Disputes in the energy and natural resources sector are at the heart of international arbitration. With more arbitrations arising in the international energy sector than in any other sector, it is not surprising that the highest valued awards in the history of arbitration come from energy-related arbitrations. Energy disputes often involve complex and controversial issues relating to security, sovereignty, and public welfare. International Arbitration in the Energy Sector puts international energy disputes into a global context, providing broad coverage of different forms and systems of dispute resolution across both renewable and non-renewable sectors. With contributions from leading arbitrators, academics, and industry experts from across the globe, the twenty chapters in the book enable readers to compare the approaches to, and learnings from, energy arbitrations across various legal systems and geographic regions. After outlining the international energy arbitration legal framework in Part I, the text delves into a detailed analysis of the problems which regularly arise in practice. These include, among other things, commercial disputes in Part II (e.g. over the upstream oil sector and long-term gas supply contracts), investor-state disputes in Part III (e.g. under the Energy Charter Treaty), and public international law disputes in Part IV (e.g. concerning international boundaries and the distribution of natural resources). Alongside recent developments in the international energy sector, attention is given to climate and sustainable development disputes, which raise important questions about enforcing sustainability objectives on individuals, corporations, and states. Backed by analyses of arbitral awards, national court and international tribunal decisions, treaties, and other international legal instruments, as well as current events and news in the energy industry, this text offers a unique contribution to international energy literature and provides insightful commentary on the prevalent issues in the field. It is essential reading for any practitioner or researcher in the energy and natural resources sector.

Energy projects in Latin America are a major contributor to economic growth worldwide. This book is the first to offer a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of specific issues arising from energy and natural resources contracts and disputes in the region, covering a wide range of procedural, substantive, and socio-legal issues. The book also includes how states have shifted from passive business partners to more active controlling players. The book contains an extensive treatment and examination of the particularities of arbitration practice in Latin America, including arbitrability, public order, enforcement, and the complex public-private nature of energy transactions. Specialists experienced in resolving international energy and natural disputes throughout the region provide detailed analysis of such issues and topics, including: state-owned entities as co-investors or contracting parties; role of environmental law, indigenous rights and public participation; issues related to political changes, corruption, and quantification of damages; climate change, renewable energy, and the energy transition; force majeure, hardship, and price reopeners; arbitration in the electricity sector; take-or-pay contracts; recognition and enforcement of awards; tension between stabilization clauses and human rights; mediation as a method for dispute settlement in the energy and natural resources sector; and different comparative approaches taken by national courts in key Latin American jurisdictions. The book also delivers a clear explanation on the impact made to the arbitration process by Covid-19, emerging laws, changes of political circumstances, the economic global trends in the oil & gas market, the energy transition, and the rise of new technologies. This invaluable book will be welcomed by in-house lawyers, government officials, as well as academics and rest of the arbitration community involved in international arbitration with particular interest in the energy and natural resources sector.

This title provides a practical, user-friendly overview of the essentials of dispute resolution in the energy industry. Leading practitioners from international law firms and global companies consider, among other things, the drafting of dispute resolution clauses, the effective use of international arbitration, the management of large-scale energy disputes, and the development of case law in oil and gas disputes, construction disputes, environmental disputes and disputes arising in the renewables and nuclear sectors.

Foreign investments in the energy sector raise formidable legal questions, often requiring a delicate balance between private and public interests of the various stakeholders. Foreign Investment in the Energy Sector: Balancing Private and Public Interests opens with a discussion of the legal protection of foreign investment in the main segments of the energy sector (namely oil, gas, mining and hydroelectric industry), both in substantive and procedural terms. This second part of the book focuses on the Energy Charter Treaty, by far the most important international legal instrument in the energy sector, and its future after the decision of the Russian Federation not to ratify it. In its third part, the book examines four critical areas that are often negatively concerned by economic activities by multinational in the energy sector, namely compliance with safety and labour standards, protection of the environment, respect of indigenous peoples rights, and protection of public health. Foreign Investment in the Energy Sector: Balancing Private and Public Interests, a comprehensive collection of essays from experts and practitioners, offers an important new resource to the field.

This Handbook brings together many of the key scholars and leading practitioners in international arbitration, to present and examine cutting-edge knowledge in the field. Innovative in its breadth of coverage, chapter-topics range from the practicalities of how arbitration works, to big picture discussions of the actors involved and the values that underpin it. The book includes critical analysis of some of international arbitrations most controversial aspects, whilst providing a nuanced account overall that allows readers to draw their own informed conclusions. The book is divided into six parts, after an introduction discussing the formation of knowledge in the field. Part I provides an overview of the key legal notions needed to understand how international arbitration technically works, such as the relation between arbitration and law, the power of arbitral tribunals to make decisions, the appointment of arbitrators, and the role of public policy. Part II focuses on key actors in international arbitration, such as arbitrators, parties choosing arbitrators, and civil society. Part III examines the central values at stake in the field, including efficiency, legal certainty, and constitutional ideals. Part IV discusses intellectual paradigms structuring the thinking in and about international arbitration, such as the idea of autonomous transnational legal orders and conflicts of law. Part V presents the empirical evidence we currently have about the operations and effects of both commercial and investment arbitration. Finally, Part VI provides different disciplinary perspectives on international arbitration, including historical, sociological, literary, economic, and psychological accounts.

International Arbitration and the COVID-19 Revolution Edited by Maxi Scherer, Niuscha Bassiri & Mohamed S. Abdel Wahab The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on all major economic sectors and industries has triggered profound and systemic changes in international arbitration. Moreover, the fact that entire proceedings are now being conducted remotely constitutes so significant a deviation from the norm as to warrant the designation ‘revolution’. This timely book is the first to describe and analyse how the COVID-19 crisis has redefined arbitral practice, with critical appraisal from well-known practitioners of the pandemic’s effects on substantive and procedural aspects from the commencement of proceedings until the enforcement of the award. With practical guidance from a variety of perspectives – legal, practical, and sector-specific – on the conduct of international arbitration during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, the chapters present leading practitioners’ insights into the unprecedented and multifaceted issues that arise. They provide expert tips and challenges in such practical matters as the following: preventing and resolving disputes of particular types – construction, energy, aviation, technology, media and telecommunication, finance and insurance; arbitrator appointments; issues of planning, preparation and sample procedural orders; witness preparation and cross-examination; e-signature of arbitral awards; setting aside and enforcement proceedings; and third-party funding. Also included are an empirical survey of users’ views and an overview of how the COVID-19 revolution has affected the arbitration rules of leading arbitral seats. With this timely and practical book, arbitration practitioners and scholars will gain up-to-date knowledge of sector-specific challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and approach arbitration proceedings with an understanding of the most important legal and practical considerations during the crisis and beyond.