Latest Articles about Energy
Baltic LNG Terminals Conditioned by Gas Sector Reform
Lithuania is forging ahead on natural gas sector reform and liquefied natural gas (LNG) access, outpacing other states in the region. In 2011, Lithuania became the first EU member country to adopt the Third Package of EU energy market legislation, choosing its most far-reaching version.... MORE
Ukraine Enlists German Effort to Upgrade Gas Transit System
On July 2 in Kyiv, Naftohaz Ukrainy and Ferrostaal Industrieanlagen signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a pilot project to upgrade Ukraine’s gas transit system. That system carries more than 70 percent of Russia’s gas exports to Europe at present. Germany’s powerful lobby for... MORE
Nabucco-West Selected for Caspian Gas Delivery to Central Europe
On June 28, the Shah Deniz gas producers’ consortium in Azerbaijan announced that it has selected the Nabucco-West pipeline project to be the route for Caspian gas into Central Europe. This decision is an immediate consequence of the Azerbaijan-Turkey inter-governmental agreement, signed on June 26,... MORE
Trans-Anatolia Gas Project: Vast Impact of Azerbaijan’s Initiative
The Azerbaijani-Turkish Trans-Anatolia gas pipeline project (TANAP), officially launched on June 26 (see EDM, June 27), is impacting a vast field ranging from Turkmenistan, across the South Caucasus and Turkey, to Central Europe and EU authorities in Brussels.This project encourages Turkmenistan to pursue a trans-Caspian... MORE
Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan Relations: Shattered Brotherhood
Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan relations, which experienced a significant thaw since the death of Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov (Turkmenbashi), deteriorated again last week (June 19). The most recent conflict began when Turkmenistan started undertaking seismic work on a disputed oilfield in the Caspian Sea. The oilfield, discovered by... MORE
Aliyev, Erdogan Sign Inter-Governmental Agreement on Trans-Anatolia Gas Pipeline to Europe
On June 26 in Istanbul, Azerbaijan’s and Turkey’s leaders signed the inter-governmental agreement on the Trans-Anatolia Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project. This agreement marks the start of implementing the EU-planned Southern Corridor to Europe for Caspian gas. This pipeline would run from the Georgia-Turkey border to... MORE
Russia Seeks Lesser Dependence on Oil Prices
Russia pledged to limit its over-reliance on crude oil prices. However, the economic model of Russia’s oil and gas sector still seems destined to remain largely export-oriented, including the government’s continued dependence on petrodollars. Russia’s financial over-reliance on oil and gas remains an Achilles’ heel... MORE
Putin, Gazprom Seek to Refloat Shtokman Gas Project
Gazprom’s Shtokman offshore gas project in the Barents Sea faces its third reconfiguration in a decade. The project – a joint venture of Gazprom with French Total and Norwegian Statoil – has yet to start in practice at the supergiant deposit in the Russian Arctic.... MORE
Russian Companies Map out International Expansion at St. Petersburg Economic Forum
Russian state-controlled companies, Gazprom and Rosneft, mapped out far-reaching expansion programs in bilateral deals with Western companies at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 21-22. Russian President Vladimir Putin coordinated the overall process (Interfax, June 21 – 23; Kommersant, June 22). In parallel... MORE
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan Disagree on CASA-1000
Last month, energy ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan signed a protocol on the construction of power lines within the CASA-1000 (Central Asia-South Asia) project (www.tazabek.kg, May 23). If completed, CASA would allow Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to supply electricity to Pakistan through Afghanistan, becoming... MORE