Antonio Delgado

I am a partner in the International Arbitration team. With more than 20 years of experience, I advise clients on commercial arbitrations and investor–state disputes under investment treaties, governed by Spanish, foreign and public international law. I have been involved, among others, in proceedings applying English, Swedish, Argentine, Philippine and Guatemalan law, as well as principles of the lex mercatoria.

My practice is distinctly international. In addition to being admitted to the Spanish Bar, I am a solicitor qualified to practise in England and Wales, and I have worked for several years in London. I am fluent in Spanish, English and French.

In recent years, I have specialised in investment arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty, representing German, Swiss, Luxembourgish, British and Japanese investors in claims arising from damages to renewable energy projects. Several of the proceedings in which I have participated resulted in awards recognising investors’ entitlement to multi-million compensation and, notably, declaring the international unlawfulness of the harm suffered by their investments, even where such measures had been deemed valid at the domestic level by national courts. Notable ICSID cases include:

• OperaFund Eco-Invest SICAV PLC and Schwab Holding AG v Kingdom of Spain (ICSID Case No. ARB/15/36)
• JGC Holdings Corporation (formerly JGC Corporation) v Kingdom of Spain (ICSID Case No. ARB/15/27)
• BayWa r.e. AG v Kingdom of Spain (ICSID Case No. ARB/15/16)
• RENERGY S.à r.l. v Kingdom of Spain (ICSID Case No. ARB/14/18)
• InfraRed Environmental Infrastructure GP Limited and others v Kingdom of Spain (ICSID Case No. ARB/14/12)

Throughout my career, I have been part of arbitration teams at leading Spanish and international law firms, and I have also worked within the teams of some of the most renowned international arbitrators. I also served for a brief period as a member of the LCIA Court. This combination of perspectives—from private practice as counsel and from the institutional and arbitral environment—has enabled me to develop a strong specialisation in international dispute resolution and deepen my expertise in international arbitration.

As a Spanish-speaking lawyer, Latin America is a particular area of focus. In recent years, I have spent extended periods in Costa Rica, focusing on the resolution of commercial and investment disputes in Central America.