A subsidiary of the German energy multinational Uniper has filed a 45 million euro ($53.6 million) lawsuit against Russia’s Gazprom for gas transported through the OPAL pipeline in eastern Germany, Interfax reported Monday, citing Russian court documents.
The subsidiary, Lubmin-Bandov Gastransport, filed the lawsuit with the International Chamber of Commerce’s arbitration court in Geneva. The dispute stems from Gazprom’s decision to curtail gas deliveries following Western sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Lubmin-Bandov Gastransport, which owns a 20% stake in the OPAL pipeline, is seeking compensation under a transit contract signed on June 1, 2012. The OPAL pipeline is a land-based extension of the now-defunct Nord Stream gas pipeline between Russia and Germany.
Gazprom Export, which is the legal entity named in the lawsuit, responded by asking a St. Petersburg arbitration court to block the Geneva proceedings. On Jan. 12, the court ruled in Gazprom’s favor and issued an anti-suit injunction, barring the German subsidiary from continuing the case abroad.
Interfax reported that Lubmin-Bandov Gastransport was formally warned it could face fines equal to the full 45 million euros demanded in its lawsuit if it violated the Russian court’s order by pursuing arbitration in Geneva.
The company did not submit a response or send a representative to the court hearing in Russia, the news agency said.
The St. Petersburg court has issued similar rulings against other European gas operators, including the Dutch Gasunie Transport Services, Belgian BBL Company and the Czech firm Net4Gas, seeking to block arbitration claims against Gazprom over Nord Stream transit fees.
Germany nationalized Uniper in 2022 with a 13.5 billion euros ($16.1 billion) bailout after the company was pushed to the brink of bankruptcy due to the loss of Russian gas supplies.
In June 2024, a Stockholm tribunal awarded Uniper more than 13 billion euros ($15.5 billion) in damages from Gazprom for failing to deliver contracted gas. Uniper was also permitted to terminate its long-term supply agreements.
A Russian court later ruled that Uniper and its subsidiary would face fines of 14.3 billion euros ($17 billion) if they pursued arbitration outside Russia.
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