Es sabido que la lex petrolea es nada más que una lex mercatoria aplicada al sector petrolero. Sin embargo, se considera que la lex mercatoria es general, mientras que la lex petrolea es especial, con sus propios contratos modelo, sus estándares, y sus principios generales. Estos últimos se definen por la jurisprudencia, en este caso los precedentes arbitrales. En la doctrina, un sólo principio general es identificado: el famoso Pacta sunt servanda y su derivado el principio de la buena fe. La cuestión entonces es si no hay otros principios, a lo mejor más específicos.

1. El arbitraje en
el sector
petrolero
James Graham

2. ENCUESTA QUEEN MARY / PWC 2013
• 56 % opta para el arbitraje,
• 22% prefieren los procedimientos judiciales
• 5% opta para la mediación

3. EJEMPLO DE LEX PETROLEA EN LOS
CONTRATOS
• This Agreement shall be governed by, interpreted and construed in
accordance with the Law of Turkmenistan and as applicable, the
principles of International Law and the decisions of international
tribunals and international treaties to which Turkmenistan is a party.

4. EJEMPLO DE LA LEX PETROLEA EN LA
JURISPRUDENCIA
• Reference either to law of any of the companies, or of such a State and
the State on whose territory one or several of these contracts were
entered into, may seem inappropriate, for several reasons. The Arbitration
Tribunal will refer to what has become common practice in international
arbitrations particularly in the field of oil drilling concessions and
especially to arbitrations located in Switzerland . . . The Arbitration
Tribunal therefore holds internationally accepted principles of law
governing contractual relations to be the proper law applicable to the
merits of this case.

5. EJEMPLO DE LA LEX PETROLEA EN LA
LEGISLACIÓN NACIONAL
• the practices and procedures generally used in all the world by the oil
industry prudent and diligent operators in similar conditions or
circumstances as experienced in one or a number of relevant aspects of
the operations, aiming, especially to guarantee: a) preserving the oil and
gas resources, which implies the use of methods and processes to
maximize obtaining the resources in a sustainable and viable technical
and economic way, with the corresponding control of the reserves
reduction and minimizing surface losses; b) operational security that
imposes using methods and processes that guarantee the security of the
works and the prevention of accidents, and c) environmental protection,
which determines the adoption of methods and processes that minimize
the impact of the operations in the environment.

6. PRINCIPIOS ALEGADOS
• NET BOOK VALUE
• DISCOUNTED CASH FLOW

7. PRINCIPIOS ESTABLECIDOS
• El principio de la no-invocabilidad de la inarbitrabilidad subjetiva de
las para-estatales
• El principio de la no-admisibilidad de la teoría del contrato
administrativo
• El principio del “seasoned oilman”

8. LOS PRINCIPIOS DE LA LEX
MERCATORIA
• LEX MERCATORIA
• PRINCIPIOS UNIDROIT

9. GRAHAM@3CT.COM.MX
Muchas
gracias !