Shearman & Sterling is set to bulk up its London projects practice with the hire of Ashurst energy partner John Inglis.

Inglis, who joined Ashurst from Norton Rose in 2007, is a member of the firm's energy transport & infrastructure team in London, focusing on the development and financing of energy projects in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

He has worked with sponsors and financiers including multilaterals, export credit agencies and Islamic institutions across projects such as power generation, petrochemical, refinery, LNG and upstream oil and gas developments.

Most recently, he advised the lenders on Abu Dhabi's $1.5bn (£932m) Shuweihat 3 independent power plant (IPP) project, which was one of the largest project financing deals of 2011.

At Shearman he will become the fourth partner in the UK projects practice, alongside partners including London office head and EMEA practice head Nick Buckworth.

Inglis said: "This is a very exciting opportunity for me. There are great synergies between the work I have been doing, especially with developers based in Asia and international banks, and Shearman's global platform."

News of his hire comes after Shearman's former London chief, project finance partner Kenneth MacRitchie, announced his departure to join UK Green Investments as general counsel.

MacRitchie was a partner in Shearman's London office for 15 years and headed the base until 2008, when he was replaced by finance partner Anthony Ward.

In his new role, MacRitchie will be the main legal counsel at UK Green Investments, the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills team serving as a precursor for the Government's new Green Investment Bank initiative, intended to accelerate private sector investment. He will be part of the team charged with the initial structuring of the institution, which is expected to be fully operational by early 2013.