Energy - Oil & Gas

Recent Articles

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  07/07/2025

  England and Wales

  Energy: “directly consequential loss” clauses

  Summary  In Sahara Energy Resource Ltd v Société Nationale de Raffinage S.A. (Sonara) [2024] EWHC 3163 (Comm), the Commercial Court provided guidance of the meaning of “directly consequential losses” in a clause that sought to define and exclude liabilities between the parties. Whilst the words “directly consequential losses” were unusual, ‘consequential loss’ clauses are commonly used in the industry, so the approach of the Court will be of interest to energy practitioners.    FactsSahara Energy Resource Ltd (“Sahara”)...

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  26/06/2025

  Hungary

  Hungary to implement new laws on registration and termination procedures of legal entities in 2027

  On 1 January 2027, Hungary will replace the current laws regulating the registration, supervision and termination of legal entities with new legislation. These new laws will streamline and centralise the registration and oversight of legal entities, introducing new procedures and mechanisms to ensure their increased level of compliance.Hungary’s parliament has just adopted two acts implementing these systematic changes, the most important elements of which are the following:Unified registration system: the registration of all legal entities (i.e. all types of business associations, the Hungarian...

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  25/06/2025

  Hungary

  Hungary amends FDI regime by adjusting deadlines and extending the scope of preemption rights

  The amendment extends the deadline provided to the Hungarian minister of domestic economy for the examination of transactions falling within the scope of the FDI Decree from 30 business days to 45 business days starting from the date of notification. This deadline may be further prolonged three times by 30 business days if the minister deems it necessary for the clarification of the transaction’s facts ahead of its decision on acknowledgement or prohibition of the transaction.In addition, if the minister prohibits a notified transaction, Hungary can exercise the right of pre-emption over...

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  19/06/2025

  South Africa

  How critical minerals can anchor South Africa’s Just Energy Transition

  South Africa’s mineral wealth must do more than power exports – it must drive industrial growth, job creation, and energy equity. Muzi Kubeka and Kabelo Dlothi argue it’s time to move beyond extraction and build a value-added ecosystem that secures the country’s place in the green global economy.South Africa is sitting on a goldmine of critical minerals — copper, manganese, platinum group metals, and rare earths — yet exporting them raw sells the country short. To unlock real value, we must prioritise ourselves: industrialise locally, build domestic supply chains,...

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  28/05/2025

  Europe

  European Commission proposes GDPR sim­pli­fic­a­tion for small mid-cap enterprises

  On 21 May 2025, the European Commission unveiled its long-awaited fourth Simplification Omnibus package, which targets the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the EU’s flagship data-protection legislation. The Commission states that its aim is to reduce bureaucracy and create a regulatory environment that drives innovation, growth, quality jobs and investment.The following article outlines how the proposed GDPR simplification will achieve these objectives.GDPR simplificationArticle 30 of the GDPR states that each controller and processor must maintain a record of processing activities....

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  23/05/2025

  England and Wales

  Oil, gas and commodities: An undisclosed principal revealed?

  In MSH Ltd v HCS Ltd [2025] EWHC 815 (Comm), the English Commercial Court provided valuable insights for practitioners dealing with undisclosed principals in commodity contracts and their ability to bring an arbitration although not named as a party on the face of the contract. FactsMSH Ltd (“MSH”) is a seller of Colombian nut coke, and HCS Ltd (“HCS”) is a trading house. A contract was agreed between MSH and CTW Ltd (“CTW”) for the sale and purchase of Columbian nut coke on or around 28 September 2020, with CTW named as the buyer (the “Contract”).HCS...

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