Taciana Peão Lopes

Professional Memberships

Member of the Mozambican Bar Association;

Member of MWE - Mozambique Women of Energy;

Member of Women's Law Network;

Member of the AIPEN;

Member of the Institute for Energy Law;

Member of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation;

Member of the Portuguese Bar Association.

Publications

Mozambique Chapter on the Regulation of Decomissioning, Abandonement & Reuse Initiatives in the Oil & Gas Industry Book;

Chapter Energy Cooperation in Africa - In Energy Law, Climate Change and the Environment in the Elgar Encyclopaedia of the Environmental Law;

"Analysis of national content provisions in existing legislation in Mozambique: technical contributions" USAID, SPEED 2015;

"Mozambique: Support in the development of the legal framework for the LNG projects" USAID, SPEED 2014;

Energy (2016) - Fifth Edition Global Legal Insights - Mozambique Chapter

The International Comprehensive Guide to Mining Law (2015) - Mozambique Chapter

The International Comprehensive Guide to Procurement Law (2015) - Mozambique Chapter

The Mining Law Review (2016) - Mozambique Chapter

Oil & Gas Review (2016) - Mozambique Chapter

Getting the Deal Through (2011-2014): Oil & Gas Mozambique

Freshfields: Booklet Oil & Gas - Mozambican Chapter

IFRL:

-Nee Foreign Exchange Regulation

-Partnering for Good

-Mining for Success

Energy Efficiency - The Mozambican Case, in Africa Energy Yearbook 2013 in Association with Africa Energy Forum

Mining Law Review

-The Mining Capital Markets in Mozambique

Interview for the Special Report from Oil & Gas Investor and Global Business Report "Transforming East Africa into Global Energy Player"

European Lawyer Reference - Project Finance Jurisdictional comparisons Mozambique Chapter

Public Procurement in Mozambique - MGA & PLMJ Newsletter, 2010

Reform of the Judiciary Organization in Mozambique

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Mozambique and Portugal

Languages Spoken

Portuguese, English, Spanish, French

Industry Sector Expertise

International Visitors Leadership Program to Sustainability and the Extractive Industry supported by the Department of State of the USA;

Short training course and seminars on:

- Leadership and mentoring;

- Alternative Dispute Resolution Legislation and Mechanisms;

- Administration reform;

- Bill drafting, financial and credit institutions;

- Administrative reforms, banking agreements and legal operations;

- Capacity building, public administration reform and local government reform;

- Oil & Gas

Practice Areas

Drafting of Legislation/Technical Assistance

Renewables

Hydro

Gas

Coal

Oil&Gas Projects

Infrastructure and PPPs Projects

Institucional Projects

Career

From November 2019 (ongoing), Founder and CEO of Chairman Mozambique Enterprise Solutions.

From June 2018 (ongoing), Co-Founder and Founding Member of Mozambique Women of Energy.

January 2015 (ongoing), Managing Partner and Founding Partner of TPLA

September 2014 (ongoing), Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Practice of Independent Energy Legal Counsel

2011 - 2014, Partner - Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Practice at CGA

2004-2010, Senior Legal Advisor at MGA

2003-2003, Lecturer in Sociology Law at the Institute for Social Sciences

2002-2003, Lecturer in Sociology Law at the Centre for Judiciary and Judicial Training

2001-2004, Researcher at the Center for Social Studies, School of Economics, University of Coimbra

Personal

Taciana is the mother of four children and married to the Mozambican musician/composer João Carlos Schwalbach.

Education

Experience

In December 2014, Taciana incorporates the law firm TPLA -Taciana Peão Lopes e Associados. TPLA has at present 14 young lawyers and 3 partners.

Since early age Taciana has always been an active voice of human and specially women rights and she had the dream of founding a network for women in energy in Mozambique.

During 2016-2018 Taciana was enrolled in the LLM in Energy Law - the North Sea Energy Law Program, by the Universities of Oslo, Aberdeen, Groningen and Copenhagen, where she defended the thesis on “Energy Law and sustainable development in Mozambique: towards universal access through law and the power sector reform”

In August 2017, during the Graça Machel Trust Fund Women Advancing Forum – “Driving Social and Economic Transformation” - held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Taciana was featured in the book She Inspires Her Celebrating African Leading Women Entrepreneurs (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1970076266/she-inspires-her-celebrating-african-women-enterpr).

In September 2017 she founded with other powerful Mozambican women working in the broad spectrum of energy in Mozambique (LNG, oil and gas, mining, power) the network for women in energy in Mozambique, the very first of this kind in the region. In September 2017 they founded MWE – Mozambique Women of Energy (www.mozambiquewomenofenergy.com), with Graça Machel as a Patron.

In November 2019 Taciana through her law firm TPLA incorporates with DAI a Mozambican company, MES – Mozambique Enterprise for Sustainability and starts the implementation of MozUP (www.mozup.org) activities. She is appointed as CEO.

In September 2020, Taciana is selected by the US Department of State and the US Embassy in Mozambique for the International Leadership Program in Sustainability in the Extractive Industry.

In May 2021, the first Solar Giraffe is implemented in collaboration with MWE and Carlos Morgado Foundation. The Solar Giraffe is nominated by the AFSIA SOLAR AWARDS – on the following categories:

• African Solar Entrepreneur Of The Year (Finalist)

• Solar Innovation Of The Year

2020-2022 – Taciana is invited to be part of the Steering Committee of the Mozambican Gas Summit (DMG Events)

In November 2021, MozUP was inaugurated by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources and Exxon Mobil VP.

In December 2021, MWE in collaboration with MozUP launches the first and pioneer training program in Energy Transition in partnership with the Energy Regulatory Agency – ARENE.

In December 2021, the Regulations on Access to Energy on the Off Grid Areas is approved by the Council of Ministers.

In March 2022, the Electricity Law is passed by the Mozambican Parliament.

In May 2022, Taciana is selected for the second time by the US Department of State and the US Embassy in Mozambique for the International Leadership Program in Sustainability in the Extractive Industry.

In September 2002, Taciana has been awarded the Power Play Pioneer Award that honors a person who has delivered outstanding business results or innovation and technology leadership.

Work Highlights

Taciana Peão Lopes is a Mozambican energy lawyer with a Masters in Energy Law through the LLM - North Sea Energy Law Program, by the Universities of Oslo, Aberdeen, Groningen and Copenhagen.

Taciana is the founding and managing partner of TPLA – Taciana Peão Lopes & Associados, a boutique law firm focused in assisting the development of energy and infrastructure projects that can bring a transformational impact to Mozambique. She has been advising developers, sponsors, investors, multinational lenders and commercial banks to develop, construct and finance power plants ranging in size from 30 MW to 600 MW utilizing diverse technologies as natural gas, coal and hydroelectric, as well as alternative technologies such as solar and wind, by guiding the clients through a challenging regulatory regime. She and the team of lawyers of TPLA are proud to have successfully advised the sponsors of the Mocuba Solar Power Project, the first Mozambican PV plant developed in Mozambique, which reached its financial close in March 2018.

With a high level of expertise and experience in drafting policies and legislation, Taciana has been involved in the drafting of several legal instruments in Mozambique, namely, Electricity Law and Regulations, Energy Strategy, Regulations for Universal Access for Off Grid.

Taciana has been involved in the first LNG export project in Mozambique, which is one of the largest LNG projects worldwide. Her expertise in LNG includes the drafting and negotiation with the Government of the Republic of Mozambique of the legal instruments required for the creation of a new legal framework for the implementation and financing for LNG in Mozambique.

Due to her expertize in local content, she has been appointed CEO of Mozambique Enterprise Solutions, a Mozambican company that have been awarded from Exxon Mobil Mozambique, Limitada, on behalf of Mozambique Rovuma Venture and the Area 4 partners, a contract to establish an Enterprise Development Center – MozUP (www.mozup.org) with offices in Maputo, and expected activities for Pemba, and Palma, in collaboration with the government of Mozambique and the private sector. The EDC is a platform to develop qualified, competitive Mozambican businesses with transferable skills that can support a variety of Mozambican growth sectors, including the extractives industry. Services include business assessments, consulting and advisory services, quality and safety certification requirements and information on accessing capital.

Taciana is a co-founder of MWE - Mozambique Women of Energy (www.mozambiquewomenofenergy.com) a platform of women in all fields of the energy sector with the vision to improve quality of life in Mozambique by facilitating equal access to energy for all and targeting SDGs 5 and 7. MWE is based in four pillars of action – Think, Build, Connect, Lead - and one of MWE main objectives is to support women in rural, peri-urban and urban settings in attaining access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.

Clients

MIREME, FUNAE, ARENE, SNV, AFDB, USAID, SPEED, Ministry of Energy, CTV, CESOM, Projecto Solar Titimane, Windlab, Self-Energy, HCB, Central Termoelectrica Ressano Garcia, ENGCO, Electrotec, Gigawatt, Central Termoelectrica do Buzi, Suez Energy International, Vale Emirates, Ncondezi, Exxon Mobil, D'Appolonia/Aurecon, Wentworth Resources, Delonex, NUAFRICA Gas, Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos, Eni, SASOL, MITSUI, ENH, Riversdale, FMO, ITD, Vale Mozambique, Vale SA, Ministry of Mineral Resources, World Bank, Municipal Council of Maputo, MITUR