Energy projects for construction lawyers

This subtopic concentrates on the construction aspects of energy projects. See Practice Note: Introduction to UK energy projects for construction lawyers.

For detailed information on energy projects more generally, see the Energy Practice Area.

Procurement options

There are three main procurement routes used in UK energy projects:

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EPC
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split EPC
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multi-party EPC

The EPC contract is the most common method of procurement for UK energy, large-scale and complex infrastructure projects. Under an EPC contract the contractor is responsible for the delivery of the total project including the design, engineering, procurement of the materials, construction and testing of the mechanical elements. See: EPC contracts—overview.

A split EPC contract, as the name suggests, means that the employer splits the EPC into two or more separate contracts. The separate contracts will be for different types of works, for example a supply contract and an installation contract. In some circumstances, one contract is placed on-shore and one off-shore to make use of differing tax treatment.

Multi-party contracts are different to EPC contracts in that they involve a number of contractors dealing with separate elements

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