Simmons & Simmons, SNR Denton, Bevan Brittan and Osborne Clarke have lined up to advise on a £230m energy deal in Devon.

The private finance initiative deal sees top 15 City firm Simmons advising German energy company MVV Umwelt, which has struck a deal with three local councils – Plymouth, Torbay and Devon County – to build a 245,000-tonne energy plant in the Devonport Dockyard.

The plant will create energy from burning local waste, with the energy being produced for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for use at the Devonport Naval Base.

The deal has seen SNR Denton act for the MoD, Bevan Brittan advise the local councils in a joint venture as the South West Devon Waste Partnership and Osborne Clarke act for Devonport Dockyard.

Projects partner Richard Dyton led the City-based team for Simmons, while London energy partner Lucille De Silva led for SNR Denton. Bevan Brittan floated a team led by Bristol waste energy specialist partner Christopher Jarman while Osborne Clarke ran a team led by defence projects partner Julia Wood and energy partner Alan John, both based in Bristol.

The 25-year deal is viewed as groundbreaking in the UK, while being more common in other parts of Europe.

Dyton commented: "This is interesting because there are not many major projects like this one around at the moment. It is also exciting because the energy produced will be fed back to the port itself rather than into the general electricity grid, as is the norm."

Jarman commented: "This is a significant and groundbreaking waste project that is a template for future residual waste facilities."