Latham & Watkins is advising Energy Capital Partners and its consortium partner KKR on the proposed recommended acquisition of DCC Energy plc, announced on 27 July 2026 and valuing the international energy distribution business at approximately £5.75 billion.
The proposed take-private places Latham at the centre of a major public M&A transaction involving an international multi-energy sales and distribution business serving millions of customers across commercial and industrial, public and domestic markets.
DCC Energy provides mainly off-grid energy solutions led by liquid gas, while also operating service stations and fleet services. The range of those activities helps explain why the legal mandate extends beyond the core acquisition documents.
London corporate partners Doug Abernethy and David Walker are leading the Latham team, supported by associates Nick Fisher, Stephanie Aitken and Katherine Hall. Regulatory advice is being provided by partners Philipp Studt, Jonathan Parker and Ludmilla Le Grand, alongside associates Edd Rarity, James Mathieson, Milo Noone and Nayantara Mukerji.
The transaction also requires specialist input across employment, tax and hedging matters. Kendall Burnett and counsel Kate Crompton are advising on employment and benefits issues, while Helen Lethaby and associate Rikesh Gandhi are handling tax matters. Delyth Hughes and associate Airlia Hie are advising on hedging arrangements connected with the proposed acquisition.
For solicitors and in-house counsel, the mandate illustrates the level of coordination required when private capital investors acquire a large operating business serving several customer markets. Corporate teams must align the offer process with regulatory analysis, workforce considerations, tax structuring and hedging arrangements while keeping the transaction timetable and each legal workstream closely coordinated.
The structure of the Latham & Watkins team reflects the practical demands of a transaction of this scale. Corporate, regulatory, employment, tax and hedging issues must be managed in parallel, with clear responsibility for matters that could affect negotiations, financing or completion.
For law firm management, the mandate underlines the need for disciplined coordination across practice groups, consistent document control and sufficient senior oversight throughout the deal process. On high-value take-private transactions involving London-listed companies, delays or gaps between specialist teams can quickly become commercial issues.
Latham & Watkins described the DCC Energy transaction as the latest in a series of high-profile London take-private mandates handled by the firm. As the deal progresses, advisers to the consortium, DCC Energy’s board and the financing parties will need to keep the corporate, regulatory, employment, tax and hedging workstreams closely aligned, particularly where outstanding conditions may affect the timetable or completion.