What actually stops projects
Energy projects rarely fall over because the engineering was wrong. They fall over because a permit was not obtained in the right sequence, because the site was not secured on terms that survive a change of ownership, or because two partners who agreed on the opportunity never agreed on what happens when it costs more than expected.
The four that matter most
- Site control. Ownership, lease or easement, on terms long enough to outlast the project and binding on a successor owner.
- Permits, in the correct order. Environmental, construction and connection consents interlock, and obtaining one before its prerequisite wastes both.
- Grid connection. Availability, timing and cost, which frequently determine whether a project is viable at all.
- The partnership terms. Funding obligations, decision rights, deadlock, default and exit, agreed before money is committed rather than after.
Where the work has been
The clearest example is a hydrocarbon project in Lithuania: forming and negotiating an international joint venture, then drafting and submitting a tender bid for the Kudirka-Kybartai resource area. That is a piece of work with both halves of this practice in it, a cross-border corporate structure and a Lithuanian regulatory process, and it is the kind of instruction the two admissions exist for.
Vincentas is a great lawyer and was instrumental in forming and negotiating an international joint venture, drafting and submitting a tender bid for the Kudirka-Kybartai hydrocarbon resource area, and worked on the project tirelessly. I value his professionalism and integrity.
The Lithuanian context
Lithuania has spent the last few years rebuilding its energy position deliberately. It ended reliance on Russian gas, uses the Klaipėda liquefied natural gas terminal as its principal import route, and in February 2025 synchronised its electricity system with the continental European grid, leaving the post-Soviet arrangement behind. Renewables procurement, including offshore wind in the Baltic Sea, has expanded alongside that.
For a UK developer or investor, the practical consequence is a market with genuine activity, EU regulatory architecture, and a permitting and land system that behaves nothing like the English one. That is a normal reason to need local advice, and an unusual one to be able to get it from the same person handling the UK side.
What I handle
- Joint ventures and project companies, including funding, control and exit terms.
- Tender and concession bids, including qualification requirements and bid documentation.
- Permitting and regulatory compliance for projects in Lithuania.
- Land and site agreements, including leases, easements and rights that bind successors.
- Project contracts: construction, supply, offtake and connection agreements.
- Project financing documentation and security arrangements.
- Disputes arising out of energy projects, in either jurisdiction.
What it costs
Energy work is quoted matter by matter, with a written estimate before anything starts. Discrete pieces, such as reviewing a site agreement, a permitting review or a bid qualification check, can usually be fixed-fee. Longer projects are quoted by stage so the cost stays visible as the project develops rather than arriving at the end.
Common questions
Can a UK company develop an energy project in Lithuania?
Yes. Lithuania is an EU member state with an established regulatory framework and active renewables procurement. The practical requirements are a suitable local structure, site control on durable terms, and permits obtained in the right sequence. None of that is unusual; it simply cannot be run on English assumptions.
What is the most common reason an energy project stalls?
Permitting and land rights, in most cases, followed by grid connection timing. The technical and commercial sides tend to be well managed. What gets underestimated is that consents interlock, so obtaining one out of order can mean doing it again.
What should a joint venture agreement cover?
Funding obligations and what happens if a partner cannot meet a call, decision rights and which decisions require unanimity, deadlock resolution, default, and how a partner exits and at what valuation. Almost every serious joint venture dispute traces back to one of those being left vague.
Do you advise on tender and concession bids?
Yes, and the qualification stage is where the value is. A bid that fails a formal requirement is rejected before the commercial evaluation happens, which is an expensive way to lose. Consortium structure, evidence requirements and submission format all need checking before the commercial work is finalised.
Has Lithuania's energy market changed since 2022?
Substantially. Russian gas imports ended, the Klaipėda LNG terminal became the principal import route, and in February 2025 the electricity system synchronised with the continental European grid. Renewables procurement, including Baltic Sea offshore wind, has expanded alongside that.
Can you cover both the UK and Lithuanian sides of a project?
Yes, and that is the point of the practice. Corporate structuring on one side and permitting and land on the other run on a single file, in English, Lithuanian or Russian, without a correspondent firm in the middle.
This page states the law of England & Wales and Lithuania as at 18 August 2026. It is general information, not advice on your matter, and reading it does not create a solicitor-client relationship.