Argentina’s Abencys secures arbitration victory for Enerlim

Argentinian law firm Abencys Reestructuraciones has secured a victory for US renewable energy company Enerlim in an arbitration trial against the country’s wholesale electricity market operator, Compañía Administradora del Mercado Mayorista Eléctrico (Cammesa). 

“This was a very important case for the firm,” Abencys partner Manuel Gordillo said. “As well as having a big impact at a local level, it will also have an impact internationally, having reached the Arbitration Court, and which positions us as a firm of reference both locally and internationally.” 

Enerlim had taken its case against Cammesa to The Hague after a contract to supply electricity to the country’s wholesale market, and on the basis of which the company was developing a solar facility in San Juan province, in Argentina’s northeast, was rescinded. 

The contract stipulated that 80 per cent of the electricity would be supplied to the wholesale market, while the remaining 20 per cent would be supplied to the energy ministry, awarded as part of the country’s RenovAr program, which has awarded generation capacity to private renewable energy companies via a series of auctions, and which are aimed at increasing the South American country’s installed renewable energy generation capacity. 

Enerlim has said that, with the favourable arbitration ruling, it may continue to develop the solar project in San Juan. 

Abencys’ team was led by partners Alejandro Linares Luque (pictured) and Pablo Eviner.