Morrison Foerster Adds Energy and Data Centre Transaction Partners in London as Power Infrastructure Deal Flow Accelerates
Morrison Foerster has hired partners specialising in energy transactions and data centre deals, reinforcing its London practice as transactional activity in power infrastructure and digital infrastructure converges. The hires follow the firm's earlier recruitment of tech M&A and commercial technology partners in London this year. The expansion reflects a broader market dynamic: the explosion in demand for data centres — driven by AI workloads and cloud computing — is creating a new class of energy-intensive infrastructure deals that require lawyers who can navigate both power purchase agreements (long-term contracts for electricity supply), grid connection agreements, and the M&A and financing structures needed to develop or acquire assets at scale. In parallel, DNV, the technical assurance body, published a position paper at the All Energy conference in Glasgow warning that scaling AI in energy networks requires formal digital trust frameworks. DNV's senior VP for UK and Ireland energy systems, Hari Vamadevan, stated that broader AI deployment without stronger governance, monitoring, and assurance frameworks introduces risks around operational control, system resilience, data quality, and regulatory oversight — reinforcing that energy and technology transactions now carry a distinct layer of digital governance complexity that legal advisers must understand.
Why this matters
The co-location of energy and data centre transactional expertise in a single law firm practice reflects how deal structures in these sectors are converging: a hyperscale data centre is now as much an energy infrastructure asset as it is a technology investment. Grid connection constraints across the UK and EU mean that energy lawyers who can advise on grid access agreements and regulatory interfaces with Ofgem are essential to closing these transactions. Morrison Foerster's build-out positions it to compete for the cross-sector mandates that Magic Circle and US firms are already chasing, particularly on the energy-tech nexus that will dominate infrastructure deal flow through the decade.
On the Ground
On an energy infrastructure transaction, a trainee would be responsible for grid connection agreement analysis — reviewing the terms under which a new data centre or generation asset connects to the national grid, and summarising key conditions and termination rights for the supervising partner. They would also coordinate regulatory filing submissions to Ofgem and draft planning permission or licence condition summaries as part of the due diligence process.
Interview prep
Soundbite
Data centres are now energy infrastructure deals — firms hiring energy lawyers alongside tech transactional partners are positioning for the decade's dominant deal type.
Question you might get
“What legal issues arise when a private equity sponsor acquires a data centre that relies on a bespoke grid connection agreement, and how would you advise on the key risks?”
Full answer
Morrison Foerster has hired energy and data centre transaction partners in London, a move that directly tracks the convergence of power infrastructure and digital infrastructure deal flow driven by AI-driven electricity demand. Grid constraints and long-lead power purchase agreements mean energy regulatory expertise is now a prerequisite for closing hyperscale data centre transactions. DNV's concurrent warning about AI governance risks in energy networks adds a compliance dimension: clients building or acquiring energy-intensive digital infrastructure now need advice that spans grid access, power contracting, and emerging digital assurance frameworks. Law firms that can bundle these capabilities are best placed for the infrastructure mandates that will define the next cycle.
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