Photo, Arkadiusz Ratajczak

Arkadiusz Ratajczak

Associate
Baker McKenzie Krzyżowski i Wspólnicy Spółka Komandytowa

Biography

Arkadiusz Ratajczak is a senior associate in the Sustainability and Energy Transition team of Baker McKenzie's Warsaw office. He is experienced in energy law, helping clients manage legal risks, maximize investments, and achieve sustainability goals. He also advises on the implementation of business strategies related to energy regulations and the closed loop economy.

Arkadiusz is a lawyer with several years of experience. Prior to joining Baker McKenzie, he worked at a renowned law firm experienced in energy law consulting. His work included advising major energy companies operating across the value chain. He also served as Deputy Director of the Competition Promotion Department at the Energy Regulatory Authority, overseeing the settlement of state aid related to the termination of long-term electricity and power purchase contracts. He also worked at the Office of the Committee for European Integration during the period of accession negotiations and the first years of Poland's membership in the European Union.

Practice Focus

Areas of experience include:

  • Polish and EU climate and energy regulations
  • implementation of obligations under REMIT regulations (supervision of electricity and natural gas markets, internal compliance procedures)
  • contracts for the sale of electricity (including from RES, also PPA/cPPA) and natural gas, property rights arising from certificates of origin and energy efficiency certificates, as well as guarantees of origin
  • contracts for the provision of energy efficiency services
  • capacity market (capacity remuneration mechanisms - CRM) and support for nuclear power generation
  • generation, distribution and storage of electricity
  • demand side management and control (DSM), smart grid solutions
  • implementation of EU network codes
  • advising on M&A transactions and the investment cycle in the context of regulatory risks specific to the energy sector

Representative Legal Matters

Major consulting projects for key companies in the energy sector in Poland:

  • regulatory analyses of European and global (US) power mechanisms
  • providing legal services for one of the largest companies involved in electricity trading, particularly with regard to contracts for the sale of electricity from renewable sources, as well as certificates of origin of electricity, energy efficiency certificates, guarantees of origin and contracts for the provision of energy efficiency services
  • implementation of corporate solutions related to the obligation to ensure the integrity and transparency of wholesale energy markets under the REMIT regulation, together with analysis of cases of abuse in this regard in the EU and US energy markets
  • reports and analyses on the possibility and scope of application in energy markets of demand side control solutions (Demand Side Management, Demand Side Response) and regulatory aspects of the market use of energy storage facilities
  • advice on the rules of admissibility of state aid in connection with investments in the construction of nuclear power plants

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Warsaw Bar Association - Member

Admissions

  • Poland (2011)

Languages

  • Polish
  • English
  • French
  • Co-author, Energy Law Commentary ed. Prof. M. Swora Z. Muras, Warsaw 2016
  • Co-author, Law on electromobility and alternative fuels Commentary, ed. M. Swora, Warsaw 2019