International Arbitration in the Energy Sector


Book Description

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.




Alternative Dispute Resolution in the Regulatory Process


Book Description

An in-depth look at the institutionalization of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes in the federal and state regulatory arenas over the past twenty-five years, this volume showcases the value of these processes and highlights the potential for their expanded application and growth. It describes ADR techniques, how to use them, and how to integrate them into existing processes, using examples from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and three state utility regulatory commissions. The book recounts ADR successes, recognizing that traditional litigative methods may not always meet the needs of agencies, the parties, or the public. Institutionalizing these processes requires a systematic commitment to different approaches to problem-solving and, ultimately, cultural change. The authors spearheaded initiatives to integrate these processes and skills at the federal level. Drawing from valuable insights gained from their experience, the authors introduce a versatile new ADR system design model, the Voices of Value, which aims to enhance input, creativity, and effectiveness in regulatory and other public arenas as well as the private sector.




Dispute Resolution in the Energy Sector


Book Description

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.




Alternative Dispute Resolution in Energy Industries


Book Description

The disputes that arise between host states and investors in the energy sector put a high number of valuable and vital projects in the countries at risk. Investment treaty arbitration mechanisms, as the traditional remedy, have provided a solution to these problems for decades. However, as the number of disputes increases, the sufficiency of arbitration in responding to disputes became questionable in addition to the long-lasting and costly cases. Accordingly, ADR mechanisms outside the arbitration cannon have triggered growing interest among practitioners. Despite the attraction and the apparent benefits of ADR such as being cheaper, faster and with better outcomes compared to arbitration, there are also hurdles in front that hinder the application of ADR. This has lead to the underuse of ADR in appropriate contexts. This study has been conducted to research the gap for the applicability of the ADR methods for investment disputes in the energy sector with the doctrinal analysis of the existing literature either promoting or opposing ADR. Its findings provide guidance for alternative dispute resolution practitioners on when to use ADR, how to use ADR and on what disputes ADR to be used to resolve conflicts in International Energy Investment.




The Oxford Handbook of International Arbitration


Book Description

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.




Alternative Dispute Resolution in the Energy Sector


Book Description

In a world held in the grip of economic downfall - with increasing scarcity of energy supplies, plummeting oil prices, rising intra-state energy transit, protectionist natural resources policies, and growing environmental concerns - time and cost are not to be underestimated factors in the choice of a suiting dispute resolution method. This book covers the hot topics related to the Energy Charter Treaty, not only from a theoretical point of view, but also from practical experiences in France, the UK, and Belgium. Moreover, this publication is original in that it addresses the issue of soft law in investment arbitration and includes a fictional case elaborating on the influence of different interest groups in energy disputes.




Alternative Dispute Resolution in Energy Industries


Book Description

This study has been conducted to research the gap for the applicability of the ADR methods for investment disputes in the energy sector with the doctrinal analysis of the existing literature either promoting or opposing ADR.




Access to Justice for Vulnerable and Energy-Poor Consumers


Book Description

How do ordinary people access justice? This book offers a novel socio-legal approach to access to justice, alternative dispute resolution, vulnerability and energy poverty. It poses an access to justice challenge and rethinks it through a lens that accommodates all affected people, especially those who are currently falling through the system. It raises broader questions about alternative dispute resolution, the need for reform to include more collective approaches, a stronger recognition of the needs of vulnerable people, and a stronger emphasis on delivering social justice. The authors use energy poverty as a site of vulnerability and examine the barriers to justice facing this excluded group. The book assembles the findings of an interdisciplinary research project studying access to justice and its barriers in the UK, Italy, France, Bulgaria and Spain (Catalonia). In-depth interviews with regulators, ombuds, energy companies, third-sector organisations and vulnerable people provide a rich dataset through which to understand the phenomenon. The book provides theoretical and empirical insights which shed new light on these issues and sets out new directions of inquiry for research, policy and practice. It will be of interest to researchers, students and policymakers working on access to justice, consumer vulnerability, energy poverty, and the complex intersection between these fields. The book includes contributions by Cosmo Graham (UK), Sarah Supino and Benedetta Voltaggio (Italy), Marine Cornelis (France), Anais Varo and Enric Bartlett (Catalonia) and Teodora Peneva (Bulgaria).




The Resolution of International Investment Disputes


Book Description

This work deals with the current state of investment dispute resolution and analyzes the problems associated with investor-state arbitration. The author examines developments in the existing legal framework and looks at the mechanisms under existing domestic and international systems - such as judicial review and class actions - to see if these can be applied to investment dispute resolution. The author concludes that the features of traditional arbitration are not flexible enough to meet the needs of this modern form of international dispute resolution. Investment arbitration is now entering a new phase of its development. The traditional, typically arbitration-related issues of consent, privity, and confidentiality are making room for the now more important questions of disclosure, transparency, legal certainty, and consistency. The author calls for setting up a "model procedure," specifically created for international investment disputes as this would enable the establishment of a "tailor-made" process for this ever-growing area of law.




International Energy Investment Law


Book Description

Long term contracts have been used in the international petroleum industry since its earliest days. However, they have been prone to unilateral revision by host governments in countries where the petroleum reserves are located. In the 1970s a wave of nationalisations and contract renegotiations led to a number of much cited arbitral awards and significant changes in contracting practice in the international petroleum industry. Recently, it has become clear that a new wave of unilateral state action is taking place in the international petroleum industry, most evidently in Latin America and Russia. These developments increase the tempo of a long-term process in which the exposure of largely privately owned Western energy companies to unilateral state action has been increasing. The book asks: how have legal processes and instruments developed to mitigate that growing exposure, and why have they had so little success? This monograph examines and assesses the variety of legal instruments from international and commercial law that have been designed to promote stability in long-term contracts in the international energy industry (including dedicated contract provisions, bilateral investment treaties and multilateral treaty instruments). It covers both energy production and networks involving large-scale fixed infrastructure. It pays particular attention to their practical impact through an analysis of their enforcement by arbitration tribunals and bodies, such as the ICSID, the ICC and the LCIA. The book also examines the growing challenges presented by environmental and 'social' risk to the stability of long-term agreements. The book's approach is both analytical and historical, locating legal instruments and enforcement awards in their context, discussing their origins and purpose.