60 seconds with… Shona Watson

In light of the Energy Law Sub-Committee looking for a new convener, we check in with one of its newest members, Shona Watson, to discuss the UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, what motivated her to join the committee and the importance of learning from different perspectives.

Can you tell us a bit about your career so far? 

I started my career in contentious construction and discovered early on that I really enjoy the challenges and complexities of large-scale engineering contracts. I travelled a lot in the early years of my career, including time spent working in Dublin and Turks and Caicos. I returned to Edinburgh to work in private practice for a few years before moving in-house as legal counsel for the UK subsidiary of a German wind turbine manufacturer. At that time, onshore wind was really ramping up in the UK and while I worked for the company, it installed more than 2GW of onshore wind capacity. I made an internal move and spent a few years in operational management as legal and contracts manager for the company’s northern Europe service business unit, which gave me some great insight and experience of long-term operational issues of power generation.

I moved back to the legal side when I joined Siemens Gamesa, where I worked on large offshore wind projects within a global team for several years. I have recently joined Thistle Wind Partners (TWP), an Edinburgh-based offshore wind developer with two large ScotWind projects, one fixed and one floating. In my role as legal manager, I’m responsible for overseeing the delivery of legal services for TWP and for the Ayre and Bowdun projects. It promises to be an exciting and challenging time as our wind farms progress through the environmental assessments, consenting and planning phases, to construction, operation and management. Moving from a wind turbine generator (WTG) supplier to a developer has been incredibly rewarding already as I’m getting to see all the work that goes into an offshore wind farm before the actual turbines get anywhere near it. This means involvement in the legal issues surrounding consents, environment, wind and metocean assessments, and geotechnical surveys, as well as grid connection agreements, front-end engineering and consultancy, and wider procurement processes.

What motivated you to join the Energy Law Sub-Committee?

Having worked in the renewables industry for 15 years, I have seen the massive growth of the industry and the effects of changes in policy across all forms of energy. While my background and experience is specifically in wind turbines, I have been involved in many areas of energy law, including the wider energy market, offshore wind leasing rounds, energy pricing and routes to market for generators, including CfDs [the Contracts for Difference scheme]. This all fits in with the broader issues surrounding energy and the shift in how we produce, distribute and consume energy.

As we move further into the energy transition, policy and regulation are rapidly changing across the world and within the UK in particular as the Government seeks to promote renewable energy, enhance energy security and achieve net zero targets. It is an exciting and challenging time and it is essential that both public policy and the legal framework keep up with momentum. I think it is important that those working within the industry, and with practical experience of the issues at hand, are represented wherever possible. Joining the Energy Law Sub-Committee provided a great opportunity to be involved in the ongoing reform of energy law, as well as a chance for me to broaden my own perspective on the energy industry and gain more experience of committee working.

The committee combines the perspectives of solicitors and non-solicitors, so as someone who also works in-house, what do you think is the benefit of working with those not in a legal field?

One of the things I love about my job is the interaction with commercial and technical colleagues and the wider business perspective this gives me. I collaborate with colleagues across many different areas, from specialised grid engineers and wind turbine designers to financial analysts and commercial managers, and I really enjoy the collaborative environment as we all work towards the same purpose. I benefit from cross-functional learning and even when the legal side of the job is occasionally a bit dry (indemnity clauses, anyone?) the technical side is always interesting. Having to explain complex legal concepts to non-lawyers in understandable terms reinforces my own understanding and expertise, and the commercial knowledge I gain from sitting within the business is invaluable.

Renewable energy tends to attract enthusiastic and dynamic people who are passionate about driving positive change and it is a genuine pleasure to work within such a positive environment.

The UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan will be important to your day job and the committee’s plans for the next five years. How do you see it influencing your role and what can we expect going forward?

The Clean Power Action Plan has been widely welcomed within the renewables industry, and within wind in particular as it sets out an ambitious strategy to significantly expand offshore wind capacity. This presents opportunities, of course, but in practical terms it means we are dealing with a degree of uncertainty as mechanisms are put in place to allow for this expansion – for example, changes within the CfD regime, grid connection management reforms and changes to the consenting processes.

The Energy Law Sub-Committee focuses on policy underpinning the regulation of the wider energy sector, alongside looking at important issues affecting the industry. Over the next five years this will include the ongoing transition to cleaner forms of energy through renewables and low carbon energy projects and the impact these will have on consumers and business. The sub-committee therefore hopes to engage with those plans set out in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan as they are translated into policy and regulation in what will undoubtedly be an exciting and pivotal time for energy law in Scotland.

Looking at your career, what advice would you give to your younger self?

I didn’t know anything about renewable energy when I began my career. I could never have envisioned the role I have now, so I think it’s important to keep an open mind and be adaptable to change, both in industry and law but also in what interests you at any stage of your career. All experience is good experience (even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time!) and builds the skill set needed to specialise at a later stage.

Finally, what keeps you busy outside of work?

I like to spend as much time outdoors as possible, so I usually spend the weekends running, hiking or cycling – if it takes me past a wind farm, even better!

Applications are now open if you’d like to join Shona and the rest of the Energy Law Sub-Committee as their convener. The deadline is 4th March 2025.