Blue Gold Wins PCA Ruling Preserving Single Track in $1bn Arbitration
The PCA Tribunal on April 10 rejected Ghana’s February 27 request to trifurcate the $1bn-plus arbitration over Blue Gold’s treaty claims, citing overlap risks and potential duplication of time and cost. The ruling preserves a single consolidated track for merits adjudication and lets Blue Gold advance its Memorial on Merits.
1. Tribunal Rejects Ghana’s Trifurcation Request
On April 10, the PCA Tribunal issued Procedural Order No. 3 rejecting Ghana’s February 27 proposal to split the $1bn-plus arbitration into separate jurisdiction, liability and damages stages. The tribunal noted significant overlap among issues and warned that trifurcation could duplicate time, costs and effort without clear benefit.
2. Impact on Arbitration Timeline
By preserving a single consolidated track for adjudicating treaty claims, the tribunal aims to accelerate the merits determination and minimize procedural delays. Blue Gold and its partner can now address jurisdictional and liability questions together, streamlining evidence presentation and reducing administrative burdens.
3. Next Steps for Blue Gold
Blue Gold, represented by Mayer Brown, will prepare its Memorial on the Merits as the next substantive filing in the case. CEO Andrew Cavaghan stated this streamlined process will enable quicker resolution of the company’s claims while remaining open to constructive negotiations with the Republic of Ghana.