Latest Articles about Energy

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

Tajikistan Moves Closer to Construction of Rogun HPP
The construction of the 3,600 megawatt Rogun hydro-power plant (HPP) in Tajikistan seems as close as ever. The Tajik government has recently announced its readiness to proceed with the construction of the Rogun dam. Tajik Deputy Energy Minister, Polod Muhiddinov, said that Tajikistan has enough... MORE

Wenzhou Crash Shows the Dangers of China’s Nuclear Power Ambitions
A high-speed train crash near Wenzhou in the coastal Chinese province of Zhejiang took the lives of at least 39 people on July 23 and has raised equal measures of fear, anger and astonishment across the country. Preliminary reports indicate that a bullet train running... MORE

Ukraine Starts Upgrading Gas Pipelines, Hoping for EU Assistance
Ukraine has launched the first stage of a long-planned project to upgrade its pipelines, which carry Russian gas to Europe. As the cash-strapped national oil and gas behemoth, Naftohaz Ukrainy, has no money for an upgrade costing billions of dollars, Ukraine will rely on assistance... MORE

Latvia Facing Its Toughest Test Since 1991 In Upcoming Elections (Part One)
Latvia’s upcoming elections will be the most difficult political test for the nation since the restoration of its independence 20 years ago. Pre-term elections are due to be held, as decided by a referendum on July 23. The upcoming elections will basically replay those held... MORE

Armenia Passes International Nuclear Safety Test
A team of international inspectors acting under the aegis of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has given a largely positive assessment of the operational safety of Armenia’s Metsamor nuclear power plant. Its recently publicized preliminary findings are putting the Armenian government in a better... MORE

German Energy Sector Open For Russian Grabs After Merkel Medvedev Meeting (Part Two)
President Dmitry Medvedev and Chancellor Angela Merkel led the Russian-German Interstate Consultations on July 19-20 in Hannover. This annual event, with the collective participation of Russian and German government ministers and industry leaders, punctuates the gradual integration in key economic sectors of the two countries.Germany’s... MORE