Latest Articles about Energy
Ukraine-Russia Gas Talks Deadlocked
As winter approaches, the Ukraine-Russia gas price talks have been deadlocked, increasing the likelihood of a repetition of the “gas wars” of 2006 and 2009. Ukrainian officials pledged to avoid this but the situation is serious, with both sides firmly standing their ground. Ukraine repeatedly... MORE
China’s Uranium Quest Part 2: The Turn to Foreign Markets
On August 24, the head of Kazakhstan’s national nuclear monopoly Kazatomprom announced plans to increase its uranium fuel pellet shipments to China by one hundredfold, from 2 metric tons this year to 200 metric tons in 2013 or 2014 (Bloomberg, August 22). This is welcome... MORE
Nabucco Project Can Advance Faster Than Rivals
Nabucco, the strategic project for transportation of Caspian gas to Europe, seems threatened by the non-strategic pipeline projects, ITGI (Interconnector Turkey-Greece-Italy) and TAP (Trans-Adriatic Pipeline). These are less advanced, compared with Nabucco, but are also less ambitious in scope, and consequently easier to source with... MORE
Non-Strategic Rivals Undermine the Strategic Nabucco Project
The ITGI (Interconnector Turkey-Greece-Italy) and TAP (Trans-Adriatic Pipeline), with planned capacities at 10 billion cubic meters (bcm) annually for each, require no further sourcing beyond Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz field, Phase Two. Both ITGI and TAP are headed for southeastern Italy. The Nabucco project, however, is... MORE
Three Pipeline Consortiums Compete Over Access to Azerbaijan Gas
Three pipeline project consortiums (Nabucco, ITGI, and TAP) compete against each other over priority access to gas production in Azerbaijan. The transporters’ contest is now intensifying as the deadline draws near for submitting proposals to the gas producers’ consortium in Azerbaijan.Although their respective merits are... MORE
A Swan Song in Sudan and Libya for China’s “Non-Interference” Principle
Observers of politics in the Arab world and the broader Middle East continue to scrutinize China’s place in the region. Dissecting the nuances of Chinese diplomacy and foreign policy towards such a large swath of energy-rich territory that is so deeply ensconced in a U.S.-led... MORE
China’s Uranium Quest Part I: Domestic Shortages Fuel Global Ambition
China’s plans to construct more nuclear power plants in coming years than any other country have to surmount a major obstacle: China lacks sufficient domestic uranium to power them. China’ s cadre of scientists and engineers are busy seeking to develop alternative nuclear fuel cycles... MORE
Ukraine Rejects Criticism of Tymoshenko Arrest: Opposition Struggles to Organize Protests
Kyiv has flatly rejected foreign criticism of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s August 5 arrest for contempt of court. While the West was told that the executive cannot interfere with court decisions, Russia was reminded ad nauseam that the 2009 gas contract for which Tymoshenko... MORE
Russia Seeks Refinery Sector Modernization
The Russian authorities have repeatedly pledged to modernize the country’s oil sector, including its refinery facilities. However, many Russian oil companies appear reluctant to increase investment in the modernization of the refinery sector. Instead, Russian oil producers have been building small refinery outlets, despite governmental... MORE
Kazakh Authorities Ignore Political Implications of Strikes in Karazhanbas Oilfields
The popular British singer Sting disappointed thousands of his followers in Kazakhstan by suddenly canceling his concert scheduled for July 4 to celebrate the Day of Astana. The embarrassed promoters in Kazakhstan tried to attribute this cancelation to “technical reasons,” and finally had to reimburse... MORE