Photo, William-James Kettlewell

William-James Kettlewell

Associate
Baker & McKenzie CVBA/SCRL

Biography

William-James Kettlewell is a senior associate in the EU Competition and Regulatory Affairs Practice Group of the Brussels’s office.

Practice Focus

William-James advises businesses extensively on European-wide energy, climate and sustainability issues. Thanks to his engineering background, he brings a novel perspective on legal matters as well as a practical understanding of energy and climate policies. His range of expertise spans from the EU carbon’s pricing instruments (EU ETS and CBAM) and renewable fuels and hydrogen markets, to the EU ESG landscape (EU taxonomy, CSRD, CSDDD, etc.).

Representative Legal Matters

  • Advised Assisted multiple clients clients in assessing the impact of on the Commission proposal for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on their trading activities and business, and taking into account the evolution of its links to the EU ETS, and in developing their compliance strategies.

  • Advise multiple multinational companies on how to develop their reporting strategies to comply with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and Taxonomy Regulation, including by taking into account current and upcoming due diligence obligations (under national and EU law).

  • Advised multiple clients on the developing regulatory and market framework for hydrogen and renewable fuels in the EU, including in the context of fuel production and trade projects.

  • Assisted in the drafting of a first-of-its-kind renewable hydrogen purchasing agreement for the trade of hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels through international shipping for a large EU energy company, including in light of the potential impact of the Commission's proposal for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on hydrogen imports landscape.

  • Assisted one of the largest real estate companies in the EU with the development of its compliance strategy with the Taxonomy Regulation, including with the assessment of the wider implications of this new regulatory framework for its real-estate business, notably regarding access to green funds.

  • Assisted with development of the design of – and with the analysis of the political and constitutional feasibility of implementing – a national regulatory framework for hydrogen, in particular hydrogen infrastructure, pre-empting EU legislation.

  • Assisted with the energy aspects of the investment in a special purpose vehicle for the construction and operations of an onshore wind farm, including in particular the review of the agreements for the sale of electricity and green certificates.

  • Assisted in the regulatory analysis of an innovative business and legal framework for the charging of electric vehicles in the Netherlands.

  • Assisted and advised a multinational investor group with the analysis of the general electricity market framework and the framework for renewable electricity subsidies and public support on an EU-wide level and with the Belgian context in particular.

Admissions

  • Brussels~Belgium (2018)

Education

  • Université Libre de Bruxelles (Master's degree in Law, magna cum laude, Ganshof van der Meersch Award) (2018)
  • Université Libre de Bruxelles (Master's degree in Engineering, magna cum laude) (2015)

Languages

  • English
  • French
  • Dutch
  • Japanese

Co-author and co-editor, “The Internal Energy Market,” Fifth edition, Claeys & Casteels, 2021

Co-author, “The European Green Deal in Times of Recuperation from COVID-19,” Law Notebook for Engineers (XII) – Wolters Kluwer España, February 2021

Co-author, “How will EU Policies Shape the Clean Hydrogen Funding Landscape,” Oil, Gas & Energy Law Intelligence, November 2020