Energy & environment

Most investor-state disputes (ISDS) have concerned environmental matters. Corporations are using the ISDS system found in trade and investment agreements to challenge environmental policies. As of end of 2019, 41% of all ICSID cases were energy and natural resources-related.

Most well-known cases include:

• Lone Pine Resources (US) vs. Canada: the investor challenged Quebec’s moratorium on the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for natural gas. The provincial government declared the moratorium in 2011 so as to conduct an environmental impact assessment of the extraction method widely accused of leaching chemicals and gases into groundwater and the air. Case pending (NAFTA invoked).

• Bilcon (US) vs. Canada: the US industry challenged Canadian environmental requirements affecting their plans to open a basalt quarry and a marine terminal in Nova Scotia. In 2015 the ISDS tribunal decided that the government’s decision hindered the investors’ expectations. Bilcon won and received US$7 million in damages, plus interest (NAFTA invoked).

• Vattenfall (Sweden) vs. Germany: in 2007 the Swedish energy corporation was granted a provisional permit to build a coal-fired power plant near the city of Hamburg. In an effort to protect the Elbe river from the waste waters dumped from the plant, environmental restrictions were added before the final approval of its construction. The investor initiated a dispute, arguing it would make the project unviable. The case was ultimately settled in 2011, with the city of Hamburg agreeing to the lowering of environmental standards (ECT invoked).

Photo: Kris Krug / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

(March 2020)

Turkey Telegraph | 13-Sep-2017
The Government has created a committee of public employees to conduct defence of Spain against avalanche international lawsuits brought by large investment firms.
Energy Infra Post | 12-Sep-2017
UK-based Cairn Energy Plc has increased its compensation claim by $249 million in the retrospective dispute case after the income tax department adjusted tax refund due to the oil explorer towards settlement of its tax liabilities.
European Law Blog | 7-Sep-2017
Recently, the ECJ has found Germany in breach of its obligations under the Habitats Directive for authorising the operation of a coal-fired power plant near Hamburg.
African Law Business | 6-Sep-2017
The Singapore High Court has set aside an investor-state arbitral award on the merits against the Kingdom of Lesotho. The case is an important one, as it concerns whether investors can use arbitration to resolve cases that were pending before the SADC Tribunal when it was dissolved by the SADC Summit in 2014.
The Guardian | 1-Sep-2017
Romania’s prime minister has suggested his government will withdraw an application to have the Roman gold-mining area of Roșia Montană declared a Unesco world heritage site, potentially reviving controversial plans to resume mining.
The Nation | 1-Sep-2017
FTA Watch warns that Thailand would most certainly lose an arbitral tribunal process regarding allegations that it violated the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement, exposing the country to huge losses due to claims for compensation.
Bastamag | 31-Aug-2017
Plus de 83 millions de dollars. C’est le montant réclamé par la compagnie pétrolière Hupecol Operating Co, basée au Texas, à l’État colombien sous l’accord de libre-échange US-Colombie.
Washington Examiner | 25-Aug-2017
More than 100 associations representing US businesses are teaming up to encourage the Trump administration to maintain ISDS protections as it renegotiates NAFTA, writes the head of the US oil and natural gas industry trade group
Kluwer Arbitration Blog | 19-Aug-2017
Is there inconsistency among the tribunals in the solar energy cases?