Latest Articles about Energy
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/3ea9c4c6-508e-48e9-b3ab-0f3ec15844e5_w650_r0_s-640x426.jpg)
Anti-China Sentiments Grows in Kazakhstan as Economic Cooperation Stalls
On July 6, Kazakhstan celebrated Capital City Day in commemoration of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev’s 1994 decision to move the capital from Almaty in the south to Akmola in the north. The capital was subsequently renamed Astana but, following Nazarbayev’s sudden resignation, it has been... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Yamal-LNG-640x427.jpg)
Russia’s LNG Strategy: Foreign Competition and the Role of the Arctic Region
Earlier this spring (March 22), the Russian government adopted the “Long-Term Program on the Development and Production of LNG” (Government.ru, March 22). The document highlights the strategic role of the Arctic region in the pursuit of Russia’s main goal—gaining a 20 percent share in the... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Nord-Stream-Two-construction-640x360.jpg)
US-Germany Nord Stream Two Agreement—A Victory for Russia
The announcement, on Wednesday, July 21, of the agreement between the United States and Germany allowing for the completion of Nord Stream Two natural gas pipeline project comes at a time when Russia is undertaking a full-scale effort to manipulate the European gas market, deplete... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ORLEN_Lietuva-640x360.jpg)
Chasing Success, Poland and Lithuania Mull New Energy Projects
On July 1, Lithuanian Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys paid a visit to Mazeikiai oil refinery (the only refinery in the Baltic States; fully owned by the Polish oil and natural gas major PKN ORLEN) to meet with ORLEN management. The parties signed a letter of... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Ebrahim-Raisi-640x360.jpg)
Iranian-Azerbaijani Relations Under the New Raisi Administration
Despite a rapprochement of sorts in 2019 (see EDM, March 20, 2019), Iran’s relations with the Republic of Azerbaijan faced new strains and challenges during the final year of Hassan Rouhani’s presidency (set to end on August 3, 2021), especially following the outbreak of the... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Naftan-640x440.jpg)
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 Naftan for the third quarter of 2021 (TASS, June 24). Transneft’s announcement did not come... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/AGPP-640x426.jpg)
Russia’s ‘Green’ Agenda in Action: Economic Tools and Political Motivations (Part Two)
*To read Part One, please click here. The promotion of environmental sustainability by the world’s largest and most influential players has become one of the key issues determining the international political agenda. From its side, Russia seeks to use this issue for both political (to... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/belarusian-potash-640x416.jpg)
EU Sectoral Sanctions Put a Heavy Burden on Lukashenka’s Regime
On June 21 and 24, the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada imposed several new sanctions packages against Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s regime. The actions form part of a coordinated Western response to the serious human rights abuses observed in Belarus... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Lavrov-and-Thordarson-640x445.jpeg)
Russia’s ‘Green’ Agenda in Action: Economic Tools and Political Motivations (Part One)
On April 19, during the presentation of a report compiled by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), United Nations Secretary General António Guterres stated that 2021 would become crucial for fighting climate change. To underscore the seriousness of the problem, he mentioned Verkhoyansk, in Russia’s northern... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Kazakhstan-solar-farm.jpg)
Green Investment Receives a Boost in Kazakhstan
The COVID-19 pandemic recovery in Central Asia is taking an unexpectedly green turn. Three of the five Central Asian states boast large hydrocarbon resources and, ever since becoming independent from the Soviet Union 30 years ago, have relied primarily on oil and natural gas revenues.... MORE