Rauf Mammadov
Rauf Mammadov is a scholar on energy policy. He focuses on issues of energy security, global energy industry trends, as well as energy relations between the Middle East, Central Asia and South Caucasus. He has a particular emphasis on the post-Soviet countries of Eurasia. He has a particular emphasis on the post-Soviet countries of Eurasia. Prior to joining MEI, Mammadov held top administrative positions for the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) from 2006 to 2016. In 2012, he founded and managed the United States Representative Office of SOCAR in Washington D.C. Mr. Mammadov holds a master degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
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Articles by Rauf Mammadov
Can the Southern Gas Corridor Save Europe?
On February 22, a day after the Kremlin announced it was recognizing eastern Ukraine’s separatist Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics” as “independent,” Berlin declared it would indefinitely halt the certification
Russian Energy Companies Halt Oil Supplies to Naftan Refinery in Belarus Because of US Sanctions
On June 24, Russia’s state-owned oil transit system operator Transneft announced that hydrocarbon producers Rosneft and Surgutneftgaz had not reserved any pipeline volumes for transporting oil to the Belarusian refinery
Russia Builds up Its Export Potential in Baltic Basin
Russian natural gas giant Gazprom signed a preliminary agreement with global engineering company Linde to deliver engineering and procurement services for the Ust-Luga gas processing plant on the Baltic Sea.
Azerbaijani Leadership Envisages ‘Smart City’ Concepts for Karabakh
Four months have passed since the signing of the ceasefire agreement that ended the Second Karabakh War, on November 9, 2020. Armenia is now embroiled in a political crisis because
Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan Seek to Expand Cooperation on Caspian Energy Production
A 30-year feud over an offshore oil field located between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea has finally come to an end. In mid-January 2021, Ashgabat and Baku agreed
Azerbaijan’s Gas Reaches Europe
On December 31, 2020, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) delivered its first volumes of natural gas from the Shah Deniz field off the Caspian coast of Azerbaijan to Greece and Bulgaria.
General Electric Subsidiary to Provide Russian LNG Project With Key Equipment
The poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny caused an uproar in the international community, even leading to debates inside Germany about whether to punish Moscow by canceling the Nord
Turkey Makes Strides in Diversifying Its Natural Gas Imports
For two months in a row this past spring, during March and April, Azerbaijan surpassed Russia in delivering natural gas supplies to Turkey (Hellenic Shipping News, June 2). At the
New Rosneft-Transneft Conflict Demonstrates Chronic Challenges of Russian Oil Industry
Russia’s largest oil producer Rosneft and the state-owned oil pipeline monopoly Transneft added another page to their long-running confrontation when Rosneft’s CEO, Igor Sechin, complained to President Vladimir Putin, on
Coronavirus Cases Hit Russian Oil Rig Workers, Putting Additional Pressure on Domestic Energy Industry
The COVID-19 coronavirus has dealt the Russian crude oil industry a two-pronged blow: first, decimating global demand, and now, disrupting output by infecting hundreds of oil-field workers. It has similarly
Belarus Struggles to Find Alternative Oil Supplies as Standoff With Russia Lingers
Belarus continues to scramble in search of alternate oil sources two months after its traditional Russian suppliers halted flows through the Druzhba Pipeline (see EDM, January 22, February 13). The
Belarus’s Role in East European Energy Geopolitics
Executive Summary The role Belarus plays in energy geopolitics is one of the most unusual in the world. While not a petroleum supplier, it sells refined oil products to many
Implications of the Government Reshuffle for Russia’s Oil and Gas Sector
President Vladimir Putin’s surprise cabinet reshuffle at the start of the year (see EDM, January 16, 2020) raised at least two important questions pertaining to the Russian hydrocarbon sector: who
Putin’s Gulf Visit Yields Three Energy Deals, Sets Stage for More
Russian President Vladimir Putin pried loose a couple of energy investment deals from Saudi Arabia on his latest visit to the region, on October 14 and 15 (TASS, Kommersant, October
Russia Continues to Grapple With Multiple Pipeline-to-China Challenges
Russia has dreamed for years about capturing a significant share of China’s huge natural gas market. But getting there has been like slogging through deep Siberian snow. An important step
Russian Oil Rivals Fighting Hard to Extract Best Deal From New Pipeline Law
Five months after the Druzhba pipeline contamination fiasco—in which chlorides-heavy petroleum from Russia was sent into the Belarusian and European pipeline networks, causing $800 million in damage (see EDM, April
EU Court Decision Will Limit Gazprom’s Ability to Pump Gas to Europe Via Nord Stream Route
A constituent court of the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom may not use 100 percent of the capacity of
Ukraine’s Petroleum-Sector Challenges: Raising Domestic Output and Cutting Corruption
Volodymyr Zelenskyy inherited formidable challenges when he was elected Ukraine’s sixth president this spring, including a Kremlin-backed war with “separatists” in the east, deep-rooted corruption, and an ongoing natural gas
High-Profile Arrest Is Latest Sign of Dysfunction in Russian Refinery Sector
Russia’s largest independent oil refiner, New Stream, recently emerged from financial devastation to resume operations. But multi-million-dollar fraud charges against its former board chair underscore the problems in an industry
Political Scandal Has Not Stopped Austrian Purchases of Russian Gas
The dominant player in Austria’s oil and natural gas sector, OMV, has signaled that a Russia-related political scandal that recently toppled the government in Vienna will not halt the Austrian
Druzhba Pipeline Fiasco Still Roiling Belarus-Russia Energy Talks
The Druzhba oil pipeline contamination debacle (see EDM, April 26) continues to loom over negotiations between Belarus and Russia on a range of energy issues. Russia notified pipeline companies along
Russia’s Novatek Allies With French-American TechnipFMC on New Arctic LNG 2 Project
A joint venture led by Russia’s Novatek has chosen the French-American company TechnipFMC to spearhead its new Arctic LNG 2 liquefied natural gas project on the Gydan Peninsula, in northern
Novatek May Be Carving Out a Bigger Role in Russian Energy Diplomacy
Russia’s second-largest natural gas producer, Novatek, which captured the largest share of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) market in Europe in the first quarter of 2019, has sold 20 percent
Russian Transneft Working to Resolve Oil Quality Crisis
On Tuesday, April 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin received Nikolai Tokarev, the president of monopoly oil transit operator Transneft, to hear the latter’s report on the Druzhba pipeline situation (1prime.ru,
Belarus Threatens to Cut off Russia’s Pipeline Flows to Europe
Another oil and natural gas transit feud is brewing between Belarus and Russia, with President Alyaksandr Lukashenka threatening to disrupt pipeline flows to Europe and Ukraine in retaliation for Russian
Gazprom Feeling the Competition in Europe—Even From Russian Rivals
With surging American and Middle Eastern liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports already threatening Gazprom’s pipeline-based market share in Europe (see EDM, April 3), the Russian energy giant is lambasting another
Gazprom’s Surprise Acknowledgement of Tough Competition from US LNG
A high-ranking Gazprom official has admitted for the first time that liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from the United States have negatively impacted the Russian state-owned energy giant’s sales. Gazprom
Russia Tightens Its Grip on Uzbekistan’s Oil and Gas Industry
A major challenge for Central Asia’s oil and natural gas industry has always been how to transport petroleum products from the landlocked region to global markets. That issue resurfaced last
US Now Threatening Sanctions Against Nord Stream Two Contractors, Not Just Partners
The Donald Trump administration has moved beyond browbeating the European countries involved in the Nord Stream Two project and threatening sanctions against the natural gas pipeline’s partners; it is now
Russian and Non-Russian Pipelines to Supply Gas to Southern Europe Charge Ahead
Russia’s Gazprom has completed the underwater portion of the TurkStream pipeline, which will be able to carry 15.75 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas a year under the Black
Nord Stream Two Makes New Headway, as Pressure Mounts to Block the Pipeline
Nearly a hundred members of the European Parliament (MEP) sent an open letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on November 7, imploring her to halt the construction of the Nord
US, Russia Opt to Keep Lines Open on Energy, Despite Trading Barbs
The United States and Russia have repeatedly traded accusations of the other side using oil and natural gas as geopolitical weapons, particularly as the bilateral relationship has grown increasingly tense
Russian Narrative Distorts Basis of US Opposition to Nord Stream Two
At the July 16 summit in Helsinki, a Russian journalist asked United States President Donald Trump, who had come there to meet with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, about the US leader’s
Putin’s Visit to Austria: Implications for Energy Diplomacy in Europe
On his first Western trip since reelection to a fourth term as president of Russia, Vladimir Putin traveled to Austria—a right-leaning country he hopes will help him weaken European Union
Gazprom Presses Ahead With Widening Its Access to European Energy Market
Gazprom and the Turkish government signed a protocol, on May 26, on building another section of the Turk Stream pipeline that will deliver Russian natural gas to Turkey and Europe (Gazprom.com, May 26). Moreover, the Russian
Germany Wrestles With Nord Stream Two’s Implications for European Solidarity
Vladimir Putin started his fourth term as Russia’s president by promising ambitious new social programs (Kremlin.ru, May 7). He may be able to deliver on these promises because the price
Russia Putting the Pieces Together to Maintain Its Gas Stranglehold on Europe
While attending a recent April 3 groundbreaking ceremony for a nuclear power plant the Russians are building in Turkey, President Vladimir Putin also spoke about natural gas. And it was
What Turkmenistani President’s Visit to Gulf Means for TAPI Pipeline Project
Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow visited the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait in mid-March as part of a campaign to revive a long-stalled natural gas pipeline from his country to Pakistan
Skripal Chemical Poisoning Case Throws Spotlight on Growing Russian LNG Supplies to UK
Prime Minister Theresa May issued a statement, on March 14, that the United Kingdom was evaluating other natural gas import options to decrease her country’s dependence on gas imports from
Russia in the Middle East: Energy Forever?
Summary The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is an obvious target region for Russian energy diplomacy. Unlike Western European states, Russia has never had an imperial presence in the