Dr. Matthias Lang

Offering extensive entrepreneurial knowledge and long-standing expertise in regulatory matters around infrastructure and energy, I am a partner in our international Energy and Utilities Sector Group and a member of our Regulatory and Administrative Practice Group.

I advise our clients on infrastructure, energy, regulatory, state aid and environmental law as well as issues arising from public commercial law. In addition, I have expertise in corporate law, administrative, European and real estate law, as well as standardisation.

With extensive experience in advising clients on all aspects of the German Energiewende and the energy transition more generally, I also advise on cross-border energy issues, including both conventional and renewable energy generation, oil and gas, planning and permit procedures for power generation, extra-high-voltage lines, hydrogen, gas pipelines and gas storage, as well as energy and other industrial installations. Over the years, I have worked on numerous complex infrastructure, energy efficiency and climate change projects, as well as transactions in regulated industries, including energy, healthcare, transportation, water and chemicals. COVID-19 regulatory expertise is the most recent added expertise.

I represent our clients before the Federal Network Agency, ministries and other authorities in diverse administrative, regulatory or legislative proceedings, before national and European courts and in arbitration proceedings. Together with my team, I have advised on the transposition of European law, such as the Clean Energy for All Europeans Package and other European environmental directives and regulations, including REACh, REMIT and MIFID.

Contributing regularly to legal publications, I write the section on permits for conventional power plants, wind farms, solar parks and the closure of nuclear power plants for the "Berlin Commentary on Energy Law" and cover international company law in the "Beck Online Commentary on the Limited Liability Company Act". I have also published articles on oil and gas law in Germany, prosumer legislation, the digitalisation of the energy transition (including blockchain), state aid to the energy sector, grid expansion and environmental protection in the extra-high-voltage grid, on the permitting regime for HVDC lines, and the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG).

I'm a former chairman of the oil and gas committee and now Secretary of the Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Law (SEERIL) Section of the International Bar Association. I also sit on the board of the German-American Lawyers' Association (DAJV) for Düsseldorf. Furthermore I often speak at national and international seminars and conferences and teach postgraduate energy law and sustainable mobility courses at Technische Universität Berlin and Freie Universität Berlin.

You'll find me listed as top legal practitioner advising on energy law in Euromoney's 2018 Energy and Best of the Best Expert Guides, the 2020 Who's Who Legal Germany and the 2020 Who's Who Legal Energy.

Before studying law, I graduated with a degree in economics and worked as a banker.

• Waste to energy company: Regulatory advice on the German and European framework for hydrogen generation
• Aluminium Company: Representation in water law plan permitting as well as zoning proceedings regulating noise in an industrial zone.
• Leading security company: Advising on requirements in relation to protection against electromagnetic fields in various European countries.
• Japanese trading house: Advising in connection with the acquisition of a chemical logistics company.
• Waste incineration company: Advising on support regimes for CHP plants pursuant to Closed Substance Cycle Act and Renewable Energy Sources Act.
• Transmission system operator: Advising on several planning permit procedures for extra-high-voltage lines, including litigation.
• Financial Investor: Advising on energy and environmental law during the planned acquisition of a gas transmission system operator.
• Municipal telecommunications and metering company: Regulatory advice for the rollout of smart meters.