Spain – Investment Treaty News

Tribunal rules in favour of claimants in another Spanish solar dispute; Dissenting arbitrator argues that tribunal nonetheless over-emphasized Spain’s “right to regulate”

In another renewables case against Spain, an ICSID tribunal awarded over EUR 28 million to two subsidiaries of the German company RWE (jointly, RWE). The tribunal dismissed Spain’s intra-EU objection to jurisdiction and found it to be in breach of the FET standard under Article 10(1) of the ECT. The award was rendered on December 18, 2020.

ICSID annulment committee annuls Eiser v. Spain Award for improper constitution of the tribunal and severe departure from a fundamental rule of procedure

Eiser Infrastructure Limited and Energía Solar Luxembourg S.à r.l. v. Kingdom of Spain, ICSID Case No. ARB/13/36

In a new ICSID award, Spain’s reforms of the renewable energy sector are found not to violate the ECT

Stadtwerke München GmbH, RWE Innogy GmbH, and others v. Kingdom of Spain, ICSID Case No. ARB/15/1

In yet another renewable energy case, Spain held liable for FET breach for frustrating French and Luxembourger investors’ legitimate expectations under the ECT

Cube Infrastructure Fund SICAV and Others v. The Kingdom of Spain, ICSID Case No. ARB/15/20

Spain held liable for breach of FET under the ECT for frustrating legitimate expectations of 9REN, a Luxembourg-based renewable energy investor

9REN Holding S.À.R.L. v. The Kingdom of Spain, ICSID Case No. ARB/15/15

Spain is ordered to pay damages of EUR 290.6 million in NextEra renewable energy case

NextEra Energy Global Holdings B.V and NextEra Energy Spain Holdings B.V v. Kingdom of Spain, ICSID Case No. ARB/14/11

Clorox’s claims against Venezuela are dismissed on jurisdiction for lack of “action of investing”

Clorox Spain S.L. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, PCA Case No. 2015-30

Spain’s Renewable Energy Saga: Lessons for international investment law and sustainable development

Spain has faced approximately 40 arbitrations since it made the decision in 2010 to rescind or revise various regulatory measures aimed at drawing in greater investments into renewable energy projects. This article examines the awards issued in four of those cases, looking in particular at how the tribunals interpreted and applied the FET standard. The author looks at the potential problems that can emerge when states are unsure of how any given tribunal may interpret FET or other key standards and presents some potential solutions.

Investor Due Diligence and the Energy Charter Treaty

The Energy Charter Treaty modernization negotiations are due to begin later this year and a set of topics for parties to consider has already been announced. This piece examines the prospects for updating the ECT’s existing formulation of FET and analyzes how this standard has been interpreted in past arbitrations involving renewable energy disputes. The author argues in favour of including a requirement of investor due diligence as an attempt to help ensure that investors anticipate possible risks that may emerge from changes to a state’s regulatory framework.

ICSID tribunal finds Spain breached ECT obligations by failing to provide a reasonable rate of return

RREEF INFRASTRUCTURE (G.P.) LIMITED AND RREEF PAN-EUROPEAN INFRASTRUCTURE TWO LUX S.A R.L. V. KINGDOM OF SPAIN, ICSID CASE NO. ARB/13/30

Achmea judgment analyzed and FET claim granted in ECT case against Spain

FORESIGHT LUXEMBOURG SOLAR 1 S.À.R.L., FORESIGHT LUXEMBOURG SOLAR 2 S.À.R.L., GREENTECH ENERGY SYSTEMS A/S, GWM RENEWABLE ENERGY I S.P.A. AND GWM RENEWABLE ENERGY II S.P.A. V. THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN, SCC ARBITRATION V (2015/150)

Egypt found liable for the shut-down of an electricity plant during the 2011 uprising

UNIÓN FENOSA GAS, S.A. V. ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT, ICSID CASE NO. ARB/14/4

Maffezini v. Spain

Emilio Agustín Maffezini v. Kingdom of Spain, ICSID Case No. ARB/97/7 (Decision on Jurisdiction) (Originally published in 2011 in International Investment Law and Sustainable Development: Key cases from 2000–2010; republished on this website on October 18, 2018. Read more here.) Decision available at https://www.italaw.com/cases/641 Keywords Dispute resolution provisions, exhaustion of remedies, most favoured nation treatment Key dates Request for […]

Eiser v. Spain

Eiser Infrastructure Limited and Energia Solar Luxembourg S.à.r.l v. Kingdom of Spain, ICSID Case No. ARB/13/36 (Published in 2018 in International Investment Law and Sustainable Development: Key cases from the 2010s and on this website on October 18, 2018. Read more here.) The award is available at https://www.italaw.com/cases/5721 Keywords Energy transition, feed-in tariffs, legitimate expectations, legal […]

Spain found to have breached the Energy Charter Treaty in award by ICSID tribunal

ANTIN INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES LUXEMBOURG S.À.R.L. AND ANTIN ENERGIA TERMOSOLAR B.V. V. THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN, ICSID CASE NO. ARB/13/31

ICSID tribunal finds Spain in breach of the FET standard under the Energy Charter Treaty

MASDAR SOLAR & WIND COOPERATIEF U.A. V. THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN, ICSID CASE NO. ARB/14/1

Luxembourg fund awarded EUR 53.3 million for FET breach arising out of Spain’s curtailment of renewable energy incentive schemes

NOVENERGIA II – ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT (SCA) (GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBOURG), SICAR V. THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN, SCC CASE NO. 063/2015

All claims by Isolux Infrastructure Netherlands against Spain are dismissed

Isolux Infrastructure Netherlands B.V. v. the Kingdom of Spain, SCC Case No. V2013/153

Argentina ordered to pay over USD320 million for unlawful expropriation in airlines case

Teinver S.A., Transportes de Cercanías S.A. and Autobuses Urbanos del Sur S.A. v. The Argentine Republic, ICSID Case No. ARB/09/1

Investors triumph over Spain in a claim concerning Spain’s regulatory overhaul for clean energy

Eiser Infrastructure Limited and Energía Solar Luxembourg S.à r.l. v. Kingdom of Spain, ICSID Case No. ARB/13/36

Tribunal largely adopts independent expert’s damages findings in USD 405 million award to previous owners of an Argentine public utility company

Suez, Sociedad General de Aguas de Barcelona S.A., and InterAguas Servicios Integrales del Agua S.A. v. The Argentine Republic, ICSID Case No. ARB/03/17; and AWG Group Ltd. v. The Argentine Republic, UNCITRAL