Practice area 01
Energy and natural resources
Licences, gas, power and mining, handled by lawyers who have sat across the table from regulators, lenders and host communities.
Nigeria’s energy sector rewards the companies that get the paperwork right first. We advise oil and gas companies, independent power producers, mini-grid developers, lenders and state governments on the whole life of a project, from the licence application to the day the asset is sold.
Since the Petroleum Industry Act reshaped the sector, our clients have needed fresh answers on licence conversion, host community trusts and gas pricing. We have built those answers into checklists and templates, so the first draft you receive already reflects the current rules.
In power, we write and negotiate power purchase agreements, connection agreements and embedded generation arrangements for estates, factories and campuses. In mining, we help investors obtain and keep mineral titles, and we handle community development agreements with care.
The practice
Services, process and example fees
Upstream and midstream
Licence conversions, farm-ins, joint operating agreements, marginal field transactions and the regulatory approvals that make them stick.
Gas and power
Gas supply and aggregation, embedded generation, power purchase agreements and the bankability reviews lenders ask for.
Mini-grids and solar
Site leases, community agreements, tariff approvals and subsidy programme documentation for distributed energy developers.
Mining
Exploration licences, mining leases, environmental approvals and the community agreements that the law now requires.
Energy disputes
Arbitration of gas price reviews, construction claims on power plants and disputes with regulators, led with our disputes team.
- Week 1
Scoping call
We map the approvals your project needs and the order they must come in.
- Weeks 2 to 4
Applications and drafting
We prepare filings and first drafts of the key contracts.
- Weeks 4 to 10
Negotiation
We negotiate with counterparties, lenders and regulators, and report weekly.
- Close
Signing and conditions
We run the closing checklist and hand you a bible of signed documents.
| Service | Scope | Example fee | Typical time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence renewal or transfer | Filing, follow-up and approval | ₦1,200,000 | 6 to 12 weeks |
| Power purchase agreement | Drafting and negotiation | ₦2,400,000 | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Mini-grid project pack | Site lease, community agreement, tariff filing | ₦1,800,000 | 6 weeks |
| Regulatory health check | Review of licences and compliance | ₦950,000 | 3 weeks |
Example rates for this demo, plus VAT at 7.5 percent and government fees at cost.
Selected matters
Recent work (examples)
Advised a consortium on a ₦38bn financing for a 40 MW solar plant in northern Nigeria (example matter).
Negotiated gas supply for an industrial park outside Abuja, including a take-or-pay cap that protected the buyer in slow months (example matter).
Secured the transfer of an exploration licence to a new joint venture within the statutory timeline (example matter).
Advises upstream and midstream companies, lenders and state governments on licences, gas supply, power purchase agreements and mini-grid projects.
The team
Who leads your energy matter
Partner
Chukwuemeka Obi
Energy and natural resources
Senior associate
Zainab Garba
Public law and regulatory
How we staff it
Chukwuemeka leads and signs off every piece of advice. Zainab runs the matter day to day and is your first call. A pupil or NYSC member supports research and filings, supervised at every step.
If your matter touches other areas, Chukwuemeka brings in the right partner and keeps one fee estimate.
Questions
Asked often
Do you work for host communities as well as companies?
Yes, where there is no conflict. We have advised community trusts on their rights under the new law, and we tell every client at the start whose side we are on.
Can you help a small solar developer, not only large companies?
Most of our mini-grid clients are small teams. We have a fixed-fee project pack built for them.
Do you handle environmental approvals?
We coordinate the legal side of environmental impact assessments with your consultants and file the applications.
How do you charge on large projects?
Usually a capped fee per phase, agreed in writing before work starts, with a monthly report against the cap.
Related
Areas that often work alongside this one
01
Banking and finance
Loans that close on time, security that holds when it is tested, and fintech licences that let you launch.
02
Dispute resolution
Litigation, arbitration and mediation, run with a plan, a budget and an honest view of your chances from the first meeting.
03
Corporate and commercial
From the day you register the company to the day you sell it, with clean records in between.
Consultations
Book a consultation with the right partner
Forty-five minutes, in chambers in Gwarinpa or by video, for ₦50,000 (example rate), credited to your first invoice. We run a conflict check before we meet.
