Gazprom's legal battles with European companies
Corrects date reference in paragraphs 5,7
This content was produced in Russia, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine.
MOSCOW, June 12 (Reuters) -Russian energy giant Gazprom GAZP.MM faces numerous legal battles with European buyers and transmitters of Russian gas, as a result of the political fallout following the Kremlin's decision to send its troops into Ukraine in 2022.
Gazprom has launched proceedings at Russia's St Petersburg and Leningrad Region Arbitration Court, threatening the European companies with fines if they continue litigation outside Russia. However, some European companies have said that did not recognise the court's authority.
Following are several key legal cases:
RUSSIAN COURT PROCEEDINGS
* Gazprom in March 2024 lodgeda claim of more than $900 million against Polish companies in a St Petersburg court.
Gazprom is seeking compensation of $710 million and 886.4 million zlotys ($224.70 million) from Europol GAZ SA, Orlen SA, Ernst and Young Global Ltd, and Ernst and Young sp z oo Corporate Finance.
* A Russian court said in March 2024 Czechfirm Net4Gas(N4G) would have to pay a fine of around 112.96 million euros ($122.7 million) unless it drops a lawsuit against Gazprom over missed payments.
* In November 2023, the same court said Poland's Europol Gaz will have to pay a fine of around $1.57 billion if it continues to pursue a 6 billion zloty ($1.51 billion) lawsuit against Gazprom in Sweden.
* Gazprom has lodged similar claims with the court against German's Uniper Global Commodities SE and Metha-Methanhandel GmbH, Dutch Gasunie Transport Service, Ukraine's Naftogas and Poland's Orlen.
* In November 2023, the Russian court ordered the seizure of 13 ISO containers for liquid helium owned by Linde LIN.DE and put them under the control of RusKhimAlyans, a subsidiary of Gazprom.
The court had previously ordered nearly $500 million of assets belonging to Linde to be frozen at the request of the joint venture.
Deutsche Bank DBKGn.DE and Commerzbank CBKG.DE in October won an injunction in London stopping RusKhimAlyans from suing the lenders in Russia over the aborted gas project.
* In July 2023, Alexei Miller, the head of Gazprom, threatened sanctions against Ukraine's Naftogaz amid legal rows, saying the Kyiv-based energy firm was not "constructive" in overseeing Russian gas transit to Europe.
INTERNATIONAL LITIGATIONS
* German utility Uniper UN01.DE said in June 2024 it had decided to terminate its gas supply contracts with Gazprom after an arbitration court in Stockholm ruled in favour of the German company, awarding it 13 billion euros ($13.96 billion) of compensation for damages for the gas not supplied by Gazprom since mid-2022.
* The owner of the Polish section of the Yamal gas pipeline, Europol Gaz was pursuing a claim of about 6 billion zlotys ($1.45 billion) against Gazprom, according to Poland's State Assets Minister in May 2023.
* Net4Gas has decided to start arbitration proceedings against a major Russian gas supplier over missed payments in April 2023. Net4Gas did not identify the supplier, but a government minister in January that year said that the Czech company did not receive payments from Russia's Gazprom.
* Czech utility CEZ CEZP.PR initiated international arbitration in Geneva against Gazprom in early 2023 seeking compensation for lower-than-contracted gas delivery.
* French company Engie launched arbitration proceedings against Gazprom in February 2023 claiming the Russian company had failed to meet its gas supply obligations.
* German utility Uniper launched an arbitration process in November 2022 in the hope of securing billions of euros in compensation from Russia's Gazprom over undelivered gas volumes.
Engie also started arbitration in Stockholm over gas prices in January 2022, while Gazprom launched a counterclaim in April that year. Hearings had been scheduled for March 18-23 2024. * Polish company PGNiG (now PKN Orlen) launched arbitration in March 2022 over payments for gas.
* German energy firm RWE RWEG.DE initiated arbitration proceedings against Gazprom in November 2022 over missing gas deliveries.
* Ukrainian energy firm Naftogaz launched arbitration proceedings in September 2022 against Gazprom over Russian natural gas transit to Europe.
Naftogaz said in June 2023, it had taken legal action in the United States against Russia to recover $5 billion awarded in the Hague as compensation for damages and lost property in Crimea.
* Italy's Eni ENI.MI started arbitration in May 2022 over Russia's demand to pay for gas exports using the rouble. Hearings are due to take place in May 2024.
* Finland's state-owned energy provider Gasum in May 2022 said it would take its dispute over rouble payments with Gazprom Export to arbitration proceedings.
Gazprom Export said in November 2022 an arbitration court in Stockholm had ruled that Gasum must pay Gazprom more than 300 million euros ($326.82 million) for gas supplies after failing to stick to its take-or-pay obligations.
Gasum said the tribunal had ruled it was not obligated to pay Russian gas supplier Gazprom in roubles.
($1 = 0.9314 euros)
Reporting by Oksana Kobzeva and Vladimir Soldatkin, additional reporting by Andrey Sychev ; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Miral Fahmy
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