Over the past year, Minter Ellison in Mongolia has been advising Rio Tinto, and its subsidiary Oyu Tolgoi LLC, on a landmark cooperation agreement with nomadic and local communities in the South Gobi province where its world-class Oyu Tolgoi copper mine is situated.

The agreement creates a framework regulating how the parties will work together towards sustainable development in important areas such as water, environment, pastureland management, cultural heritage, tourism, local business development and procurement.

DLA Piper represented TOTE, Inc., a marine transportation company, in multiple transactions related to the operation of the first-ever natural gas-powered container ships.

Sidley represented Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp. in its recent agreement with Starbucks Corporation to manufacture and expand the distribution of Starbucks’ ready-to-drink (RTD) products throughout mainland China. Under the agreement, Starbucks will be responsible for providing coffee expertise, brand development and future product innovation, and Tingyi will manufacture and sell Starbucks’ RTD portfolio in China.

The Sidley team was led by partner Constance Choy and foreign legal consultant Damien Yeow, both from the Hong Kong office.

Baker & McKenzie recently advised Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) on its agreement with Chinese leading food and beverage prodcuer Tingyi Holding Corp. (“Tingyi”) to manufacture and expand the distribution of Starbucks ready-to-drink (RTD) products throughout Mainland China.

Leading independent law firm Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek has helped international transport company Stagecoach Group expand its megabus.com inter-city coach services in Germany.

A new organisation set up to provide long-term assistance to survivors of human trafficking has formally launched in Sheffield, after legal experts at Irwin Mitchell provided support to help the body gain official charity status.

The Snowdrop Project has been established to support and empower survivors of human trafficking to take steps to come to terms with their ordeal, but also move forward and get the best from their lives.

Eversheds has advised the Department for Transport (DfT) on a new directly awarded rail franchise agreement with FirstGroup plc subsidiary First Greater Western Limited to operate the Great Western rail franchise until 1 April 2019 (with an optional extension period).

DLA Piper has advised Stobart Biomass Products Limited (Stobart) on the signing of a 15 year index-linked contract with Tilbury Green Power Limited in relation to exclusively supply waste wood to a new biomass plant to be built at Tilbury Port.

Stobart Energy will supply 270,000 tonnes p.a. of recycled waste wood to Tilbury Port which will supply renewable electricity equivalent to the needs of 70,000 homes, creating up to 370 jobs during the construction phase and nearly 50 full time jobs once operational.

Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co's energy specialists have advised Primrose Solar (Primrose) on a 104 MW transaction with EDF Energy, one of the UK’s largest energy companies.

Primrose has signed long-term Power Purchase Agreements with EDF Energy for five of its existing solar farms, which includes the UK's largest, in Hampshire. These farms total 104 MWp (Megawatt Peak) of capacity, enough to power approximately 31,500 average homes.

Partner Gus Wood led on the deal, with support from associate Alexandra Poynter.

Clyde & Co has advised Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) on a major LNG shipping transaction.  The deal sees MOL, a leading LNG vessel owner and operator, agree a long term charterparty with E.ON Global Commodities SE (EGC) and a shipbuilding contract with Korean builder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), the second largest shipbuilder in the world. The ship, due to be delivered by 2018, will be used by EGC to transport LNG cargoes on a worldwide basis. An agreement for a second ship was also signed, subject to final Board approval.