An internally integrated gas market independent from Russia is an official goal of the Baltic States’ energy policies. Above all the launch of the LNG terminal in Klaipeda, Lithuania, at the end of 2014, was intended to provide an alternative to Russian gas. However, Latvia rejects the opportunity to import gas from Lithuania, and Estonia is pursuing its own projects, including cooperation witn Finland.  This makes the creation of a regional … [Read more...]
Gazprom deals deepen EU gas dilemmas
Gazprom has been very active in Europe recently, signing a strategic cooperation agreement with Shell, an agreement to build a second Nord Stream pipeline with Shell, E.on and OMV, and a memorandum with the Greek government about building an extension of its Turkish Stream project. All of these initiatives fit perfectly with Gazprom’s strategy, write Szymon KardaĹ› and Agata Loskot-Strachota of the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Warsaw. But … [Read more...]
Greece and Iran: two old friends can change the geopolitics of energy in Europe
Greece, which has long had friendly relations with Iran, is poised to play a key role in distributing Iranian to gas to Europe, if Iranian sanctions are lifted. With Iran in the equation, the energy geopolitics of the region – and thereby the rest of Europe – will look very different from what they are today, write Christos Brakoulias, Constantine Levoyannis and Dr. Angelos Gkanoutas-Leventis of the Greek Energy Forum (GEF) in Brussels. … [Read more...]
GlobalData: Russia’s oil production will continue to grow despite low oil prices
Russian oil production has grown by 1 million barrels per day (bpd) over the last decade to a post-Soviet record of 10.6 million bpd in 2014. In the next five years the factors that were behind this production surge will remain in place, regardless of oil prices, says Anna Belova, GlobalData's Upstream Analyst covering the Former Soviet Union. The Russian oil and gas industry is “relatively self-sufficient”, Belova adds. … [Read more...]
EU investigation Gazprom comes at the wrong time
The timing of the EU's investigation of Gazprom further exacerbates tensions with Russia, notes Friedbert PflĂĽger, Director of the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS), King’s College London. PflĂĽger warns that if the EU and Russia continue to be on a collision course, both sides will lose. … [Read more...]
A vision of a Gas Union in Central and South East Europe
We will never have a unified European energy policy as long as Central and East European gas markets remain fragmented and divided, writes Peter Poptchev. Now, however, under the impetus of the Energy Union, the EU has a unique opportunity to put its Eastern gas house in order. Poptchev sets out the main steps that need to be taken to achieve this goal. … [Read more...]
Russia’s Grand Gas Strategy – the power to dominate Europe?
For Russia, energy resources, especially gas, are viewed as a tool to project power beyond its borders. However, Russia’s room for “gas games” is constrained by its own capacities, the gas strategies of other players, and the EU’s ability to project its regulatory power, write Zuzanna Nowak and JarosĹ‚aw Ćwiek-Karpowicz of the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) and Jakub Godzimirski of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs … [Read more...]
Winter is (already) coming again – trilateral gas talks recommence
Brussels is hosting the kick-off of a fresh series of trilateral gas talks between Russia, Ukraine and the EU this Friday. The goal is to agree, by June, on a successor to the current “winter package” on Ukrainian gas purchases from Russia, which would settle gas – and cash – flows between the two countries until autumn 2016, when an international court in Stockholm is expected to rule on their dispute. … [Read more...]
viEUws VIDEO: “Conflict between Russia and EU could mark end of European gas industry”
Tatiana Mitrova, Head of the Oil & Gas Department at the Energy Research Institute in Moscow, joins Hughes Belin on viEUws.eu to analyse the consequences of the troubled EU-Russia relations for energy trade. According to Mitrova, the current situation is a "perfect storm" which she warns "could mark the beginning of the end of the European gas industry." … [Read more...]
Interview Andriy Kobolev, CEO Naftogaz: “Gazprom breaches EU law by blocking reverse flow to Ukraine”
Gazprom is blocking reverse gas flow from Slovakia to Ukraine in violation of EU law, says Andriy Kobolev, the CEO of Ukraine’s state-owned gas monopoly Naftogaz, in an exclusive interview with Slovakian energy analyst Jozef Badida. As a result European companies are not able to meet the demand from gas in Ukraine and Ukraine is left at the mercy of Gazprom. Kobolev calls on the EU to take action against the Russian company. But he also notes … [Read more...]
Arctic oil put on ice
Low oil prices have prompted Chevron and Statoil to suspend their drilling plans in the Arctic. Sanctions against Russia have forced Rosneft to delay its Arctic campaign. Only Shell still seems to be bent on drilling in the North Pole region, reports Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com. … [Read more...]
Russia’s oil and gas tax policies look increasingly eastward
Recent changes in the taxation of Russia’s oil and gas sector reflect both the country’s pivot eastward and the special treatment afforded to its state-controlled energy companies, says an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData. … [Read more...]
Energy security: Brussels, stop dreaming about the market and confront Russia and China geopolitically
European leaders are under the delusion that they can solve Europe’s security of energy supply problem by creating a strong internal market, which they believe the rest of the world will be eager to serve. In reality, reducing dependence on Russia will require long-term political commitment, real power play and engagement with countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), write Cyril Widdershoven of energy research institute TNO and … [Read more...]
“Everything depends on how much more Europeans are ready to pay for alternative sources of gas”
When he passed through Brussels recently, Russian researcher Andrei Belyi gave Energy Post his analysis of the crisis between Moscow and Brussels. For him, it’s a lose-lose situation, because he doubts the European sanctions will make Russia change tack on Ukraine, even if they are costing Moscow influence at international level, especially in negotiations with China. At the same time he questions whether European are prepared to pay for … [Read more...]
Ukraine’s energy sector: badly in need of repair
Ukraine’s energy sector faces unprecedented challenges, from a reliance on expensive fossil-fuel imports to inefficient infrastructure and markets. But rather than viewing this as a vulnerability, Ukraine’s energy sector is potentially a low-hanging fruit for reform, notes a new report from the NGO CEE Bankwatch Network. According to Bankwatch, the current diplomatic crisis with Russia and the removal of politicians engaged in corrupting the … [Read more...]