Premier Energy, one of the largest suppliers of natural gas on the Romanian market and a subsidiary of a company listed in May 2024 on the Bucharest Stock Exchange, was sued in 2022 by chemical fertilizer producer Azomures, part of the Swiss group Ameropa, the largest consumer of natural gas and one of the most important industrial enterprises in Romania.
The subject-matter of the claim was a contract for the supply of natural gas concluded between Premier Energy (seller) and Azomures (buyer), which, during the COVID-19 pandemic, was subject to several amendments in order to adapt it to the new economic conditions created by the exceptional pandemic situation.
The dispute stems from the distortions caused in the supplier-customer relationship which occurred in the natural gas market in the context of the energy crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Apart from its high stakes, the case raised novel issues of a technical and market analysis nature that required the administration of complex evidence (accounting and oil and gas expertise).
“We are pleased that the court of first instance correctly understood the legal issues at stake and the functioning mechanism of the market”, said Andrei Dumitrescu, partner at ZRVP.
ZRVP's lawyers managed the case in a legal consortium, together with colleagues from Clifford Chance Badea, benefiting throughout the project from the support of Premier Energy's legal and technical teams.
ZRVP's legal team was formed by Andrei Dumitrescu, partner and Eugen Tudose, managing associate.