FSU Energy articles from December 2004

FSU Energy archives from December 2004

Rosneft takes control of Yugansk: the increasingly bizarre dismemberment of Yukos sees Rosneft enter the fray. The end result will be the same.(OAO NK Yukos's subsidiary Yuganskneftegaz)
December 24, 2004... State-owned Russian oil firm Rosneft has bought the mysterious company that won this week's auction for 1mn b/d Yukos production subsidiary Yuganskneftegaz. Rosneft's purchase of the Baikal Finance Group effectively represents the return into...

After Yugansk, what next? Is the ruin and sale of Yuganskneftegaz an isolated incident? Or is it the shape of things to come?(Editorial)
December 24, 2004... Officially, Yuganskneftegaz was sold in order to pay tax debts. And plenty of investors have managed to convince themselves that this was an isolated incident, precipitated by Mikhail Khodorkovsky's political ambitions, and gone on with their...

Gazprom forced to rethink oil ambitions.(News)
December 24, 2004... The unexpected outcome of this week's auction of Yukos producer Yuganskneftegaz has thrown Gazprom's plans to take over state-owned oil firm Rosneft into confusion. Gazprom claims that its oil ambitions are unchanged and that it remains...

US legal threat shapes Yugansk purchase.(News)(OAO Gazprom plans to bid for OAO NK Yukos producer Yuganskneftegaz)
December 24, 2004... A US federal court ruling appears to have prompted a dramatic turnaround in the Russian authorities' sale of Yukos producer Yuganskneftegaz. The Houston bankruptcy court granted Yukos a 10-day Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection order on 16...

Yugansk uncertainty disrupts January exports.(Yukos)
December 24, 2004... Uncertainty hung over the exports of troubled Russian crude producer Yukos this week after the company cancelled two Baltic-loading cargoes, trading sources say. Yukos cancelled a 17-18 December I 00,000t Primorsk cargo due to be lifted...

Emergence of a new oil giant?(Yukos)
December 24, 2004... Confusion surrounding Rosneft's complicated purchase of a 77pc stake in Yukos' Yuganskneftegaz output subsidiary has created further uncertainty about who will ultimately take control of the Imn b/d producing unit's exports. And companies are...

Shakh-Deniz costs rise.(Caspian)
December 24, 2004... The BP-led Shakh-Deniz project in Azerbaijan has re-evaluated its budget by 25pc, claiming that higher development costs and dollar inflation have pushed up the necessary investment from $3.2bn to $4bn. "The key reason for the cost...

BP promotes BTC exports.(Caspian)(Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline)(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... TNK-BP is considering exporting crude through the 1mn b/d Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, BP Azerbaijan president David Woodward said in Baku on 21 December. TNK-BP has declined to comment. "We are talking to TNK-BP to make sure they...

CPC loadings hit record.(Caspian Pipeline Consortium)(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal at Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka near the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk handled a record 562,000 b/d (2.22mn t) of CPC Blend crude last month, a 45,000 b/d increase compared with the 517,000 b/d...

Russia schedules export rise.(Exports)
December 24, 2004... Moscow is planning to raise Russia's crude deliveries by pipeline to non-CIS destinations, on the back of higher output by the country's producers. But shipments to eastern Europe and Lithuania are set to decline compared with the fourth...

Ukraine re-exports set to increase.(Exports)
December 24, 2004... A scheduled rise in Russia's crude exports to Ukraine in the first quarter of next year is expected to lead to higher re-exports of crude and an increase in product exports by Ukrainian refineries, say trading sources in both countries....

Bad weather casts cloud over FSU volumes.(Exports)(Fuel Sending Unit )
December 24, 2004... FSU crude exports fell last month as bad weather hit rail shipments, and loadings in the Black Sea were disrupted by storms and delays through the Turkish straits. Total exports of crude from the FSU stood at 5.38mn b/d in November, down...

Gazprom looks to Europe.(Exports, OAO Gazprom)(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... Gazprom plans to step up European exports to 180bn [m.sup.3]/yr by 2010, exceeding previous forecasts by 10bn [m.sup.3]/yr in a bid to expand its 26pc share of the valuable European market. The company will export 143.4bn [m.sup.3] of gas...

Transneft backtracks on BPS expansion.(Russia & CIS)(Baltic Pipeline System)(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... Russia's pipeline operator Transneft has revised its plans to expand the Baltic Pipeline System (BPS) leading to the port of Primorsk, under pressure from the government. A source in the company says Transneft has agreed to focus on raising...

Vityaz production rises.(Russia & CIS)(Sakhalin Energy)(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... Shell-led Sakhalin Energy boosted crude output from its offshore Vityaz complex to 11.69mn bl for the 2004 season, which closed on 11 December. Since peaking at 15.1mn bl in 2001, a drop in reservoir pressure led to a decline in output, which...

Lukoil closes Lukagip deal.(Caspian/central Asia)(OAO Lukoil)(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... Lukoil closed the deal to acquire Eni's 50pc share in the LukAgip joint venture. In June, the two firms signed a purchase agreement (FSUE, 2 July, p9). LukAgip has a 10pc stake in Azerbaijan's Shakh-Deniz project, as well as 24pc in the...

Kazakhstan cuts pipeline exports.(Caspian/central Asia)(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... Kazakh pipeline crude exports fell to 3.41mn t in November compared with 3.506mn t in October due to the shorter month, says the Kazakh energy ministry. Exports fell slightly due to a decline in shipments through the CPC pipeline. Shipments...

Turkmenistan wants higher gas prices.(Caspian/central Asia)(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... Turkmenistan is pushing to hike prices for its gas exports to Russia and Ukraine by over a third as it struggles with output constraints and rising costs. It wants Russia and Ukraine to pay $60/'000[m.sup.3], up from $44/'000 [m.sup.3]...

TNP opens new leg of Sever pipeline.(Transnefteprodukt)(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... Russian product pipeline operator Transnefteprodukt (TNP) is planning to start up a newly completed link in its ambitious Sever (North) project by the end of the year. The company says it will put the 167km Subkhankulovo-Ahnetyevsk line...

Looking ahead.(Calendar)
December 24, 2004... * 1st Russia and CIS Bottom of the Barrel Technology Conference. 18-19 April. Moscow. Tel: (44 20) 7357 8394. www.europetro.com * 3rd Russia and CIS Refining and Petrochemicals Business Conference. 20-21 April. Moscow. Tel: (44 20) 7357...

Ventspils Nafta faces sale.(Baltics)(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... The Ventspils Nafta crude and products terminal is likely to be sold within six months, says board member Oleg Stepanov. Latvia's Ventbunkers fuel oil terminal, which owns the Ventspils Nafta terminal and includes Latvia's product pipeline...

Unipetrol deal faces further delays.(Central/eastern Europe)(Petroleum industry)(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... A merger between Polish oil company PKN Orlen and Czech petrochemicals company Unipetrol is still being delayed by paperwork. Both sides have now filed the necessary documents with the EU anti-monopoly commission in Brussels, PKN says. "We...

Belarus refinery arrests threaten Riga exports.(Novopolotsk refinery, Belarusian national security committee.)(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... Gasoil and VGO shipments from Belarus through the Latvian port of Riga are under threat. The Belarusian authorities have banned exports of several product cargoes from the 240,000 b/d Novopolotsk refinery after arresting managers on charges...

Locals revive the RTS.(Stock markets)(Russian Trading System)
December 24, 2004... Russia's RTS index headed back in the direction of 600 points over the week, after signs from deputy finance minister Sergei Shatalov that a recent tax bill levelled at telecom operator Vimpelcom might be reduced. The market had seen the tax...

Urals swags gain significance.(News)(Urals Foundry)
December 24, 2004... The contract for differences (CFD) market for Urals crude is becoming more important as a risk management tool, because of wide swings in the differential between sour crudes and sweet BFO. Traders seeking to hedge cargoes of Urals in the...

ConocoPhillips and Gazprom sign LNG deal.(News)(OAO Gazprom to produce liquefied natural gas )
December 24, 2004... ConocoPhillips and Gazprom have agreed to conduct a joint study on developing the gas firm's 3.2 trillion [m.sup.3] Shtokman field in the Barents Sea to produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) for US and European markets. The two firms will...

Gasoil shrugs off futures losses.(Products market)(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... * Prices fell over the week, reflecting heavy losses on crude futures following bearish US stocks data. But healthy buying helped gasoil buck this downward trend in northwest Europe. * High-sulphur fuel oil finished the week lower under...

Products prices.(Products market)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
December 24, 2004... Products prices 22 Dec $/t Chg on 15 Dec Baltic ports (fob) Russian gasoil 400.58 - 402.58 +13 M-100 (straight-run) 132.09 - 134.09 ...

Freight rates.(Products market)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
December 24, 2004... Freight rates 22 Dec Rate WS ($/bl) Novorossiysk to Augusta (Italy) Clean products 30,000t 350 2.66 Fuel...

Yukos concerns dominate.(Crude market, OAO NK Yukos)(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... Crude prices fell over the week as supply concerns eased on forecasts of mild weather. February BFO fell to under $41/bl. Weekly US crude stock data also revealed a 2.Imn bl build. * Uncertainty over Yukos exports dominated the Urals...

Crude prices.(Crude market)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
December 24, 2004... Crude prices 22 Dec Chg on diff $/bl 15 Dec to BFO NW Europe BFO (dated) 40.66 - 40.72 -0.74 -...

Freight rates.(Crude market)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
December 24, 2004... Freight rates (Capital Shipbrokers) 22 Dec WS Rate ($/bl) Novorossiysk to Augusta (Italy) Crude 130,000t 225 1.75 Crude 80,000t ...

Russia's crude export schedule outside the FSU, 1Q 2005.(Russian 1Q oil exports)(Illustration)
December 24, 2004... Russia's crude export schedule outside the FSU, 1Q 2005 '000t Exporter Novorossiysk Tuapse Odessa Total exports through Russia 11,450.0 980.0 2,600.0 Total exports by Russia ...

Russian crude netbacks.(Netbacks)(Illustration)
December 24, 2004... Russian crude netbacks 22 Dec Primorsk Butinge Navorossiysk Urals (cif-fit) ($/bl) 34.19 34.19 36.99 Urals (cif-fit) ($/t) 249.59 249.59 ...

Last-ditch battle: in a bid to avert the Yuganskneftegaz sale, Yukos has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US.(OAO NK Yukos)
December 17, 2004... Yukos this week filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Houston. But the move is unlikely to prevent the heart from being ripped out of the firm. The Russian firm argues that US bankruptcy law applies worldwide and is seeking an...

Voices in the wilderness: like Yukos' efforts to draw attention to its plight, the concerns of Russian liberals count for little these days.(Editorial)
December 17, 2004... Yukos management and leading shareholder Menatep have mounted a vigorous PR offensive this week ahead of the 19 December auction of Yuganskneftegaz. But filing for bankruptcy protection in the US and threatening legal action against those...

Crude buyers wait for news.(OAO NK Yukos plans selling assets)
December 17, 2004... Fears are mounting that Yukos is about to declare force majeure on its exports as the sale of key production unit Yuganskneftegaz looms. Traders are increasingly worried about Yukos' ability to meet its contractual obligations after the...

Low price offsets risk for Gazprom.(Yukos)(OAO Gazprom)
December 17, 2004... Gazprom's management sees the low price it expects to pay for Yuganskneftegaz as offsetting the risk of any legal action from Yukos and its shareholders. The gas giant expects to pay the $8.65bn starting price in the 19 December auction,...

Yukos misses out.(Exports)(OAO NK Yukos)
December 17, 2004... Yukos has received no pipeline crude export allocations for the first 10 days of January, ahead of the sale of key producer Yuganskneftegaz (see p1). But the firm and its main output units have received allocations for the first quarter. ...

Ultra-low sulphur diesel stays high.(Exports)(European Union)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD) continues to maintain a high premium to gasoil exported from Russia, ahead of becoming mandatory in the EU. On 1 January, ULSD, which has a maximum sulphur content of 0.005pc, will replace the 0.035pc...

Total is under pressure in Russia.(News)
December 17, 2004... Total is still awaiting approval of its purchase of a stake in gas producer Novatek, stoking fears that the deal is being blocked by the authorities. The French firm agreed to pay $1bn for a 25pc plus one share stake in Novatek back in...

West Salym starts early.(News)(West Salym oil field starts production)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Shell and its local partner have started crude production at the West Salym field in west Siberia. Output at West Salym is expected to reach at least 3,000 b/d next year, as set out in the project licence agreement. The field is operated...

New Norway memo.(News)(Norsk Hydro ASA and OAO Gazprom contract)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Gazprom and Norway's Norsk Hydro have signed a memorandum of understanding to study gas projects, including the 3 trillion [m.sup.3] Shtokman field in the Barents Sea. The memorandum includes the possibility of Gazprom taking stakes in oil...

Deadlocked.(Gas reform)(Russia)
December 17, 2004... Reform of the Russian gas sector has ground to a halt amid government plans to turn Gazprom into a national oil and gas giant. It is gradually becoming clear to industry players and government officials that the sector's problems require...

Yamal-Europe completion in sight.(Natural gas)
December 17, 2004... Russia and Poland intend to complete work on the first Yamal-Europe gas pipeline by the end of 2005, Russian energy minister Viktor Khristenko and Polish economy minister Jerzy Hausner said after a recent summit. Work on the $1.6bn line...

Poland's PGNiG prepares for privatisation.(Natural gas)
December 17, 2004... Poland's state-owned gas firm, PGNiG, is due to be floated on the Warsaw stock exchange next year in a bid to raise cash for gas infrastructure upgrades. "A realistic date for the flotation is June next year," says company chief Marek...

OMV takes control of Petrom.(Eastern Europe)(OMV (UK) Ltd.)
December 17, 2004... Austrian company OMV has completed the purchase of a controlling stake in Romanian vertically integrated oil firm Petrom. The deal makes OMV the largest oil company in central and eastern Europe, both in terms of reserves and downstream...

Electoral impact.(Eastern Europe)(European Union)
December 17, 2004... The finalisation of OMV's Petrom deal follows parliamentary and presidential elections in Romania that look set to usher in a more reform-minded government in the country. Traian Basescu, mayor of Bucharest and leader of the centre-right...

Khristenko promises pipeline decision.(industry and energy minister Viktor Khristenko)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... The government will make a decision on whether to proceed with the eastern crude pipeline targeting the Asian market by the end of the month, industry and energy minister Viktor Khristenko said this week. But he failed to specify at what...

New tax model expected in new year.(petroleum tax)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... The draft model for the differentiated mineral resources tax is expected to be submitted for review by oil companies at the start of the new year. The work is being financed by the companies. The model is being prepared by the fuel and energy...

Ukraine mulls tariff hike.(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Ukraine's stopgap government, still led by prime minister Viktor Yanukovich, wants to raise transit tariffs for crude shipments through its pipeline system. Just over 498,000 b/d (2.05mn t) was exported through Ukraine in November by Russia...

More December crude emerges.(Transneft)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Shorter than expected tanker delays through the Turkish straits have prompted Transneft to allocate 250,000-300,000t of crude to exporters in the December loading schedule for Novorossiysk, trading sources say. Four additional cargoes were...

Gazprom backs Burgas-Alexandroupolis.(OAO Gazprom)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Gazprom has signalled its support for the Burgas-Alexandroupolis crude pipeline to bypass the congested Turkish straits. This week, Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller discussed the project with Bulgarian regional development minister...

Sibneft wins new fields.(Sibneft Oil)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Sibneft has won an auction for three fields in Yamal-Nenets region--Kholmistoye, Chatylkinskoye and Yuzhno-Udmurtskoye. The company had to compete for the fields with a number of other contenders, including Rosneft and TNK-BP subsidiaries,...

Looking ahead.(petroleum industry conferences)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
December 17, 2004... * Sino Russo-Kazakh Oil Trading Forum. 17-19 December. Dubai www.confidence.uk.com/sinorusoil/about.html * 1st Russia and CIS Bottom of the Barrel Technology Conference. 18-19 April. Moscow. Tel: (44 20) 7357 8394. www.europetro.com ...

Lukoil cuts gasoline prices.(OAO Lukoil)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Lukoil is to cut wholesale and retail motor fuel prices, in response to mounting public complaints about high prices (FSUE, 5 November, p7). Company president Vagit Alekperov promised to cut prices in a meeting with President Vladimir Putin...

Fortum wants more Primorsk oil.(plans to increase capacity)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Finnish energy giant Fortum plans to spend around $660mn boosting crude processing capacity at its 200,000 b/d Porvoo refinery on the Gulf of Finland, to handle increased crude exports from the Russian port of Primorsk. Primorsk is about...

Customs delays Caucasus shipments.(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Crude and oil product shipments by rail from Azerbaijan to Georgia's Black Sea port of Batumi is being delayed by lengthy customs checks that have built up a backlog of 1,000 railcars at the border. The Baku-Batumi route handles the bulk of...

Rail exports of crude hit new low.(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Crude exports from Russia by rail were at their lowest level in almost two years last month, but product shipments rose as river navigation drew to a close. The rail system handled 627,000 b/d of crude, down by 130,000 b/d on October and...

Tax fears keep investors on edge.(Stock markets)
December 17, 2004... A steady stream of negative news continued to eat away at investor sentiment over the week. Concerns that a $175mn tax claim laid at Vimpelcom's door might signal the start of a widespread assault on private firms triggered considerable...

TNK-BP approves 2005 plan.(Companies)
December 17, 2004... The board of TN-BP last week approved the company's business plan for 2005, which targets an increase in crude output and exports next year. Total capital expenditure has been set as expected at slightly below $2bn, up from $1.5bn this...

Sibneft seeks solutions to gas problem.(Companies)(Sibneft Oil plans for partnership with OAO Gazprom)
December 17, 2004... Sibneft is proposing to state-controlled Russian gas giant Gazprom that the two jointly develop the Muravlenkovskoye and Novogodneye fields in the Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous district of west Siberia, seeing this as a way to increase gas...

Germans replenish gasoil stocks.(Products market)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... * Product prices rose, with a surge on gasoil and crude futures on 15 December giving the rally some impetus. Colder weather prompted heating oil buying, particularly from the crucial German sector. * There is steady demand for heating...

Products prices.(Products market)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
December 17, 2004... Products prices 15 Dec $/t Chg on 8 Dec Baltic ports (fob) Russian gasoil 387.60 - 389.60 +28 M-100 (straight-run) 136.45 - 138.45 ...

Freight rates.(Products market)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
December 17, 2004... Freight rates 15 Dec Rate WS ($/bl) Novorossiysk to Augusta (Italy) Clean products 30,000t 400 3.05 Fuel...

Arbitrage prospects improve.(Crude market)(petroleum price)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... * Crude prices rocketed in response to a cold snap in the US northeast, which is expected to drain falling heating oil stocks further. Outright prices rose by more than $2/bl over the week, climbing back above $41/bl. * The prospect of...

Crude prices.(Crude market)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
December 17, 2004... Crude prices 15 Dec $/bl Chg on 8 Dec diff to BFO NW Europe BFO (dated) 41.40-41.46 +3.83 - Urals (cif) 36.80-36.86 +4.18 ...

Freight rates.(Crude market)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
December 17, 2004... Freight rates (Capital Shipbrokers) 15 Dec WS Rate ($/bl) Novorossiysk to Augusta (Italy) Crude 130,0001 250 1.94 Crude 80,0001 ...

Russian rail exports/imports, November 2004.(Russian rail data)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Russian rail exports/imports, November 2004 '000t % chg YTD Crude '000 b/d Oct '000 b/d Overland Afghanistan Armenia...

Russian crude and condensate production, October 2004.(Russian oil production)(Illustration)
December 17, 2004... Russian crude and condensate production, October 2004 % chg '000t '000 b/d Sep 04 Vertically integrated oil companies...

Russian crude netbacks.(Netbacks)(Illustration)
December 17, 2004... Russian crude netbacks 15 Dec Primorsk Butinge Navorossiysk Urals (cif-fit) ($/bl) 36.83 36.83 37.63 Urals (cif-fit) ($/t) 268.86 268.86 ...

Gazprom does the rounds: the gas giant is talking to banks about raising finance for Yugansk. There is no shortage of potential lenders.(OAO Gazprom, Yuganskneftegas)
December 10, 2004... Gazprom is pressing ahead with raising the money to buy Yukos producer Yuganskneftegaz. The company's chief financial officer, Andrei Kruglov, is in talks with a number of international banks about arranging a syndicated loan, including...

Troubled relationship: Washington's concerns about the Yukos affair are a symptom of increasingly fraught relations with Russia.(Editorial)(OAO NK Yukos)(Editorial)
December 10, 2004... ExxonMobil boss Lee Raymond is worried about the Yukos affair (see p5). And he thinks it means Russia is now off limits for serious foreign money. But less than 10 months ago Raymond was seeing the place in quite a different light. Last...

Sakhalin II faces pipeline delay.(News)(Sakhalin Energy)
December 10, 2004... The Shell-led Sakhalin Energy consortium developing the Sakhalin H project faces a six-month delay in the building of two vital 800km onshore pipelines. Slow work by contractors is the main reason for the hold-up, says a consortium...

Crude buyers look beyond Yugansk sale.(News)(Yuganskneftegas)
December 10, 2004... The forthcoming sale of Yuganskneftegaz is creating uncertainty for term buyers of Yukos crude. Yuganskneftegaz accounts for 60pc of Yukos crude output, around 70pc of total exports and the lion's share of pipeline exports (see table)....

Gazprom cuts capex plans.(News)(capital expenditure )
December 10, 2004... Acquisition of Yuganskneftegaz will eventually put output from the combined Gazprom-Rosneft on a par with international majors, but Gazprom will have to trim its capital expenditure (capex) plans to finance the purchase. Sergei...

Crude exports ease.(News)(Petroleum pipelines)
December 10, 2004... Russia's pipeline system exported 4.04mn b/d last month, down slightly on October's record level (see table). Black Sea storms and delays in the Turkish straits prompted exporters to move oil to more reliable Baltic ports and to Druzhba...

Washington awaits Yukos outcome.(News)(OAO NK Yukos)
December 10, 2004... The latest developments in the Yukos affair are further complicating Washington's increasingly strained relationship with Russia. Foreign-policy makers say the US could adjust its attitude to Russia if the expected sale of...

Yukos tax claims keep rising.(News)(Samaraneftegaz, OAO NK Yukos)(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... The authorities appear to be keeping up the pressure on Yukos ahead of the sale of Imn b/d production subsidiary Yuganskneftegaz on 19 December. The Russian tax authorities this week pushed up Yuganskneftegaz's 2003 tax bill to $1.22bn,...

Urals Energy buys into Petrosakh.(News)(investments)(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... Independent oil producer Urals Energy has bought 30pc of trading firm Petrosakh from Alfa-Eco, which is owned by TNK-BP shareholder Alfa Group. Petrosakh holds exploration licences for the northern part of the offshore Sakhalin VI block to...

Independents look to LNG.(News)(liquefied natural gas)
December 10, 2004... Independent gas producers are increasingly looking at exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia's far north as a way to bypass restrictions on access to Gazprom's pipeline system. But LNG transport via the Arctic presents its own...

Gazprom's vested interest.(News)(OAO Gazprom)(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... Gazprom may not want liquefied natural gas (LNG) competition from independent producers and it will be easy for the the state-controlled gas giant to influence the government to thwart their ambitions. Provision of ice-breaking services is...

Gazprom talks to CNPC.(News)(China National Petroleum Corp, OAO Gazprom)(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... Gazprom has started talks with China's CNPC on crude supplies ahead of the auction for Yuganskneftegaz. The issue was discussed earlier this week in Moscow by Gazprom chairman Alexei Miller and CNPC vice-president Zhou Jiping. China is keen...

Transneft gets tariff hike.(News)(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... Russia's federal tariff service this week approved an 11.2pc increase in Transneft's pipeline tariffs. The crude pipeline operator had requested a 12.6pc rise because of inflation. Transneft tariffs are made up of two charges--the dispatching...