Dr. Ceciel Nieuwenhout is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Energy Law at the Groningen Centre of Energy Law and Sustainability. We've asked her a few questions below to learn more about her academic profile and perspectives on the courses and programmes that she teaches within the Faculty.

What is your specific academic background, and what are your research interests? Do you currently work on any specific research projects?

My academic background is EU law (with a specialisation in energy and climate law). As such, my interests are naturally energy and climate law, but from a broader perspective I also like to stay up to date on competition and state aid law, and from the perspective of my PhD project, issues related to the law of the sea (part of international law), especially where it concerns the tension between construction (or removal) of installations and even artificial islands for the energy transition and the conservation of the marine environment.

At the moment, I work on a Horizon2020 Research project “POCITYF”. In this project, I look at the legal and regulatory aspects of so-called ‘positive energy districts’. In the project, certain districts in European cities will be turned into energy-positive districts, which means buildings will have to be retrofitted, solar panels are installed and electric mobility is growing. A smart energy system is developed to connect these developments to each other and to make sure that demand and supply of energy are matched within the district. From a legal perspective, interesting question rise with regard to energy law (for example, who can own and operate a battery storage system?), construction law (can you go beyond the nationally fixed construction rules to make a district energy positive?) but also data protection law (how to make sure the smart energy system has sufficient data to match demand and supply without processing too much personal data, which are protected under the GDPR?)

What courses do you teach within the Faculty?

I am one of the teachers of Energy Market Law, where I teach the lectures on competition and state aid law in the energy sector. Moreover, I teach certain specific parts of the post-academic courses we offer, and I supervise master theses for the LLM Energy and Climate Law.

What do you enjoy teaching about these courses?

What I like most is the fact that the field of energy law in general, and the courses I teach specifically, are developing at fast pace: that challenges me to look at the material each year and see what’s new. I wonder whether there are other sectors that change as fast as the energy sector!  Also, I really like to supervise students in their master thesis process as I can see them grow and develop their own ideas. I love to see their originality and enjoy the new viewpoints I learn by reading their ideas.

How is the programme you teach in unique compared to similar programmes elsewhere?

There are several programmes (at other universities) on the topic of "Energy and natural resources law" but they are usually oriented towards traditional, fossil fuels. Although our master also has its background in the production of gas (as Groningen is located on top of one of the largest onshore natural gas reservoirs in Europe), it is currently oriented towards the entire energy chain, including renewable energy and the role of consumers who become producers of solar energy (so-called “prosumers”), and it includes a large role for climate law as well, which is generally not the case in other energy law programmes.

What career prospects do you think there could be for students who pursue careers in your specific legal field of expertise?

As one of the founding members of the alumni association for this LLM, I have been in touch with loads of alumni. Some people start to work in law firms, handling for example project development of new energy projects such as power plants or wind farms. Others are working for the ministry of energy/economic affairs of their country or for the national regulatory authority (that supervises the energy sector). Then, there are people working as a company lawyer for energy network companies or for other companies active in the energy sector. Quite a few alumni end up in Brussels, working either for one of the industry associations or lobby associations – or working for the European Commission. Finally, although there are many different job opportunities out there, some people choose to stay in academia, like myself!

Has the Covid-19 situation or any other recent international events affected the way in which experts in your field practise/operate their professions?

Covid-19 has definitely affected how experts in the energy (law) sector work. Normally, I saw lots of European cooperation on various projects. For my PhD project on an offshore electricity grid in the North Sea, it speaks for itself that we regularly had to meet with the countries around the North Sea. But also in my current project, where cities learn from each other when it comes to the realisation of PEDs, the exchange of knowledge and experience has been made more difficult through covid-19. Of course, digital meetings and digital conferencing tools have taken a large role in the past two years, but building up long-lasting relations with other experts in Europe just goes better if you can actually meet for a conference or a project.

Of course, on a day-to-day level, I think most people are tired of homeworking, in the energy sector as much as in other sectors. And for those in academia: although digital teaching can be ideal for inviting a guest lecturer from abroad, I sincerely hope that most of teaching will be physically in a classroom again!

Do you have any advice for students interested in pursuing your same field of legal expertise?

Energy law may seem like a niche, but it is definitely a niche with a lot of developments and a lot of job opportunities. So, don’t let the fact that it’s a niche, scare you off to subscribe to the Energy and Climate Law LLM! And for those of you already studying energy law: try to make a link to other disciplines, such as energy economics, engineering or philosophy (how to achieve a fair division of resources between current and future generations?). The options for interdisciplinarity make it even more interesting to study energy and climate law!

- Interview by: Dr. Chris Brennan, Marketing Advisor, Faculty of Law

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