DLA is an international law firm with offices throughout the UK, Europe and Asia and over 3200 people including 370 partners. Since the beginning of the liberalisation process of the Italian electricity market in 1999 and of the gas market in 2000 the DLA Milan Office has assisted companies from the energy industry. In particular the Milan office provided the following assistance: structuring and financing of independent power generation projects; advice on any connected regulatory issue; advice on the authorisation procedure of greenfield and brownfield projects; advising on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, development projects; a generation of electric energy by the use of renewable resources like water, solar, wind; advice on the regulation of the Italian green certificate system; advice on the Italian CIP 6 regulation and on state aid issues; power trading; advising on the procedure for the registration of eligible customers, distributors and whole-sale-trader in the register of the Italian authority; drafting of electricity and natural gas supply type contracts for eligible customers; drafting of distribution agreements; drafting of transmission agreements and all related regulatory issues in connection with the relationship to the national grid operator; advising utilities and suppliers on the practical application of the EC and Italian public procurement rules; advice on bidding, tendering and procurement and on contractual conditions; the negotiation of supply, construction and operation & maintenance contracts for the energy industries; advice on the power exchange.