 European countries heavily dependent on Russian gas supplies are cheered by signs of a balance shift in the continent's energy market.
Dozens of companies, including world majors, have begun exploring or even drilling in search of shale gas, amid talk of huge reserves in the US, Poland and many other countries. Russian gas giant Gazprom's deputy chief executive Alexander Medvedev has reacted by branding shale gas projects as "dangerous", provoking suspicions that Russia could be unnerved by the latest developments in the world gas market. In 2009, Russia was beaten by the US to the title of the world's leader in gas production, but it still satisfies more than a quarter of Europe's gas needs. | ||
Showing posts with label gas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gas. Show all posts
Jun 27, 2010
BBC News - Should Gazprom fear shale gas revolution?
BBC News - Should Gazprom fear shale gas revolution?
Dec 25, 2009
China Beats EU to Turkmen Gas - BusinessWeek
China Beats EU to Turkmen Gas - BusinessWeek
Turkmenistan and China inaugurated a major new gas pipeline on Monday (14 December), complicating the EU's energy ambitions in Central Asia.
Chinese leader Hu Jintao switched on the gas at a ceremony on the Turkmen-Uzbek border with Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and the leaders of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
The 1,833 km pipeline passes through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan before reaching Xinjiang in China. It will pump 40 billion cubic metres of gas a year—about half the consumption of Germany—when it is in full swing in 2012.
The development highlights the difficulties surrounding EU efforts to get direct access to Turkmenistan's gas, breaking Russia's monopoly on EU-bound exports from the region.
"Everybody thinks we are in competition with Russia in Central Asia. But we are also in competition with China, and to a lesser extent, with Iran," an EU official said.
The Chinese pipeline was built in lightning speed.
China and Turkmenistan signed a preliminary agreement on the project in April 2006. Construction began in August 2007 and was completed 27 months later by an army of 8,000 workers.
In contrast, EU firms signed the first agreement on the Nabucco pipeline, designed to bring in gas from Turkmenistan and other countries in the region via Turkey, in 2002. It launched a wide-sweeping Central Asia strategy in 2007 and ratified a basic trade agreement with Turkmenistan in late 2009.
As of the end of this year no EU company has a gas contract with Turkmenistan and not one kilometre of the 3,300 km project has been built.
Early drafts of the Central Asia strategy said that EU concerns with human rights abuses in the region could hold back the union's interests. Unwillingness by EU companies to pay a huge bribe to Mr Berdymukhammedov's predecessor also stymied progress.
The Chinese pipeline does not directly threaten Russia's monopoly on gas exports to the EU but it challenges Russia's influence in the three post-Soviet states.
"I hope that, thanks to this investment we will be not just good neighbours, but also faithful partners," Mr Hu said at the ceremony.
In a setback for Europe's hopes to obtain more natural gas from Central Asia, Turkmenistan and China have opened a major new pipeline built at lightning speed
Chinese leader Hu Jintao switched on the gas at a ceremony on the Turkmen-Uzbek border with Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and the leaders of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
The 1,833 km pipeline passes through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan before reaching Xinjiang in China. It will pump 40 billion cubic metres of gas a year—about half the consumption of Germany—when it is in full swing in 2012.
The development highlights the difficulties surrounding EU efforts to get direct access to Turkmenistan's gas, breaking Russia's monopoly on EU-bound exports from the region.
"Everybody thinks we are in competition with Russia in Central Asia. But we are also in competition with China, and to a lesser extent, with Iran," an EU official said.
The Chinese pipeline was built in lightning speed.
China and Turkmenistan signed a preliminary agreement on the project in April 2006. Construction began in August 2007 and was completed 27 months later by an army of 8,000 workers.
In contrast, EU firms signed the first agreement on the Nabucco pipeline, designed to bring in gas from Turkmenistan and other countries in the region via Turkey, in 2002. It launched a wide-sweeping Central Asia strategy in 2007 and ratified a basic trade agreement with Turkmenistan in late 2009.
As of the end of this year no EU company has a gas contract with Turkmenistan and not one kilometre of the 3,300 km project has been built.
Early drafts of the Central Asia strategy said that EU concerns with human rights abuses in the region could hold back the union's interests. Unwillingness by EU companies to pay a huge bribe to Mr Berdymukhammedov's predecessor also stymied progress.
The Chinese pipeline does not directly threaten Russia's monopoly on gas exports to the EU but it challenges Russia's influence in the three post-Soviet states.
"I hope that, thanks to this investment we will be not just good neighbours, but also faithful partners," Mr Hu said at the ceremony.
Provided by EUobserver—For the latest EU related news
Dec 24, 2009
FT.com / UK - Russia welcomes end to Turkmen gas dispute
FT.com / UK - Russia welcomes end to Turkmen gas dispute: "Russia welcomes end to Turkmen gas dispute
By Isabel Gorst in Moscow
Published: December 23 2009 02:00 | Last updated: December 23 2009 02:00"
Gazprom
signalled yesterday it would fight to retain influence over central Asian gas exports, settling an eight-month trade dispute with Turkmenistan and saying it would build pipelines to bring Turkmen gas to Europe.
Alexander Medvedev, deputy chief executive of the Russian state energy company, said Moscow had agreed to buy up to 30bn cubic metres a year of gas from Turkmenistan starting next year.
Gazprom would also build a pipeline to link untapped gas reserves in east Turkmenistan with a new pipeline running along the Caspian coast from central Asia to Russia, it said. read more>>
By Isabel Gorst in Moscow
Published: December 23 2009 02:00 | Last updated: December 23 2009 02:00"
Gazprom
signalled yesterday it would fight to retain influence over central Asian gas exports, settling an eight-month trade dispute with Turkmenistan and saying it would build pipelines to bring Turkmen gas to Europe.
Alexander Medvedev, deputy chief executive of the Russian state energy company, said Moscow had agreed to buy up to 30bn cubic metres a year of gas from Turkmenistan starting next year.
Gazprom would also build a pipeline to link untapped gas reserves in east Turkmenistan with a new pipeline running along the Caspian coast from central Asia to Russia, it said. read more>>
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