act BSWW team included Partners Marta Kosiedowska, Marek Wojnar, and Michal Soltyszewski, and Lawyer Aleksander Krzemien.

Editor’s Note: On April 27, 2023, Act BSWW announced that Adventum’s acquisition of the Wola Retro office building in Warsaw had closed.

Norton Rose Fulbright has advised Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego on financing the construction of a 7-megawatt wind farm sponsored by Budimex.

According to Norton Rose, “Magnolia Energy, a special purpose company of Budimex set up to implement a project for the construction of a wind farm consisting of two turbines with a total capacity of up to 7 megawatts, has obtained financing from Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego under the project finance formula.”

“This is the next stage in the development of Budimex Group’s investments in renewable energy sources. The financing is based on a long-term power purchase agreement,” the firm announced. “Budimex started investing in renewable energy sources in 2022 – as one of the elements of the Budimex Group’s business diversification, alongside foreign markets and electromobility.”

The Norton Rose team included Partner Tomasz Rogalski, Senior Associate Cezary Zawislak, Associates Przemyslaw Piasecki, Michal Rutkowski, and Paula Stepien, and Lawyers Jan Nowjalis, Martyna Korzeniewska, and Bartosz Odziemkowski.

Norton Rose Fulbright has advised mBank on financing the construction of the 18-megawatt Cyranka PV project sponsored by ONDE. Allen & Overy advised ONDE.

The Cyranka photovoltaic project is located in the Gizycko commune (Poland) and is in the final stages of construction.

According to Norton Rose, “ONDE  is a leader in the renewable energy sector in Poland, and a leading contractor of infrastructure for RES, in particular wind farms and photovoltaic farms in Poland. The company has completed more than 350 RES investments with a total capacity of more than 3 gigawatts.”

The Norton Rose team included Partner Tomasz Rogalski, Senior Associate Cezary Zawislak, Associates Przemyslaw Piasecki, Michal Rutkowski, Paula Stepien, and Mateusz Czuba, and Lawyers Jan Nowjalis, Martyna Korzeniewska, and Bartosz Odziemkowski.

Allen & Overy’s team included Partner Tomasz Kawczynski and Associates Karolina Piorkowska-Grynkiewicz, Michal Jakub Rudzki, and Rafal Roziecki.

BNT Attorneys in CEE have joined forces with Poland’s BSJP. The move also involves the combination of BSJP with long-time BNT Polish member firm Neupert Zamorska & Partnerzy, with the resulting firm set to operate as BSJP BNT Brockhuis Jurczak Prusak Sroka Nilsson Zamorska going forward.

“As a result of the merger, BNT Partners Domnika Wagrodzka, Malgorzata Zamorska, Martin Neupert, and Daniel Goessling will join BSJP’s Warsaw office,” the firm announced. The combined firm encompasses a team of “more than 200 multilingual specialists working from 13 offices throughout nine EU states, including four strategic locations in Poland (Warsaw, Gdansk, Katowice, and Poznan).”

“We look with great excitement to join forces with BSJP on the largest market in Central and Eastern Europe,” BNT Attorneys in CEE Managing Partner International Margareta Sovova said. “With such a well-established partner we will boost our joint business potential in all jurisdictions and provide even better services for our clients.”

“We are proud to create something new and unique both in CEE and locally: a regional law firm with strong local participants in all countries in which it is present and the first large Polish law firm with such a reach,” BSJP Managing Partner Dag Nilsson added.

Former Wolf Theiss Partner Konrad Kosicki has joined Greenberg Traurig along with his team. Kosicki will head the firm’s Energy and Natural Resources practice and join the ranks of Partners in the firm’s Warsaw office.

According to Greenberg Traurig, “Kosicki specializes in Polish and European energy law.” Joining the firm alongside him are Counsel Dorota Derlicka and Associates Janusz Krakowiak and Karolina Lewandowska.

Kosicki previously spent over three years with Wolf Theiss as Head of Energy. Earlier, he spent time with Gide, between 2015 and 2019, as a Counsel and Head of Energy. Before that, he spent six and a half years with Norton Rose Fulbright starting as an Associate, between 2008 and 2014, and as a Senior Associate between 2014 and 2015. Kosicki began his career as an Associate with Squire Sanders in 2007.

“I would like to welcome Konrad, Dorota, Janusz, and Karolina to Greenberg Traurig,” Poland Managing Partner Jolanta Nowakowska-Zimoch commented. “Konrad and his great team are recognized by clients, peers, and legal directories alike for the seamless combination of excellent client service along with a business-oriented approach.”