Jon assists Norwegian and international clients within the energy sector, and his main areas of expertise are acquisitions, financing, negotiations, dispute resolution and regulatory requirements within this business segment. Jon’s practice includes assistance to petroleum producers on the Norwegian continental shelf, producers of hydro electric power and businesses engaged in new renewable power. He is admitted to the Supreme Court.
Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 have ranked Jon as one of Norway’s most prominent renewable energy and petroleum lawyers. In addition, he is also ranked among Norway’s most prominent energy lawyers in Finansavisen’s annual peer review among Norwegian commercial lawyers.
Awards, Work experience, Memberships and Education
- Top 10, Advokatundersøkelsen, Finansvisen, Renewable and climate, 2024
- Highly regarded, IFLR1000, Capital markets, Project development, Project finance and M&A, 2024
- Leading partner, Legal 500, Electricity and renewable energy, 2024
- Band 1, Chambers Europe, Energy: Renewables, 2024
- Band 1, Chambers Europe, Energy: Renewables, 2023
- Highly regarded, IFLR1000, Energy and infrastructure, 2023
- 2023
- 1st place, Advokatundersøkelsen, Finansavisen, Renewables and environmental, 2023
- Leading individuals, Legal 500, Electricity and Renewable Energy, 2022
- Band 1, Chambers Europe, Energy: Electricity, 2022
- Leading individuals, Legal 500, Electricity and renewable energy, 2021
- Band 4, Chambers Global, Energy: Oil & Gas – Norway, 2021
- Leading individuals, Legal 500, Electricity and renewable energy, 2020
- Band 1, Chambers Europe, Energy: Electricity – Norway, 2020
- Band 4, Chambers Europe, Energy: Oil & Gas – Norway, 2020
- 1st place, the Norwegian Financial Daily, Energy and climate, 2020
- Partner, Wiersholm, 2017
- Partner, Wikborg, Rein & Co, 2008
- Associate/Senior Associate/Managing Associate, Wikborg, Rein & Co, 2000
- Assistant professor, Faculty of law, University of Tromsø, 1999
- Lecturer and External Examiner, UiT, UiB and BI, 1997
- Network Leader, JUC Network for Energy Law, 2017
- Member, The Norwegian Bar Association’s law committee for energy law, hydro power, oil & gas, 2013, 2018
- Cand. Jur., University of Tromsø, 1999
Selected projects
Assistance to VNG AG in connection with the sale of its subsidiary VNG Norge AS to Neptune Energy Norge AS. VNG Norge AS was responsible for VNG Group's Oil and Gas exploration and production activities in Norway and Denmark, with a portfolio of 42 licenses, five producing fields and three development projects. The transaction will strengthen Neptune's position in Norway and leave room for new investments from VNG in new business areas such as digital infrastructure and biogas. Wiersholm's contribution to this transaction included a vendors' due diligence review of VNG Norge, input to the transaction structure and the transaction process, drafting of transaction documents and marketing documents, negotiations with potential acquirers, and assistance in finalising the transaction and the pre-closing integration.
Assistance to regional utilities TrønderEnergi and NTE Energi in connection with the reorganization, development, financing and part sale of a 450 MW wind power portfolio, of which 120 MW was existing capacity and 330 MW was ready-to-build development projects. Wiersholm's assistance included development of the projects to final investment decision, establishment of new corporate structure, legal due diligence on concessions, property rights and contracts, bank finance, share sales to new equity investors. Stadtwerke München entered as new 70 % owner of the portfolio in what was the largest wind transaction in Norway in 2018.
Assistance to Whitehelm Capital in connection with its acquisition of a stake in Kvitebjørn Varme AS, the owner and operator of the district heating network in the city of Tromsø, the largest urban area in Norway inside the Arctic Circle. The 49 percent equity interest was acquired from Kvitebjørn Energi AS, an energy company controlled by Norwegian investment group Daimyo, which will remain a shareholder in Kvitebjørn Varme AS. The acquisition was important for Whitehelm Capital as part of its strategic investments in infrastructure. This was its third investment in the Nordic region. Wiersholm has advised on all legal aspects of the process, including financing, regulatory, corporate, real property, M&A, contracts and environmental matters. Wiersholm also had an important role as strategical advisor. The matter is important because Wiersholm has advised from start to end of this comprehensive transaction, including collaboration with many advisors (technical, environmental, insurance, financial and legal).
Assistance to key stakeholders in connection with many of the largest and most prominent energy transactions in Norway during recent years, including Fortum’s sale of its Norwegian grid assets, Jämtkraft’s co-investment in and later divestment of hydropower assets controlled by Troms Kraft, and Elkem’s sale of its large hydro assets to public utilities.