Sugandha Somani Gopal

Partner
[email protected]
+91 124 4390 656
Gurugram

Sugandha’s has over 14 years of work experience in all aspects of legal, regulatory, policy, commercial, strategy and compliance related issues arising in power projects (generation, transmission, distribution and trading), infrastructure projects (airports, ports, highways, metro railways, high speed rail) including public procurement and public private partnership projects, green hydrogen, carbon markets, electric vehicles, charging infrastructure and battery storage.

She has advised on policy, legal and regulatory framework suitable to promote development of energy and infrastructure sectors to several ministries / bodies of central and state governments, developmental financial institutions (the World Bank, ADB, UN), policy think tanks and non-profit organisations.

She has also advised on tender and bid related processes issued by both public and private organizations. This includes drafting and reviewing of tender documents, advisory on issues relating to public procurement, risk analysis and mitigation measures under standard bid documents.

She has led negotiations and structured investments in complex transactions, including advising clients on mergers & acquisitions, investments and financing infrastructure projects (involving extensive due diligence and advising on transaction documents). She also regularly advises clients on project implementation related issues arising under concession agreements, EPC and O&M agreements.

Sugandha has assisted clients on development of climate friendly and sustainable business models by advising on green credit programme, carbon markets (including trading of carbon credits, drafting of agreements for development of carbon projects), virtual power purchase agreements, renewable energy based captive power purchase agreements, et. al.

She has also been involved in various aspects of dispute resolution including evaluation of contractual arrangements / regulatory and legal framework to facilitate compliance and advising clients on processes to avoid / mitigate risks in the conduct of business; providing strategic advice & opinions; drafting pleadings, briefing counsel; representing clients and appearing before judicial / quasi-judicial bodies – both in original and appellate stages, including before the Supreme Court of India, High Court of Delhi, and the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity, Telecom & Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), Electricity Regulatory Commissions, and Competition Appellate Tribunal.

Sugandha has a MSc. in Global Energy and Climate Policy from SOAS, University of London. As a part of the course, she undertook research on EU Emissions Trading Scheme and her dissertation related to policy on solar projects in India, UK and Spain. She is currently a member of the Technical Working Group advising Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests on the legal and regulatory framework for establishing a voluntary carbon market in India.

Memberships

Bar Council of Delhi

Seminars

Speaker in a Webinar on Battery Storage and Contracts for Differences jointly organised by JSA and Pillsbury, London in 2020
Speaker in a Webinar on Virtual PPAs, jointly organised by JSA and Pillsbury, London in 2021
Speaker, in a webinar organized by WWF on virtual PPAs in 2021.
Conducted a ‘Workshop’ on issues and learnings in Public Private
Partnerships for state government officials of north-east in Guwhati, on behalf of Ministry of Finance.

Publications

“Climate Change is taking centre-stage in India’s finance budgets…what next? published in EPC World, 2022 (Co-written with Mr. Vishnu Sudarsan)
“Environmental Law – Trends and Developments” published in Chambers & Partners in November, 2020 (Co-written with Mr. Vishnu Sudarsan, Mr. Vinod Kumar, and Mr.Kartikeya GS)
“Infrastructure – The Opportunity and Challenges” published in the ET Insights in February, 2019 (Co-written with Mr. Amit Kapur, Mr. Vishnu Sudarsan, Mr. Ashish Suman, Mr Kartikeya GS and Mr. Akshat Jain)
India chapter in Chambers & Partners – Alternative Energy & Power 2019 (Co-written with Mr. Amit Kapur, Mr. Vishnu Sudarsan and Mr Kartikeya GS)
“Rooftop solar power could be a game-changer for India despite challenges: Here is why” published in CNBC, July 2019 (Co-written with Mr. Vishnu Sudarsan)