Reform Of The UK Arbitration Act

The upcoming changes to the UK Arbitration Act are an important development for energy practitioners. That's because arbitration is the default means to resolve cross-border energy and natural resources disputes, and London is frequently the seat of arbitration for those cases. The proposed changes are (amongst other things) another step toward improved time and cost efficiency in English arbitration.

On 6 September 2023, the Law Commission published the long-awaited final report of its review of the UK Arbitration Act 1996 (the "Act") and a draft bill setting out the recommended amendments to the Act. The upshot is that the Act works well and root and branch reform is not necessary or desired, but that after 27 years there are some areas where the text can be improved. The key reforms that are likely to be of most interest to users of international arbitration concern moves to improve the cost and time efficiency of English arbitration. In particular, it is