EU: New Rules Apply to Nord Stream 2
The European Union executive on Thursday said its stance on Nord Stream 2 is law and will not change, despite receiving letter from the gas pipeline threatening legal action if it is not exempt from new energy rules.The bloc amended its energy rules to ensure they would apply to the 11 billion euro ($12 billion) project to build a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany that has come under fire from the United States and several EU nations, who fear it will increase reliance on Russia.The changes cast doubt over the pipeline's business plan, to be both owned and operated by Russian gas e
Russia Loses Bulk of WTO Challenge to EU Gas Pipeline Rules
Russia largely failed in its bid to overturn the European Union's gas market rules in a World Trade Organization ruling published on Friday.Russia launched the dispute in 2014, claiming that the EU's "Third Energy Package" discriminated against its gas export monopoly Gazprom by requiring the "unbundling" of transmission assets and production and supply assets.Either side can appeal within 60 days.Reporting by Tom Miles
Sibur Says New Gas Chemical Complex Will Cost up to $8 Bln
Russian petrochemical company Sibur said its plans to build a gas chemical complex in Russia's Far East will require preliminary investments of up to $8 billion and it is still looking for Asian partners.Sibur said a year ago that it had been in talks with a number of Chinese investors about participating in the project to build the complex in Amur.Sibur's Chief Executive Officer Dmitry Konov told Reuters in a recent interview, that the company, Russia's largest petrochemicals company…
Sweden Approves Nordstream 2 Pipeline Application
Sweden has approved an application from Nord Stream 2 to lay two gas pipelines through its economic zone in the Baltic Sea, the government said on Thursday.
Environmental group files complaint to stop Nord Stream 2 in Finland
Environmental campaign group ClientEarth on Monday said it had submitted a complaint to a Finnish court seeking to stop the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline through Finnish waters citing the risk of serious harm to marine life.Finland approved the pipeline last month and the pipeline's operator started preparatory work shortly after that.The work involves detonating World War Two bombs on the sea floor along the pipeline's proposed route and ClientEarth said that could cause serious harm to porpoises…
EU Seeks to Negotiate over Nord Stream Pipeline
Pipeline to pass through Danish, Swedish waters; project will bypass major gas transit route Ukraine. The European Union is seeking a mandate from its members to negotiate with Russia over plans for a gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea to Germany, an EU document showed, as some EU states fret the project will make Europe too reliant on Russian energy. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline would pass through Danish and Swedish waters and bypass Ukraine, a nation suffering from conflict and the main transit route for Russian gas heading to the EU.
IEA Sees Slower Global Gas Demand Growth to 2021
Growth in natural gas demand will slow to an average 1.5 percent a year globally through 2021, as stagnation in Europe and uncertainty about Chinese consumption offsets robust growth in India, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday. After growth of 2.5 percent over the last six years, gas is facing competition from renewable energy and cheap coal, meaning the global gas market will remain over supplied. In Europe, Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom will…
Gazprom Refuses sharing its Europe-bound Gas Export Monopoly -RIA
Allowing Novatek and Russia's top oil producer Rosneft to export gas to Europe would not be in Russia's national interest, RIA news agency quoted Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom as saying on Saturday. "If we talk about our European (export) policy, about a single export channel, these are our national interests. So why should we create competition among ourselves," RIA quoted Gazprom Deputy Chief Executive Valery Golubev as saying. Rosneft and Russian independent gas producer Novatek have asked the Energy Ministry to grant them access gas exports to Europe via pipelines…
Nord Stream-2 Gas Pipeline to be Ready by end-2019
Russia's Nord Stream-2 pipeline project is economically viable, running according to schedule and "there is no doubt" it will be completed by the end of 2019, Alexei Miller, CEO of Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom, said on Friday. (Reporting by Denis Pinchuk; Writing by Vladimir Soldatkin and Alexander Winning; Editing by Dmitry Solovyov)
Gazprom Sells Over 420 mcm of Gas in Baltic Auction
Russia's gas export monopoly Gazprom has sold over 420 million cubic metres (mcm) of gas at its second ever auction, this time destined for the Baltic states, the company said in a statement on Friday. Gazprom began experimenting with auction sales last year as a possible alternative to its normal system of selling through long-term oil price-linked contracts, as some clients started to demand at least partial spot pricing. "We are satisfied with the results of our second gas auction and we will use this model for the other European gas markets as well…
Sakhalin II LNG Export Plant Aims to Sell 18 Cargoes
Russia's Sakhalin II liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant is holding a tender to sell six cargoes per year from 2016 through 2018, trade sources said. The closing date of the tender, one of Sakhalin II's largest in recent times, could not be immediately confirmed. Sakhalin Energy is a joint venture comprising Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom, which owns a 50 percent share in the LNG plant, Shell with 27.5 percent, Japan Mitsui with 12.5 percent and Mitsubishi Corp subsidiary Diamond Gas with 10 percent. (Reporting by Oleg Vukmanovic)
Rosneft Seeks End to Gazprom Gas Export Monopoly
Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft has asked the government to end Gazprom's decade-long exclusive right to export pipeline gas, the RIA news agency reported on Wednesday. RIA, citing a letter from Rosneft to the energy ministry, said Rosneft had also proposed splitting Gazprom into producing and transportation companies -- an idea long resisted by Gazprom. Rosneft and Gazprom, Russia's top energy companies, have been at loggerheads over number of issues, including gas exporting rights and access to Gazprom's network of pipelines.
TAPI Pipeline States to Select Consortium Leader
The four countries planning a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India via Afghanistan will in September pick a company to lead construction, paving the way to the start of work on the project, the Turkmen president said on Saturday. Turkmenistan, a central Asian nation of 5.5 million, holds the world's fourth-largest natural gas reserves and sees the TAPI pipeline, named after the countries it is designed to cross, as a way of boosting exports. It has won support from the United States but security concerns and costs estimated at $10 billion have caused delays.
Turkmenistan: Gazprom Has Not Paid for Any Gas This Year
Turkmenistan, irked by falling natural gas exports to Russia, hit out at Moscow's gas export monopoly Gazprom on Wednesday, saying the energy giant had not paid for gas purchased from the Central Asian country so far this year. "Since the beginning of 2015, OAO Gazprom has not paid for its debts to state concern Turkmengas for the shipped volumes of Turkmen natural gas," Turkmenistan's Oil and Gas Ministry said in a statement on its official website. It did not say how much Gazprom owed Turkmenistan, nor did it say how much Turkmen gas had been shipped to Russia to date.
Gazprom Receives $15 mln Prepayment from Ukraine
Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom said on Friday it had received another $15 million prepayment from Ukraine for gas deliveries, Gazprom's spokesman said. This indicates that Ukraine has prepaid for gas until mid-month. Gazprom's spokesman said that Ukraine made the payment for 63.3 million cubic metres, excluding deliveries to rebel-held territories in east of the country. On Thursday, Gazprom said it had also received $15 million from Ukrainian state energy firm Naftogaz. Reporting by Vladimir Soldatking
Ukraine Doesn't Plan Large Pre-payments to Russia for Gas
Ukrainian Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn said on Wednesday that Ukraine did not plan to make large pre-payments to Russia for gas supplies, Interfax news agency reported. Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom said earlier on Wednesday that Ukraine had paid for enough Russian gas to last until March 6. Reporting by Alexander Winning
Russia's Gazprom: Ukraine Has Enough Gas till Friday
Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom said on Wednesday Ukraine had paid for enough Russian gas to last until March 6. "Gazprom has sent a letter to Naftogaz Ukraine that says that ... without new payments the prepaid volumes will be enough until the morning of March 6," Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov told the Rossiya-24 TV channel. Reporting by Maria Kiselyova
Ukraine Gas Reserves Now Down Significantly
The volume of gas kept in Ukrainian underground gas storages has fallen by around 8.4 percent since Kiev started pumping gas on Oct. 20 for heating in colder weather, state-run gas transport monopoly Ukrtransgaz said on Monday. The company's spokesman said there were 15.35 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas in storage as of Nov. 15 compared with 16.75 bcm as of Oct. 20. Ukraine, which covers half of its annual needs by importing Russian gas, has been left without flows from Russia since mid-June due to a bitter pricing dispute and unpaid debts.
Russia Gas Flows Still Frozen; Ukraine Banks on Mild Weather
Ukraine signalled it may hold off from paying Russia's billion-dollar gas invoice - part of an EU-brokered agreement to restart supplies frozen since June - in the hope mild weather can help it last out longer as it grapples with near-bankruptcy. EU officials worked out a deal two weeks ago under which Ukraine would pay Moscow $1.45 billion towards what it owed for gas supplies to ease a standoff over prices - and lift the threat to Europe, which relies on Ukraine as a key transit point for fuel.
Gazprom: Gas Resumes after Ukraine Pays
Russia, Ukraine reach deal on supplies in Brussels; dispute has threatened winter supplies to Europe. Russia may restart gas supply to Ukraine as soon as next week if Kiev pays $2.2 billion worth of debt and pre-payments, gas export monopoly Gazprom said on Friday, under a deal that is also vital to ensure deliveries to Europe. Moscow, Kiev and the European Union clinched an agreement on Thursday to resume supplies of Russian gas to Ukraine over the winter and secure transit of gas via Ukraine to Europe, despite tensions over a pro-Russian separatist rebellion in east Ukraine.
