Latest Articles about Energy
Nabucco Project Stakeholders Look Forward to Leadership in Brussels
Stakeholders and other interested parties in the Nabucco project are expressing concern over the project’s apparent stagnation, and calling for urgent consultations to revitalize the project. Nabucco is simply marking time in the absence of a coordinating mechanism between producer, transit, and consumer countries, and... MORE
Hungary Signs South Stream Project Agreement
On January 31 in Budapest, Russian and Hungarian officials signed the project agreement for the construction of Gazprom’s South Stream pipeline on Hungarian territory. Hungary’s privately-owned MOL Company, a member of the Nabucco consortium, is not a party to the South Stream agreement. Hungary participates... MORE
Gazprom Half-Acknowledges Pessimistic Outlook
Gazprom’s board of directors held its traditional start-of-year meeting on January 26 to set policies for 2010 (Interfax, January 26, 27). The decisions focus on marketing policy, rather than investment into field development. This focus increases the probability of a gas shortfall in Russia in... MORE
Belarus Accepts Drastic Reduction in Oil Subsidy From Russia
On January 27 in Moscow, Belarus accepted a drastic reduction in its traditional oil subsidy from Russia. The Russian government imposed this outcome through halting oil supplies to Belarus by pipeline almost completely since mid-January. The supply flow should now be restored, but at a... MORE
Yanukovych, Tymoshenko Hold Opposite Views on Russian Gas
Both Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and her opponent in the February 7 presidential election runoff, the former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, have sought Moscow’s support for their campaigns. Both are expected to be rather pro-Russian compared to the outgoing pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko, who is... MORE
Russia’s Partnership With Belarus Hits Turbulence
Russian relations with its closest ally, Belarus, have reached a new low following a renewed dispute over energy prices and supply terms. The escalating disagreements over Russian oil supplies to Belarus now threaten to reduce shipments to Belarus refineries. Until recently, Russian crude exports to... MORE
Will Tajikistan Successfully Construct Rogun?
In his official address to Tajik citizens, President Emomali Rakhmon announced that 2010 will be the year “when great resources will be mobilized” to construct the 3,600 mw Rogun dam. “The construction of this site, important for our country, has turned into the arena of... MORE
Russian Oil Supply Cut Hits Belarusian Refineries
Moscow is tightening the squeeze on Belarus’ large-capacity, in the absence of an oil supply agreement for 2010, mainly on export-oriented refineries. The Mozyr and Navapolatsk refineries and other oil sector assets in Belarus are targets for Russian acquisition. The two refineries operate at only... MORE
Moscow Tightens Squeeze on Belarus Oil Industry
The Russian government threatens Belarus with an imminent cessation of oil supplies to the country’s two big refineries, Mozyr and Navapolatsk (aggregate capacity at least 25 million tons annually). The declared trigger of this threat is the dispute over Russian taxation of oil deliveries to... MORE
Gazprom Wooing Croatia Ahead of Putin-Kosor Meeting
Interviewed in the current issue of Southeast European Times (January 12), Gazprom Vice-President (and Gazprom Export chief) Aleksandr Medvedev unveiled a program of business expansion throughout that region, with a distinct focus on Croatia. Ahead of Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor’s imminent first visit to... MORE