Alecia Pienaar
Alecia Pienaar is Counsel in our Corporate & Commercial practice, advising on specialised environmental law matters in various corporate and industrial sectors.
About Alecia
About Alecia
Alecia joined CDH in 2016 as Candidate Attorney and was appointed as Associate in 2018. She was promoted to Senior Associate in 2021. In 2022, Alecia joined the Private Markets team at Mainstream Renewable Power South Africa, and rejoined CDH in 2023 as Counsel.
Credentials
Credentials
Education
- LLB, North West University, Potchefstroom
- LLM, University of Cape Town
- Certificate of Competence in Climate Change & Energy Law, University of Witwatersrand
- Certificate of Completion in Finance, Contracts & Risk Mitigation for Private Power Investment in Africa, University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business
Languages
Languages
- Afrikaans
- English
About Alecia
Alecia joined CDH in 2016 as Candidate Attorney and was appointed as Associate in 2018. She was promoted to Senior Associate in 2021. In 2022, Alecia joined the Private Markets team at Mainstream Renewable Power South Africa, and rejoined CDH in 2023 as Counsel.
Credentials
Education
- LLB, North West University, Potchefstroom
- LLM, University of Cape Town
- Certificate of Competence in Climate Change & Energy Law, University of Witwatersrand
- Certificate of Completion in Finance, Contracts & Risk Mitigation for Private Power Investment in Africa, University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business
Languages
- Afrikaans
- English
Experience
Conducting environmental, regulatory and health and safety due diligence investigations in respect of entities operating or providing services in various C&I sectors.
Advising IPPs on bid readiness and participating in bid preparation for renewable and non-renewable projects in the REIPPPP and RMIPPPP.
Preparing REIPPPP and RMIPPPP bid requirement environmental legal opinions for solar, wind and gas facilities.
Preparing legal opinions and advising clients on all aspects of environmental law, including regulation of air quality, water, biodiversity, waste management, climate change, and contaminated land.
Reviewing and assisting clients with environmental and other regulatory permits applications.
Assisting clients with administrative appeal and review applications.
Offering advice to clients on specialized environmental areas, including environmental attributes, biodiversity offsets, bioprospecting, greenhouse gas emission reporting and financial provisioning.
News
Understanding the 2023 Grid Emission Factors Report
On 25 July 2025, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) published South Africa’s third annual Grid Emission Factors (GEF) Report (Report) for the 2023 calendar...
The trader’s legal landscape
The ongoing liberation of the South African energy market has, as a natural consequence, stimulated interest in the trade and aggregation of electricity, with, as far as we are aware,...
Balancing energy demands and environmental goals
Alecia Pienaar, Counsel in the Environmental Law sector, was recently featured in the Sunday Times Supplement, where she discussed 'Balancing energy demands and environmental goals.'
Significant changes proposed to waste exclusion legal regime
The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (Minister) recently published draft regulations (Draft Regulations) that propose to amend the Regulations regarding the Exclusion...
Opportunity to connect: Section 34 determination and draft regulations pave the way for private sector involvement in new electricity transmission infrastructure
The lack of adequate grid capacity is a critical risk that continues to significantly stall progress in the implementation of South Africa’s energy transition, especially in respect...
Expertise
Corporate & Commercial Law
Our strong legal team is well versed in legislative matters and provides support across all commercial disciplines.
Environmental Law
We provide skilled and practical advice in this specialised field of law.
Agriculture, Aquaculture & Fishing
We use our expertise across our disciplines to support our clients' growth and sustainability in the agriculture, aquaculture, and fishing sectors.
Mining & Minerals
We help our clients navigate legal and administrative complexities in this key economic sector.