Reuters: RWE in landmark win over Gazprom crucial contract clause

RWE Transgas, the Czech unit of Germany's RWE, has won a landmark dispute with Gazprom over gas contracts, after a court ruled for the first time that a company did not have to pay fines under a "take-or-pay" clause.

The verdict is likely to play into the hands of Gazprom's disgruntled clients in Europe who may follow RWE and challenge take-or-pay claims from the Russian giant under which they must buy a minimum amount of gas or pay fines.

A spokesman for RWE Transgas, the republic's dominant gas importer, said on Wednesday that the company had successfully fought off a claim from Gazprom in a court in Vienna.  MORE