Areas of expertise

Overview

Rhys specialises in the energy sector and he provides advice across a broad spectrum of energy related matters, which include: National Electricity Rules; National Gas Rules; ancillary services agreements; power purchase agreements (including derivative transactions and behind-the-meter offtakes); electricity load interruption services agreements; Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) sale and purchase agreements; gas transportation and sub-haulage agreements; gas sale agreements and licence agreements for potential electricity and gas development sites.

Rhys also has experience in mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings and listings on the Australian Securities Exchange, as well as managing disclosures, voluntary or otherwise, to regulators.

Experience

Rhys has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws and, before joining Page Seager, he worked as inhouse counsel at Hydro Tasmania for 12 years, during which time he was the Head of Legal Services for a number of years. Prior to working with Hydro Tasmania, Rhys practised law in the corporate and commercial team at Deacons (now Norton Rose Fulbright).

Examples of Rhys’ recent transactions include:

• the demolition and sale of a Tasmanian power station site;
• drafting and negotiating a behind-the-meter offtake agreement, load interruptibility services agreement and REC sale and purchase agreement for a Tasmanian wind farm operator;
• advising Hydro Tasmania and its wholly owned subsidiary, AETV Pty Ltd, on its pricing and access dispute with Tasmanian Gas Pipeline Pty Ltd, which gave rise to the first arbitration to be heard under Part 23 of the National Gas Rules;
• advising Hydro Tasmania on its response to the Flood Enquiry Committee during the floods in 2016;
• advising Hydro Tasmania and its South African subsidiaries on the development of a project financed 10 MW run-of-river hydropower plant in the Northern Cape, on the Orange River downstream of the existing Neusberg Weir; and
• advising Hydro Tasmania, and AETV Pty Ltd, on its gas price reset negotiation under its legacy gas sale and purchase agreement with a gas commodity supplier.