Years after an insolvency proceeding is closed, can a solvent co-lessee/working interest participant (WIP) still be on the hook for their former partner’s share of unpaid Crown royalties? A recent Alberta Court of Appeal decision to allow an appeal in Spartan Delta Corp v Alberta (Energy and Minerals), 2025 ABCA 181 [Spartan Delta], raises concerns around whether the answer to such question can be 'yes'.
Introduction
Insolvency and arbitration traditionally do not mix well, as they embody somewhat contrasting legal policies. The Singapore Court of Appeal highlighted in Larsen Oil and Gas Pte Ltd v Petroprod Ltd (in official liquidation in the Cayman Islands and in compulsory liquidation in Singapore) [2011] 3 SLR 414 that:
On January 2, 2025, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Law №2390 aimed at repaying debts incurred in the wholesale electricity market before July 1, 2019. The document, initiated back in 2019, was an important step towards stabilizing the country’s energy market.
The UK water industry is rarely out of the headlines, whether for operational performance issues or reports of perpetual financial distress. It may therefore be more than a coincidence that the UK government has chosen now to introduce new rules for the special administration regime (SAR) that applies to water companies.
In Mergermarket’s 2023 Global & Regional M&A Rankings, Hamilton Locke ranked 6th in Australia for the highest volume of M&A deals, with 69 deals valued at USD738 million. This is the firm’s highest Mergermarket ranking and a significant jump from 13th place in 2022.
On March 11, 2024, the Minister of Affordability and Utilities (MUA)
On March 11, 2024, the Alberta Government released two Regulations: the Market Power Mitigation Regulation (MPM Regulation) and the Supply Cushion Regulation (the Supply Cushion Regulat
We are happy to present the tenth issue of our e-magazine – Trilegal Quarterly Roundup.
This issue features:
• Intellectual Property Diligences from an Insolvency Lens
• A Roadmap for 100% Biomass-based Energy Solutions
Thames Water is making waves once again with renewed discussion around a potential special administration for the beleaguered water company. We wrote last year about reports that the government and Ofwat were making contingency plans for Thames Water after its failure to raise shareholder funding to bridge a funding gap with nearly £1.4bn of its borrowings due to mature this year.