Energy Companies Bet On Nuclear Power To Recoup Investments
With Berlin scheduled to unveil a new energy concept, power companies have been lobbying for the extended use of their nuclear plants, if only for 10 to 15 more years. They could recoup their investments and then some. READ MORE
NATO Takes Aim At Energy
When during the meetings in Strasbourg and Kiel (in April 2009) the leaders of NATO decided to start discussions on a new strategic concept of NATO, nobody expected easy agreements. Nevertheless all the countries of the Alliance agreed that the key goal of NATO should be the establishment of the secure political environment. To this end the Alliance shall elaborate effective measures for the elimination of threats. READ MORE
Russia Not to Review Gas Contracts with Belarus, Shmatko
Gas agreements between Russia and Ukraine will not be the reason for reviewing similar contracts with Russia's partners, including Belarus and other CIS countries. This statement was made on April 22 by the head of Russian Ministry of Energy, Sergei Shmatko. "Our negotiations with Ukraine are completed successfully and I don't think they will cause the review of relations with other partners", Russian minister said. READ MORE
Visits EU Commissioner for Energy
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received the delegation headed by EU Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger. READ MORE
Debate continues as work begins on Baltic Sea pipeline
Construction of Europe's largest-ever energy project, the Nord Stream gas pipeline, has started after years of intensive wrangling. But questions remain. Chief among them: Is the trans-Baltic pipeline really necessary? READ MORE
Russia-Belarus Oil Dispute Threatens Europe’s Supply
Russia and Belarus have failed to renew an agreement on crude oil export tariffs that expired on New Year’s Eve, raising the prospect that yet another otherwise unremarkable energy pricing dispute between Russia and a neighbor could unravel into a midwinter fuel shut-off on the Continent. READ MORE
Russia Seeks To Sustain Its Energy Security
Moscow has reiterated pledges to improve Russian energy security by promising sizable investments to develop its hydrocarbon sector and power supply networks. However, the economic viability of such solutions appears to remain a matter of debate as Moscow’s ambitious plans require huge investments. Russian authorities have long pledged to replace obsolete and wasteful Soviet-era energy technologies and solutions by what officials describe as “energy-efficient” facilities. READ MORE
Kyrgyzstan's Role In Regional Security
With the war in Afghanistan drawing international attention, the Kyrgyz Republic and other Central Asian countries seem to have fallen off of the American agenda. During his diplomatic visit to the United States, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Kadyrbek Sarbaev spoke at the Carnegie Endowment about the need to revamp Kyrgyz-US relations. In particular, he stressed that many of the problems plaguing Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan are in fact regional problems, and that multilateral negotiations and mutual concessions can help find solutions to these problems. READ MORE
Questioning The Invisible Hand
Can liberalised energy markets cut carbon emissions? Britain is starting to doubt it READ MORE
Russian Energy Strategy – The Domestic Political Factor
In 2003 a team of Russian foreign policy and energy experts wrote a 70 page memo about the role of Gazprom, the state-owned gas monopoly, in Russia’s domestic politics and the country’s foreign policy strategy. The document was distributed to a limited number of consumers and was never published. It is in the possession of the Jamestown Foundation. READ MORE
