Rae Gilchrist
Legal Director, Energy and Strategic Land
Rae advises on the property aspects of renewable energy transactions and projects. She has considerable experience in large-scale energy projects, including onshoring land requirements of offshore wind farms and major onshore wind farms, including wind farm extensions, access sharing and oversail pinch points. She also handles solar – ground, mounted and rooftop -and battery storage projects and routinely carries out property due diligence for competitive tender processes, financing, acquisitions, and divestments.
Rae manages volume utility and infrastructure deals, advising large energy companies on their network infrastructure, grid infrastructure, and substation and connection arrangements across Scotland.
She also acts for strategic land owners in relation to development of land for housing and commercial units.
Sector experience includes:
- Voluntary agreements, compulsory purchase, divestment, and OFTO sale relating to onshore cable corridor for 1,075MW offshore wind farm;
- Ongoing voluntary agreements and real estate aspects of compulsory purchase for onshore cable corridor for 4.1GW offshore wind farm;
- Advising network operator on new transmission link to Orkney;
- Acting for network operator in the acquisition of land rights for major transmission substations for grid reinforcement and island connectors;
- Acting for developers acquiring rights for ground mounted solar farms and battery storage projects along with rights for grid connection routes;
- Advising existing 228MW onshore wind farm on interface with proposed new wind farms, including wake loss and access sharing issues;
- Advising on proposed 95MW and various other extensions of existing onshore wind farm;
- Advising existing 522MW wind farm on interface with network infrastructure and proposed new neighbouring wind farms;
- Property advice on acquisition of 49% share of 24 wind farms with global capacity of 550MW in deal worth c.£700m;
- Acting for landowner in relation to development of Tornagrain, a new town designed to be a community of 5000 dwellings with schools, shops, employment and infrastructure;
- Acting in relation to the Winchburgh development;
- Acting in the sale of land for up to 800 dwellings at South Queensferry;
- Acting for a strategic Landowner in relation to development of land at Kilmarnock for up to 1,500 dwellings;
- Acting for a landowner in relation to natural capital partnerships for over 1,000ha of native woodland and peatland restoration.
Rae is the Chair of the Gillespie Macandrew Charity Committee leading the group dedicated to supporting the relationship with the firm’s charity partners focussed on a variety of causes through community projects and associations.
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Rae Gilchrist
Recent News & Insights by Rae
16 May 2022 | Time to read: 2 mins
Tornagrain | New Town Development
By Amy McDowell, Derek McCulloch, Robert Scott-Dempster, Rae Gilchrist
We act for Tornagrain Limited, part of the Moray Estates group, in connection with the development of the Tornagrain new town.
17 August 2021 | Time to read: 3 mins
New Telecoms Code
he first three years of the new code being in place has been an important period for the code to be tested and considered in the Lands Tribunals.
17 August 2021 | Time to read: 2 mins
Hydrogen Strategy Announced
Hydrogen Strategy announced by UK Government, committing to support the development of a Hydrogen Economy.