Energy & Natural Resources

7KBW has significant experience in international high-value energy and natural resources disputes. Members have extensive experience of both arbitration (as advocates and arbitrators) and litigation, in all major jurisdictions and arbitral centres. Our work spans long-running, multi-jurisdiction, complex trials, including appeals with industry significance, and advisory work.

Disputes in energy cover the full operational chain from downstream to upstream exploration and exploitation, and the licensing of oil and gas fields, to sale, purchase and supply contracts and commodities trading. Disputes related to exploration and extraction under licence feature with national governments frequently party to such disputes. Members’ long-standing and in-depth expertise also attracts instructions in major cases that go to the heart of national energy polices as well as high-level corporate boardroom concerns.

Fraud and other disputes in commodity trading are also common including disputes around hedging arrangements.

Members also have a deep understanding of the issues which arise out of the construction, financing, operation and insurance of onshore and offshore construction and infrastructure including pipelines, cables, refineries, petrochemical plants, power stations, drillships, FPSOs and many different types of drilling rigs, as well as processing and production plants.

Disputes relating to renewable energy and carbon reduction are a growing feature of members’ practices including windfarm and hydro-electric construction projects. Supply contracts and other disputes concerning transition fuel LNG are also an increasing feature.

Some of the notable reported energy cases in which members of 7KBW have appeared include:

• Apache North Sea Limited v INEOS FPS Limited [2020] EWHC 2081 (Comm): Dispute concerning consent provision in contracts for transportation of oil to shore via pipeline.
• Munich Re Capital Ltd v Ascot Corporate Name Ltd [2019] EWHC 2768 (Comm): Offshore energy insurance dispute concerning the WELCAR form.
• Petrosaudi Oil Services (Venezuela) Ltd v Novo Banco S.A. [2017] EWCA Civ 32: Dispute about a payment provision in a drilling contract.
• Apache Beryl Ltd v Marathon Oil UK LLC [2017] EWHC 2258 (Comm), [2017] EWHC 2462 (Comm), [2017] EWHC 2504 (Comm): Dispute between joint venture partners engaged in the exploitation of natural gas in the North Sea.
• PST Energy 7 Shipping LLC v OW Bunker Malta [2016] UKSC 23: Dispute concerning contracts for the sale of marine fuels, described by Lloyd’s List as “the most spectacular shipping legal imbroglio so far this century”.
• The SBM MOPUSTOR litigation: Dispute arising out of the decommissioning of an oil rig in the North Sea.