2008 In Review: Russia, EU See Caspian Energy Dreams Deferred
21/12/2008Bruce Pannier (Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty) synthesizes a year of energy policies and competition in the broader Caspian region:
“The Europeans need the gas, the Russians can provide this gas, and because of the political and economic decision-making structure, Russia is much faster than the European Union in making key decisions,” Federico Bordonaro, a Rome-based analyst with the “Power and Interests News Report,” said earlier this year in summing up Russia’s philosophy.
But things didn’t turn out as Moscow planned.
[…] China appears poised to increase its presence in the Caspian in 2009.
Early in the year, two pipelines connecting Central Asia to China will start operations. The last section of the Kazakhstan-China oil pipeline should be completed in the second half of 2009 and, when fully operational in 2011, is to carry some 20 million tons of Kazakh oil to China annually.
The first stage of the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline is due to be finished in 2009 and, when fully operation in 2011, is to carry 30 bcm of gas to China per year.
