bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

energy

Countries serious about climate change should leave the Energy Charter Treaty, says former ECT official
3-Jul-2020 bilaterals.org
Interview with Yamina Saheb, former head of unit in the Energy Charter Treaty Secretariat .
New NAFTA trade deal deepens oil and gas dependency during climate crisis
1-Jul-2020 Desmog
The deal provides loopholes for oil, gas, and mining companies to operate across borders, and paves the way for US companies to export even more fracked natural gas across the border into Mexico.
NextEra wins millionaire renewables lawsuit against Spain
18-Jun-2020 The Corner
The ICSID has lifted the suspension on the execution of the €290 million award NextEra obtained a year ago.
Africa should resist acceding to the Energy Charter Treaty
11-Jun-2020 Daily Monitor
Joining the Energy Charter Treaty could cost developing countries money that is urgently needed to fight Covid-19 and a loaming economic crisis. The Energy Charter Treaty has become increasingly controversial.
The environmental bias of trade policy
5-Jun-2020 Berkeley Haas
Most countries have implicitly created a carbon subsidy in trade policy. Using trade policy negotiations to decrease this environmental bias of trade policy could help address climate change.
Companies sue states for ­ climate-protection measures
4-Jun-2020 D+C
On the basis of the Energy Charter Treaty, companies are suing countries for damages when the latter decide to phase out or limit the use of fossil fuels.
Corporate lawsuits could devastate poor countries grappling with Covid-19
2-Jun-2020 In These Times
Wealthy corporations may use trade courts to keep public health measures from cutting into their profits.
Wind farm owner sues Romania at WB’s arbitrage court
27-May-2020 Romania-Insider
Cyprus-based offshore EP Wind Project (Rom) Six Ltd claims that Romania has breached the Energy Charter Treaty.
Coal generator uses investment treaty to fight Netherlands coal phaseout
22-May-2020 Climate Change News
Uniper is using a controversial investor dispute system to claim up to €1 billion compensation for being forced to close a coal power station early.
Phase One US-China trade deal fails in energy and beyond
22-May-2020 Forbes
The Phase One trade deal had China committing to $30 billion in energy purchases. But US energy exports to China actually shrank by 33% in Q1.
Russia appeals decision of Hague Court of Appeal on Yukos
18-May-2020 TASS
On February 18, The Hague Court of Appeal reinstated an order of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which obliged Russia to pay more than $50 bln to the companies associated with former Yukos shareholders in 2014.
Energy dispute deepens between Mexico and foreign allies
18-May-2020 Reuters
The measures would face legal challenges under Mexico’s commitments not just under the outgoing NAFTA but also its successor, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, an industry source said.
The unknown climate-killer deal we’ll have to tackle next
18-May-2020 Friends of the Earth Europe
The Energy Charter Treaty takes an axe to climate action.
Modernisation of the Energy Charter Treaty
10-May-2020 OpenExp
A global tragedy at a high cost for taxpayers.
EU plans to reform Energy Charter Treaty falling short, activists say
30-Apr-2020 Euractiv
An updated European Commission proposal to reform the Energy Charter Treaty is falling short of what’s needed to reinstate governments’ “right to regulate” in areas like climate change, activists say.
Eni and Naturgy’s Damietta gas plant deal with Egypt falls through
24-Apr-2020 Nasdaq
In the meantime, Naturgy said it would go back to pursuing a legal claim to $2 billion in compensation its joint venture with ENI was awarded in the case by the World Bank’s ICSID in 2018.
Despite controversy, the Energy Charter Treaty is silently being pushed into Africa
21-Apr-2020 Euractiv
Joining the Energy Charter Treaty could cost developing countries money that is urgently needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis.
Silent expansion
15-Apr-2020 CEO
Many countries, particularly in the global south, are in the process of joining the Energy Charter Treaty despite the sweeping powers it grants to foreign investors.
Palm oil politics still threaten EU–Malaysia ties
2-Apr-2020 East Asia Forum
The European Union is Malaysia’s third-largest trading partner and is its largest source of foreign direct investment, and Malaysia is a major exporter of raw materials to the European Union. But politics over palm oil threaten their relationship.
Risky business: Uniper’s potential investor-state dispute against the Dutch coal ban
18-Mar-2020 EJIL: Talk!
While policies aiming to phase out coal are necessary to tackle climate change, they may give rise to legal claims from companies whose investments are adversely affected by the low-carbon energy transition.