Raluca Gabor

Raluca is a Counsel in our Energy & Infrastructure and Mergers & Acquisitions Groups.

She has extensive experience in large infrastructure projects in all stages (from permitting to operational maturity) with a bias towards energy including, more specifically, renewables, conventional electricity, shore and offshore oil & gas, mining, natural resources and petrochemical industries. Her career started during the first wave of “renewables”, quickly spanned over related topics such as green certificates state aid scheme in the following years and continued in unbundling of the supply and distribution activities, the attempts to liberalize the electricity and gas markets, prohibition and later liberalization of bilateral electricity contracts and modernization of the centralized market, only to peak over the attempts to develop offshore petroleum projects and shift towards carbon neutrality and mature investments in renewable energy. On Mergers & Acquisitions she advised across the board on all types and levels of deals, including asset and share buyouts, joint ventures, investments, and was heavily involved in the corporate governance and general corporate advisory especially for large players in the Energy Sector.

More recently, Raluca consolidated her experience in the consumers’ protection and advertising and labelling sector, having acted for numerous clients from the food industry. Raluca is praised by clients for her receptive approach, thoroughness and energy, always in search for the “perfect” solution to address the client’s need.Prior to joining SAA in 2022, Raluca has work for almost 9 years at NNDKP and Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii, 2 of the top law firms in Romania and has been a member of the Bucharest Bar and the Romanian Bar association since 2013.

LANGUAGES

Romanian – English

EDUCATION

2015 – National Institute for Professional Development of Attorneys

2013 – Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.)

Faculty of Law, “Nicolae Titulescu” University, Bucharest

PROJECTS

ENERGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

• Advised Prime Label on the acquisition of Romanian printing company Grafoprint.
• Advised Express Euroscan, one of the leading Romanian companies in the field of domestic and international heavy tonnage transportation, on the acquisition of Denis Spedition SRL and Denis Spedition GMBH, two refrigerated cargo transport companies.
• Advised a Japanese investor in connection with a project for the construction of a new 250 MW gas to energy generation unit through a Joint Venture established with a State-owned energy company envisaged to be supported by the non-reimbursable financing allocated from the National Investments Plan approved under the greenhouse gas emission scheme.
• Advised a local gas producer in connection with setting up a partnership with a State-owned company for the development of 4 photovoltaic energy generation projects financed from the Modernization Fund.
• Advised a major international oil and gas corporation with respect to matters concerning the first attempt to develop a deep offshore petroleum project in Romania.
• Advised a Chinese investor in relation to a partnership for the construction of two reactors at the Romanian nuclear power plant in Cernavoda.
• Advised a multilateral developmental investment bank for the purpose of granting assistance in the implementation of energy efficiency projects by certain municipalities for the implementation of public lighting/building related projects.
• Advised a Hungarian company with respect to providing the first central clearing services on the Romanian centralized natural gas markets.
• Advised a concessionaire distribution operator and the supply company, both part of a vertically integrated undertaking, with respect to finalizing the implementation of the functional unbundling process (including rebranding).
• Advised an electricity distribution operator in relation to the approval by the National Regulatory Authority for Energy of the distribution fees.
• Advised one of the Romanian gas producers in relation to challenging in court secondary legislation issued by the National Energy Regulatory Authority through which gas producers were obliged to offer gas on the Romanian centralized market (gas release program).
• Advised a Romanian gas producers in defending against a litigation involving all gas producers active on the market during 2013 – 2016 having as subject matter the financial settlement of quantities sold on the regulated market during such period of time.
• Advised a gas producer and supplier in Romania in defending against a hardship litigation grounded on the abrupt natural gas price increase during 2022.
• Advised a multilateral project company in the prospective implementation of the first LNG (liquefied natural gas) project in Romania (project was aborted).
• Advised a Hungarian natural gas trader in obtaining the confirmation right to trade on the Romanian market, as well as to obtain access right in the virtual trading point (VTP) and to register on the centralized markets.
• Advised a Canadian producer of photovoltaic panels regarding the drafting of an Engineering and Procurement Contract (EPC) aimed to be concluded with Romanian developers of renewable projects.
• Advised clients in all stages of the development and operation of renewable energy projects.
• Advised a Swiss State-owned company in relation to its electricity and gas supply activities conducted in Romania, consist in, inter alia, drafting various agreements (such as electricity and green certificates acquisition agreements, electricity and natural gas supply agreement, balancing services agreement, power market representation services agreement), assistance regarding various issues related to the application of the renewable electricity support scheme etc.
• Advised a producer of heat and electricity in high efficiency cogeneration in relation to its production, supply and distribution activities, consisting of, inter alia, the reorganization of the generation unit by transferring some of its hot water boilers to another company and negotiations regarding the lease agreement of the installations and equipment.
• Advised several end consumers of electricity and natural gas in the implementation of various solutions for the reduction of their carbon footprint and energy cost.
• Member of the legal team assisting a major international oil and gas corporation in the public consultation organized in connection with the draft law regarding the petroleum offshore operations.
• Member of the team involved in the public consultations regarding the amendment of the petroleum law no. 238/2004 organized by the Ministry of Energy in 2019.

Corporate/M&A

• Advised sennder on the acquisition of C.H. Robinson’s European surface transportation operations.
• Advised the logistics company ESP Solutions on the Romanian elements related to the acquisition of Autransa Group.
• Advised Walden Group – the European leader in transport in healthcare – on its acquisition of the Romanian target Alex International Transport 94. 
• Advised Rockpool on all Romanian elements of the transaction whereby the latter invested in EC Electronics, an electronics manufacturing service provider for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and product innovators in the UK and Europe. 
• Advised Reorg in relation to the acquisition of the modern technology provider FinDox.
• Advised Europe’s market leader for premium services covering all aspects of on-the-road supply and mobility for truck and car fleets in the acquisition of two Romanian entities active in the fuel card and tax refund businesses. Advised an multinational information technology service and consulting company in connection with the acquisition of several custom software product engineering companies active in Romania.
• Advised certain banks and investment funds in relation to the financing and re-financing of solar and wind farm projects.
• Advised a Romanian gas producers in the transfer of the rights and obligations under several concession agreements for the exploitation of certain oil fields.
• Advised several investors in relation to the acquisition of renewable energy projects in all stages of development.
• Advised a state-owned Hungarian company in relation to the sale of its participating in an electricity and natural gas trading and supply company in Romania.