Judicial practice of solving energy disputes by international and national courts
Authors: Kaminska Nataliia , Ostudimov Bohdan 
Published: December 2024

The dynamics of modern socio-economic relations at different levels demonstrate the presence of conflicts, the resolution of which is considered effective and final in a judicial manner. Energy disputes arise both in domestic relations and international, mainly bilateral, as well as supranational ones. In connection with the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, we are observing their increase, as well as the terrible consequences of the destruction of energy infrastructure facilities, violations of human rights to energy security, energy services, etc.

The article analyzes energy disputes at different levels, the experience of their resolution, in particular with the participation of international and national judicial bodies, generalization and identification of problems in this context, ways of solving them.

Despite the active development of energy relations at various levels - from local, national, supranational and cross-border, regional to international, universal or global – the implementation of the provisions of international energy law, as well as the energy law and legislation of Ukraine and other countries, many problems of theoretical and practical are obvious character They relate to gaps and contradictions in international and national regulation, to a certain extent the discretion of authorized bodies (national regulators etc.), long and inconsistent reforms in the energy sector, corruption risks and manifestations, and are also caused by significant destruction of energy facilities infrastructure due to the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, etc.

International law defines imperative norms and principles of cooperation in various spheres, special sectoral principles and other features of dispute resolution between states and other entities. At the same time, a number of questions arise regarding their effectiveness, timeliness, etc. There are also relevant institutional mechanisms, the most effective of which, as practice shows, are judicial ones. Therefore, cases and decisions of the UN International Court of Justice, the EU Court, and arbitration were analyzed. The practice of the UN IC is few in relation to the resolution of energy or related disputes, on the other hand, the precedent practice of the EU Court in this area is growing significantly, especially regarding the controversial issues of «green energy», climate and energy policy etc. Of scientific interest are the legal positions of the Supreme Court regarding disputes about debt collection for balancing services under natural gas transportation contracts; in the field of «green energy» (recovery of arrears by electricity producers according to the green tariff); disputes arising from violations of the rules for the use of electrical energy; according to calculations between subjects of the electric energy market using a special algorithm, tariff appeals, subsoil use, as well as legal positions of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. In order to properly ensure and protect energy and other human rights, legal entities, increase the investment attractiveness of the country, in our opinion, changes and additions to legislation in this area, strict observance of established guarantees, restoration of energy infrastructure, ensuring energy security and independence of the Ukrainian state are on the way. fulfillment of international obligations in the energy sector, harmonization of national legislation with EU legislation.

Among the promising areas of further scientific research and discussions, it is worth highlighting the expediency of creating energy courts at the international and supranational levels; monitoring of judicial practice in this field; research on the state of compliance by courts with the principles of unity and predictability of judicial practice; the state of fulfillment of international contractual obligations in the energy sector and ways to solve existing shortcomings; timely and appropriate response of law-making and control bodies to problems identified by judicial and other law enforcement practice.

Key words: energy disputes, international judicial practice, arbitration, UN International Court of Justice, EU Court, Supreme Court.