Facilitating renewable energy investments in Europe

H.R.L. Morrison & Co is an international asset manager–investor organisation based in New Zealand, with other offices in Australia, Europe and Asia. The company contracted RSK and RSK’s partner Sancroft International, an international sustainability consultancy in London, UK, to undertake some market research to establish the key environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities involved in developing, engineering and operating wind and solar schemes in Europe.

A team of RSK and Sancroft specialists collaborated to produce a report detailing the key ESG risks. An RSK renewables specialist, noted for applying his environmental impact assessment (EIA) knowledge to projects throughout Europe, also contributed to the project and the resulting report. His ability to provide support from a technical ESG perspective and to use his operational knowledge and understanding (having previously worked as a technical/development director at a renewable energy developer), was a unique selling point for our team’s offer. The team used his broader renewables expertise and RSK’s international footprint to craft a detailed and well-informed report. The corresponding research that was commissioned complemented the client’s business plan and European renewables strategy. The project’s scope involved undertaking a desktop review of European-level policy, regulatory requirements and other key stakeholder documentation. The joint RSK–Sancroft team identified the key ESG risks and opportunities and criticality assessed those that were considered material to the strategy and the investment committee process.

The work covered five core and five secondary geographical markets in Europe using a political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental (PESTLE) analysis. H.R.L. Morrison & Co praised the high-quality report, which it used to help develop the company’s investment strategy in Europe. The organisation is continuing to monitor its opportunities in the European market.

RSK group can offer a wide range of support in the fields of technical due diligence, ESG, EIA and environmental and social impact assessments (ESIA) across its global footprint and can often support clients with technical assessments and due diligence requirements to international lender standards (for example, International Finance Corporation, World Bank and Equator Principles).