
About Alistair
Alistair Calvert helps clients resolve disputes in the energy and infrastructure sectors, with a focus on disputes related to projects in the oil and gas, power, and renewables space. He has acted on disputes relevant to all aspects of projects including procurement, engineering, operational, and financing matters.
Alistair’s practice encompasses high value international arbitration and litigation. He has over 15 years’ experience acting on international arbitrations and conducts his own advocacy. He also provides advice on the management of legal risk during pre-action negotiations and specialises in mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. He has a track record of engineering successful outcomes for clients.
Alistair is described by clients in The Legal 500 UK as “pragmatic and hands on” and as “a standout litigator”. Alistair is ranked by Chambers and Partners.
Experience
Recent Notable Matters
Listed energy company — LCIA arbitration relating to claims made under warranties and indemnities in a share purchase agreement
Listed oil & gas company — ICC Emergency Arbitration seeking anti-suit relief
International Developer — disputes with government and contractor concerning delayed solar project
Leading Asian gas company — dispute with trader concerning the trader’s failure to supply contracted deliveries under a LNG sale and purchase agreement. The dispute concerned issues of wilful misconduct and limitation of liability, it settled pre-arbitration.
US hedge fund — dispute concerning LNG spot trades (FOB and DES) under various LNG sale and purchase agreements
Leading Asian gas company — dispute with trader concerning purported force majeure in respect of a delivery of LNG cargoes under a long term swap agreement, the force majeure was resisted and the dispute successfully settled
Independent power company — advising on disputes concerning defects, delay, liquidated damages and termination issues arising from the construction of a power plant in West Africa
Independent power company — LCIA arbitration concerning disputed funding arrangements in respect of a West African power project
Leading Asian gas company — dispute with trader concerning the calculation of the ‘unbalanced amount’ under a long term LNG swap agreement. The dispute concerns the trader’s failure to supply contracted deliveries, a purported force majeure, and issues of limitation of liability.
Independent oil company — claim concerning royalty entitlement in an Egyptian field
Leading Nigerian downstream oil and gas company — two sets of related ICC arbitrations (now consolidated) relating to the acquisition of strategic assets across several jurisdictions in West Africa, brought by the national oil and gas company of a West African state. Sums in dispute were in excess of US$400 million.*
Listed oil company — defending breach of warranty claims proceedings in the Commercial Court*
Oriental Energy Resources Limited — represented an indigenous Nigerian oil and gas exploration and production company, in English Commercial Court proceedings arising out of the well-publicised collapse of Afren Plc. Sums in dispute were in excess of US$1 billion.*
Listed international oil company — high-profile ICC arbitration regarding a dispute over cost sharing within a joint venture to develop an oil field offshore Ghana*
International oil and gas company — LCIA arbitration regarding a dispute concerning termination of an O&M contract, in connection with an oil field offshore Nigeria*
* Work completed prior to Bracewell
Publications and Speeches
“Challenging Policy on Climate Change Grounds”, A version of this article was published by Energy Voice on April 19, 2022 and in Lawtext’s Environmental Liability.
“Good Faith in English Contract Law”, Energy Legal Blog®, February 28, 2022
“Rare Judgment from Commercial Court on Scope of AA 1996, s 32 and Its Interaction With AA 1996, s 72” Lexis Nexis, July 1, 2021.
“Construction Disputes in Project Financing: Managing Conflicts of Interest Between Project Parties”, Project Finance International, May 2021.
"Arbitration in the energy sector—an introduction", LexisPSL, March 2021.
“Challenges in Arbitration”, LexisNexis Butterworths, November 2019.