Contact details

Peter Bennett

T: +44 20 7809 2665 M: +44 7770 570 003 Email Peter | vCard Office: London

Awards

Commodities disputes

Commodities disputes

Commodities: Physicals

Commodities: Physicals

Oil and gas

Oil and gas

Peter Bennett Partner

Contact details

Peter Bennett

Peter Bennett
Partner

T: +44 20 7809 2665 M: +44 7770 570 003 Email Peter | vCard Office: London

Peter specialises in international litigation and arbitration as well as commercial contracts focusing on the energy, commodity and international trade sectors. He is recognised as a leading individual in his area and is the partner advising the international commodity trading group Mercuria in the Qingdao metals fraud case of Mercuria Energy Trading Pte v. Citibank N.A.
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  • Sectors

Peter's clients include trading groups, power utilities, mining and industrial groups, captive insurers, oil and gas companies and banks. He has advised on many different legal issues arising from those clients' operations in many different jurisdictions.

Peter has represented clients in arbitrations in London and internationally under ICSID, ICC, UNCITRAL, LCIA, SCC, DIAC, SIAC, HKIAC, LME, CIETAC, FOSFA and GAFTA; undertaken litigation at all levels in England as well as international jurisdictions and advised on regulatory issues and OFGEM investigations.

Peter is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

His clients value both his years of litigation experience and his skill and expertise in drafting and negotiating financial and physical trading and supply agreements used in the energy, commodity, and metals industries. These have covered LNG, LPG, gas, coal, oil and petroleum products, biomass, minerals, steel, and precious metals. 

"Outstanding operator and trusted adviser"
The Legal 500 UK 2019

  • Commercial litigation
  • International arbitration
  • Commodities

Mercuria Energy Trading Pte Ltd

Advised on their dispute with Citibank N.A concerning claims for US$270 million under repo' sales of metals made under master agreements following allegations of a major fraud at Qingdao port in China.

United Kingdom power utility

Statutory investigations by OFGEM alleging infringement of the Community Energy Savings Programme, and associated High Court litigation against third party contractors.

US commodity trading group  

World-wide freezing order and anti-suit injunction applications to enforce an LCIA award and subsequently enforcement and conservatory proceedings in Australia.   

European power utility  

Advising in High Court on disputes arising out of the catastrophic failure of a 900 MW CCGT power plant; take or pay gas dispute; claims against the turbine supplier under the EPC contract; and captive insurance issues.

More: Commercial litigation

European power utility

LCIA arbitration. Defending claims of breach of a long term fuel supply agreement for its power plant in Europe. The issues concerned the question of authority to vary the agreement, implied terms and interpretation of the agreement. 

European power utility

UNCITRAL arbitration. Defending claims that the threshold to trigger a price review and re-negotiation of the price for fuel under a long term fuel supply agreement to a power plant had been activated.

European commodity trading group

Concurrent ICC arbitrations. Bringing claims against a buyer under two contracts for the supply of coal; allegations of repudiatory breach under both contracts. Subsequent enforcement proceedings and world-wide freezing orders.   

Far East power utility

UNICITRAL arbitration. Disputes arising out of performance of a long term take or pay contract for the supply of gas.

International cement trading group

LCIA arbitrations. Claims for quality and non-delivery under two long terms supply contracts.    

International steel trading group

LCIA arbitrations. Claims for deficient quality against fraudulent certificates final.

Oil and gas contractor

DIAC arbitration. Claims of US$200 million under a turnkey contract for the drilling of oil wells in the Middle East.

More: International arbitration

Mercuria Energy Trading Pte Ltd

Advised on their dispute with Citibank N.A concerning claims for US$270 million under repo' sales of metals made under master agreements following allegations of a major fraud at Qingdao port in China.

European power utility

LCIA arbitration. Defending claims of breach of a long term fuel supply agreement for its power plant in Europe. The issues concerned the question of authority to vary the agreement, implied terms and interpretation of the agreement.

European power utility

UNCITRAL arbitration.  Defending claims that the threshold to trigger a price review and re-negotiation of the price for fuel under a long term fuel supply agreement to a power plant had been activated.

European power utility

ICC arbitration. Defending claims for price adjustments to the API2 price under split shipments of coal in a long term supply agreement.   

European commodity trading group

Concurrent ICC arbitrations. Bringing claims against a buyer under two contracts for the supply of coal; allegations of repudiatory breach under both contracts. Subsequent enforcement proceedings and world-wide freezing orders. 

Japanese trading group

Advising and drafting the terms of long term LPG sale contracts and ancillary CoA terms.    

Commodity contract issues

Regularly advising clients on vessel nomination, delivery, quality, force majeure, illegality and sanctions, pricing and payment, rejection, warehousing and storage, termination, jurisdiction and arbitration, bills of lading, commodity financing and repo contracts, letters of credit, performance bonds and guarantees.   

More: Commodities
  • Energy and natural resources
  • International trade

European power utility

Drafting, advising and negotiating master trading, term and long term supply agreements for biomass for its sourcing for its power plants in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Advising on and drafting all its LNG supply and shipping agreements for shipments from the US to Europe and Asia.

Drafting, advising and negotiating the terms of a long term LNG sale and purchase agreement for shipment from North America.

Advising in High Court on disputes arising out of the catastrophic failure of a 900 MW CCGT power plant; take or pay gas dispute; claims against the turbine supplier under the EPC contract; and captive insurance issues.

LCIA arbitration. Defending claims of a breach of a long term fuel supply agreement for its power plant in Europe. The issues concerned the question of authority to vary the agreement, implied terms and interpretation of the agreement.

UNCITRAL arbitration.  Defending claims that the threshold to trigger a price review and re-negotiation of the price for fuel under a long term fuel supply agreement to a power plant had been activated.   

European oil and gas group

Drafting and advising on the terms of a long term gas off-take agreement.

US Energy group

Advising on the terms of gas trading contracts for trading gas in the CIS. 

Far East power utility

UNICITRAL arbitration. Disputes arising out of performance of a long term take or pay contract for the supply of gas.

Energy contract issues  

Regularly advising on contracts for the supply and trading of coal, oil, gas and LPG and including; the interpretation and price review, arbitration, jurisdiction and clauses, force majeure, termination and quality issues, hardship clauses, price indices and indices substitution clauses, credit support and guarantee requirements.

More: Energy and natural resources

Mercuria Energy Trading Pte Ltd

Advised on their dispute with Citibank N.A concerning claims for US$270 million under repo' sales of metals made under master agreements following allegations of a major fraud at Qingdao port in China.

European power utility

LCIA arbitration. Defending claims of breach of a long term fuel supply agreement for its power plant in Europe. The issues concerned the question of authority to vary the agreement, implied terms and interpretation of the agreement. 

UNCITRAL arbitration.  Defending claims that the threshold to trigger a price review and re-negotiation of the price for fuel under a long term fuel supply agreement to a power plant had been activated.

ICC arbitration. Defending claims for price adjustments to the API2 price under split shipments of Russian coal in a long term supply agreement.   

European commodity trading group

Concurrent ICC arbitrations. Bringing claims against a buyer under two contracts for the supply of coal; allegations of repudiatory breach under both contract. Subsequent enforcement proceedings and world-wide freezing orders. 

International steel and industrial group

Advising on a series of claims made under guarantees for the supply and delivery of steel products and subsequent proceedings to enforce the guarantees.  

Japanese trading group

Advising and drafting the terms of long term LPG sale contracts and ancillary CoA terms.

International trade issues

Regularly advising clients on vessel nomination, delivery, quality, force majeure, illegality and sanctions, pricing and payment, rejection, warehousing and storage, termination, jurisdiction and arbitration, bills of lading, commodity financing and repo contracts, letters of credit, performance bonds and guarantees.  

More: International trade

Awards

Commodities disputes

Commodities disputes

Commodities: Physicals

Commodities: Physicals

Oil and gas

Oil and gas

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