Energía – Investment Treaty News

Saga sobre Energías Renovables en España: Lecciones para el derecho internacional de las inversiones y el desarrollo sostenible

España ha enfrentado aproximadamente 40 arbitrajes desde que tomó la decisión, en 2010, de rescindir o revisar varias medidas regulatorias destinadas a atraer más inversiones en proyectos de energías renovables. Este artículo examina los laudos de cuatro de estos casos, observando en particular cómo los tribunales han interpretado y aplicado el estándar de TJE. La autora aborda los posibles problemas que surgen cuando los Estados no están seguros de cómo un tribunal podría interpretar el TJE u otros estándares, y presenta algunas posibles soluciones.

La Comisión de la UE propone directrices de negociación sobre la modernización del TCE

El 14 de mayo, la Comisión Europea lanzó un borrador de directrices de negociación estableciendo el enfoque propuesto para “modernizar” el Tratado sobre la Carta de la Energía (TCE).

Tribunal del CIADI concluye que España incumplió sus obligaciones del TCE al no brindar una tasa de retorno razonable

RREEF INFRASTRUCTURE (G.P.) LIMITED Y RREEF PAN-EUROPEAN INFRASTRUCTURE TWO LUX S.A R.L. VS. EL REINO DE ESPAÑA, CASO DEL CIADI NO. ARB/13/30

Investors’ legitimate expectation claims against Italy dismissed due to the absence of specific commitments

BLUSUN S.A., JEAN-PIERRE LECORCIER AND MICHAEL STEIN V. ITALIAN REPUBLIC, ICSID CASE NO. ARB/14/3

Italia declarada culpable por cambio en política de energías renovables en arbitraje intra-UE

Greentech Energy Systems A/S & Ors. vs. La República de Italia, Arbitraje de la CCE V (2015/095)

Se analiza fallo del caso Achmea y se otorga demanda de TJE en caso del TCE contra España

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. Y GWM RENEWABLE ENERGY II S.P.A. VS. EL REINO DE ESPAÑA, ARBITRAJE V (2015/150) SCC

Egipto declarado culpable por cierre de planta eléctrica durante levantamiento en 2011

UNIÓN FENOSA GAS, S.A. VS. REPÚBLICA ÁRABE DE EGIPTO, CASO DEL CIADI NO. ARB/14/4

Tribunal del CIADI emite laudo determinando que España violó Tratado sobre la Carta de la Energía

ANTIN INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES LUXEMBOURG S.À.R.L. Y ANTIN ENERGIA TERMOSOLAR B.V. VS. EL REINO DE ESPAÑA, CASO DEL CIADI NO. ARB/13/31

Tribunal del CIADI concluye que España violó el estándar de TJE bajo el Tratado sobre la Carta de la Energía

MASDAR SOLAR & WIND COOPERATIEF U.A. VS. EL REINO DE ESPAÑA, CASO DEL CIADI NO. ARB/14/1

Se otorgan EUR 53,3 millones a un fondo de Luxemburgo por violación de TJE a raíz de recorte de programa de incentivos para energías renovables por España

NOVENERGIA II – ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT (SCA) (GRAN DUCADO DE LUXEMBURGO), SICAR VS. EL REINO DE ESPAÑA, CASO DE LA CCE NO. 063/2015

Demanda de energía solar iniciada por inversor alemán contra República Checa es desestimada

Jürgen Wirtgen, Stefan Wirtgen, Gisela Wirtgen y JSW Solar (zwei) GmbH & Co. KG v. la República Checa, Caso de la CPA No. 2014-03

Todas las demandas presentadas por Isolux Infrastructure Netherlands contra España son desestimadas

Isolux Infrastructure Netherlands B.V. c. el Reino de España, Caso de la CCE Nro. V2013/153

Inversores triunfan sobre España en una demanda por reparación regulatoria para energías limpias

Eiser Infrastructure Limited y Energía Solar Luxembourg S.à r.l. vs. el Reino de España, Caso del CIADI No. ARB/13/36

Expansión de la Carta de la Energía hacia África y Asia: ¿Deshaciendo la Reforma del Derecho Internacional de las Inversiones?

La Secretaría de la Carta de Energía está en un modus expansivo, queriendo ganar acceso a los recursos energéticos de África y Asia para sus miembros — y extendiendo un sistema de protección de inversiones de largo alcance y desactualizado para inversiones en países ricos en recursos.

Awards and Decisions

ICSID tribunal dismisses claims brought against Indonesia based on forged mining licences Churchill Mining PLC and Planet Mining Pty Ltd v. Republic of Indonesia, ICSID Case No. ARB/12/14 and ICSID Case No. ARB/12/40 Inaê Siqueira de Oliveira [*] After rendering separate decisions on jurisdiction¾one for the case brought by British company Churchill Mining PLC under the United […]

NAFTA tribunal orders Canada to pay U.S. wind power developer more than CAD28 million

Windstream Energy LLC v. Government of Canada, PCA Case No. 2013-22 An arbitral tribunal under Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has reached the award stage. Although dismissing the discrimination and indirect expropriation claims, the tribunal upheld the claim of failure to provide fair and equitable treatment (FET), and ordered Canada […]

Awards and Decisions

(English) The long-expected final award has been rendered in the high-profile case initiated by tobacco giant Philip Morris in early 2010 against Uruguay over its tobacco control measures.

ICSID tribunal upholds Panama’s abuse of process objection; Transglobal to pay arbitration costs and most of Panama’s legal expenses

(English) In the proceeding brought by Transglobal Green Energy, LLC (a U.S.-based company) and Transglobal Green Panama S.A. (a Panama-based company) against Panama under the United States–Panama bilateral investment treaty (BIT), an ICSID tribunal accepted Panama’s abuse of process objection.

NAFTA tribunal dismisses claims against Canada on green energy Feed-In Tariff program

(English) An arbitration tribunal constituted under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has issued its award subject to a dissenting opinion.

US$50 billion awards against Russia in Yukos cases are set aside by Dutch court

(English) In a judgment dated April 20, 2016, the District Court of The Hague, in the Netherlands, set aside awards that had ordered Russia to pay US$50 billion to the shareholders of Yukos, a bankrupt oil company.

Slovenia is condemned to pay €20 million in damages and US$10 million in costs to Croatian national electric company

(English) An award rendered on December 17, 2015 by an arbitral tribunal constituted under the auspices of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) added a new—and apparently final—chapter to a nearly 20-year-old conflict between the governments of Croatia and Slovenia over the supply of electricity generated by the Krško Nuclear Power Plant (Krško NPP), located in Slovenia.

State Strategies for the Defence of Domestic Interests in Investor–State Arbitration

Argentina and Ecuador are now well experienced in ISDS and have had some success in defending domestic interests from investor claims. Lessons from these prior experiences could benefit other countries, particularly in the developing world, as they devise their legal defence strategies.

ICSID tribunal dismisses final claim for compensation in relation to Hungary’s 2008 termination of power purchase agreement

(English) Electrabel S.A. v. Republic of Hungary, ICSID Case No. ARB/07/1

Does the Green Economy Need Investor–State Dispute Settlement?

(English) Those that propose that the environment needs “more investment protection” are recommending a very long-term solution (of questionable efficacy) to what is essentially a short-term problem.

Energorynok had no ownership or control over energy-related economic activity; ECT case against Moldova dismissed

(English) State Enterprise “Energorynok” (Ukraine) v. The Republic of Moldova, SCC Arbitration V (2012/175)

Tribunal found Mongolia liable for unlawful expropriation and awarded more than US$80 million in damages

(English) Khan Resources Inc., Khan Resources B.V. and CAUC Holding Company Ltd. v. The Government of Mongolia and MonAtom LLC, PCA Case No. 2011-09

News in Brief

Canada receives investor complaints over provincial energy and environment policies In recent months the government of Canada has received two complaints related to energy and environmental policies adopted by its provinces. Both investors have served Ottawa with notices of intent to submit a claim to arbitration under NAFTA’s investment chapter. A Delaware-based energy firm is […]

Awards and Decisions

Majority declines jurisdiction in claim against Argentina over domestic litigation requirement Daimler Financial Services AG v. Argentine Republic, ICSID Case No. ARB/05/1 Damon Vis-Dunbar A claim against Argentina by a subsidiary of the German automotive firm Daimler A.G. has failed on its merits because the claimant did not first bring the dispute to court in […]

News in Brief

Vattenfall launches new claim against Germany The Swedish state-run energy firm Vattenfall has launched a second claim against Germany. The claim stems from Germany’s May 2011 decision to phase-out its nuclear power plants, in which 8 plants have been shuttered and the remaining 9 plants to be closed over the next decade. While Germany has […]

Trends in Investor Claims Over Feed-in Tariffs for Renewable Energy

As governments increasingly turn to renewable energy to mitigate climate change, domestic climate-related policies in the form of price support measures such as feed-in tariffs (FiTs) have played an important role in stimulating the much needed investment—public and private, domestic and foreign—in the sector. Feed-in tariffs are characterized by guaranteed electricity purchase prices (set higher […]

News in Brief

Philip Morris files for arbitration over intellectual property dispute with Australia The tobacco company Philip Morris filed for arbitration on 21 November 2011, claiming the government of Australia’s regulations on cigarette branding breach the Hong Kong-Australia bilateral investment treaty. The announcement arrived on the same day that the Australian Parliament passed legislation that bans most […]

Foreign investment contracts in the oil & gas sector: A survey of environmentally relevant clauses

The oil and gas industry faces increasingly strict environmental standards in developed countries. However, the majority of the world’s proven oil reserves are in developing countries and economies in transition, which often lack sophisticated regimes for environmental protection. Even when legislative frameworks are well developed, there are often deficiencies in capacity and an unwillingness to […]

News in Brief

More legal woes for Canada’s Feed-in Tariff program for renewable energy Canada could soon be faced with arbitration for alleged breach of its obligations under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). On 6 July 2011, a Texas-based company, Mesa Power Group LLC, served Canada with a Notice of Intent to Submit a Claim to […]

News In Brief*

*These are abridged versions of articles originally published by the independent news service Investment Arbitration Reporter (http://www.iareporter.com/). They are used with permission and may not be reproduced without the express permission of IAReporter. Parties announce settlement of dispute over German power plant 28.8.2010 A Swedish power company and the Federal Republic of Germany […]

Pan American Energy takes Bolivia to ICSID over nationalization of Chaco Petroleum

By Fernando Cabrera Diaz May 11, 2010 Anglo-Argentinean energy firm Pan American Energy (PAE) has initiated arbitration against Bolivia over the nationalization of its subsidiary Chaco Petroleum by the Morales government in 2009. The arbitration was registered by ICSID on April 12 2010, despite Bolivia having withdrawn from the ICSID Convention in 2007. A PAE […]

American gas services firm Exterran files for arbitration against Venezuela over nationalized assets

By Fernando Cabrera Diaz May 11, 2010 (NOTE: A correction has been made to this article. An explanation is posted below) Houston-based Exterran Holdings has taken Venezuela to ICSID over the nationalization of its gas services support business in the country. The arbitration, registered by ICSID on April 12, 2010, is the second in as […]

RSM Production Corp. files second arbitration against Grenada, sues Freshfields

By Fernando Cabrera Diaz April 8, 2010 On March 16, the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) registered a second arbitration initiated by Denver-based RSM Production Corp against Grenada over the latter’s termination of the company’s exclusive oil rights off the coast of the island nation. RSM has claimed that corrupt Grenadian officials […]

Tribunals have been constituted in ICSID cases involving Egypt, Cambodia and Argentina

By Elizabeth Whitsitt March 11, 2010 In the past two months, arbitral tribunals have been convened in a few ICSID arbitrations. Most recently, a tribunal was constituted in a dispute initiated by an American investor against the Republic of Egypt in relation to the alleged expropriation of its investment in the Arab Republic’s hotel and […]

Hearings take place in dispute between Electrabel and Hungary despite snowy weather

By Elizabeth Whitsitt March 11, 2010 Despite snow storm interruptions a tribunal, composed of Mr. V.V. Vedeer, Ms. Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler, and Ms. Brigitte Stern, heard the merits of the dispute between Belgium-based energy firm Electrabel SA and Hungary last month. Along with AES Summit Generation Limited v. Republic of Hungary, the Electrabel SA v. Republic […]

German government mum on Vattenfall ECT Claim

By Damon Vis-Dunbar 2 May 2009 The German government has declined to provide information on an investment dispute with the European utility Vattenfall on the grounds that it is against government policy to comment or disclose information on pending arbitrations. As has been reported in the financial press, Vattenfall is bringing the German government to international […]

Tribunal deniega alegato de necesidad en laudo recientemente publicado: National Grid p.l.c. c. República Argentina

Por Elizabeth Whitsitt 2 de Marzo, 2009 En un laudo recientemente publicado, un tribunal constituido conforme a una solicitud de arbitraje bajo las reglas de arbitraje de la Comisión de Naciones Unidas para el Derecho Mercantil Internacional (CNUDMI) encontró culpable a la República Argentina por los daños infringidos a National Grid p.l.c. por un total […]

Tribunal rebuffs defense of necessity in recently published award: National Grid p.l.c. v. Argentine Republic

By Elizabeth Whitsitt 2 March 2009 In a recently published award, a tribunal convened pursuant to a request for arbitration under the arbitration rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) found the Argentine Republic liable to the British firm National Grid p.l.c. for damages totaling more than US$53 million. The dispute, […]

Perú gana demanda multimillonaria del CIADI sobre un acuerdo de estabilización presentada por una firma americana de energía

Por Fernando Cabrera Díaz 23 de Diciembre de 2008 La República de Perú se ha defendido con éxito en contra de una demanda iniciada por la firma Aguaytia Energy LLC (AEL) con sede en Delaware. AEL ha reclamado US$142 millones en compensación por lo que según alega fue la violación de un acuerdo de estabilización […]

Peru wins dispute with American energy firm over the scope of a stabilization agreement

By Fernando Cabrera Diaz 23 December 2008 The Republic of Peru has defended itself successfully against a claim initiated by Delaware-based Aguaytia Energy LLC (AEL). AEL had sought US$142 million as compensation for what it claimed was Peru’s violation of a stabilization agreement. However, the Tribunal disagreed and instead held that the stability agreement did […]

Ecuador hallado culpable por violación de contratos de compraventa de energía eléctrica y tratado de inversión

Por Damon Vis-Dunbar 29 de Agosto de 2008 El proveedor de electricidad Electroquil SA fue otorgado US$ 5.578.566 más intereses producto de varias violaciones de contratos de compraventa de energía eléctrica (en inglés, PPAs) respaldados por el gobierno de Ecuador. Si bien Ecuador también fue encontrado culpable por haber infringido el tratado bilateral de inversiones […]

Se garantiza estabilidad impositiva a inversores extranjeros en Perú

Por Elizabeth Whitsitt 29 de Agosto de 2008 En uno de los dos laudos dictados por el CIADI en agosto donde la firma estadounidense Duke Energy se encuentra involucrada, un tribunal declaró culpable a la República de Perú frente a Duke Energy International Peru Investments No. 1 Ltd. (DEI Bermuda) por daños que alcanzan los […]

Duke Energy International Peru Investments No. 1 Ltd. v. Republic of Peru: Foreign investors in Peru are guaranteed tax stability

By Elizabeth Whitsitt 29 August 2008 In one of two ICSID awards handed down in August involving the US firm Duke Energy, a Tribunal has found the Republic of Peru liable to Duke Energy International Peru Investments No. 1 Ltd. (DEI Bermuda) for damages totaling US$ 18,440,746 plus interest after the SUNAT, Peru’s National Tax […]

Duke Energy Electroquil Partners and Electroquil SA v Ecuador: Ecuador found liable for breaches of power purchase agreements and investment treaty

By Damon Vis-Dunbar 29 August 2008 The electricity provider Electroquil SA has been awarded US$ 5,578,566 plus interest stemming from several breaches of power purchase agreements (PPAs) backed by the government of Ecuador. While Ecuador was also found to have breached the Ecuador-US bilateral investment treaty, those violations did not result in additional monetary damages. […]

South American alternative to ICSID in the works as governments create an energy treaty

By Fernando Cabrera Diaz 6 August 2008 A July 16-17 meeting of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (comprised of Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Nicaragua, and Venezuela)* ended without public mention of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the World Bank agency that administers investor-state arbitrations. Nonetheless, the bloc’s push for a regional […]