Fiona Lewis
Special Counsel, Melbourne
I have expertise in delivering major energy projects and advising on regulatory compliance and climate change in the electricity, gas and telecommunications sectors. For over 20 years I have been advising government, generators, network service providers, retailers, large customers and embedded network operators on energy projects that draw on my knowledge of the entire energy supply chain.

I act for both government and the private sector in major project policy implementation, drafting and negotiating power purchase and renewable energy certificate offtake agreements, distribution and transmission connection and use of system agreements, operation and maintenance agreements, gas transportation and storage agreements, retail electricity and gas contracts, carbon trading and offset offtake agreements, mergers and acquisitions transactions and regulatory compliance and risk management. I have been named in the Legal 500 Asia Pacific for multiple years for energy transactions and regulatory work in Australia and voted by my peers in Best Lawyers in respect of my energy regulatory practice.

Career highlights

  • Lead adviser to the Victorian Government on the project design and implementation of the State's second successful renewable energy reverse auction (VRET 2), where the State contracted for 623MW of new renewable generation and up to 365MW and 600 MWh of battery storage.
  • Lead adviser to the Victorian Government on the implementation of all of Victoria's renewable energy zones, involving a $540 million fund to assist in strengthening and expanding Victoria electricity transmission network in order to help support up to 3,000MW of new generation and enable an orderly and coordinated transition to renewable energy.
  • Lead adviser to the Victorian Government on the first of its kind Victorian Big Battery Project, involving the State's procurement of a system integrity projection scheme (SIPS) thermal service from one of the world's largest lithium ion batteries, to increase the import capacity of the Victoria-New South Wales electricity interconnector.
  • Lead adviser to Aurora Energy on multiple offtake and retail agreements, including the long term offtake agreement for the Cattle Hill Wind Farm.
  • Adviser to the Victorian Government on the successful implementation of VRET1.
  • Adviser to the Victorian Government on its energy storage initiative project, involving the funding of two large-scale battery projects in Western Victoria.