By MICHAEL CONNOLLY
September 6, 2006
RUSSIAN ENERGY: While OAO Gazprom’s decision to pay Turkmenistan more for natural gas will likely improve the reliability of supplies to Europe this winter, reducing prospects for a repetition of last winter’s disruption reductions with Ukraine, the deal further tightens Moscow’s grip on supplies from Central Asia.
Continuing the theme, efforts further east by Russia’s environmental regulator to revoke approval for a $20 billion international oil-and-gas project led by Royal Dutch Shell PLC on the Pacific island of Sakhalin could pressure Shell to offer Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled gas monopoly, better terms as it jostles to join what will be the world’s biggest liquefied natural-gas development.
Meanwhile, the abrupt postponement by Russia’s Defense Ministry of joint military exercises in central Russia with U.S. forces designed to improve cooperation on counter-terrorism and peacekeeping missions is one more sign of tension between Moscow and Washington. Postponement of the exercises, scheduled to start this month, follows criticism from the Communist Party and other groups angry over the prospect of U.S. troops on Russian soil.
Read Gregory L. White and Alan Cullison’s report on the gas deal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115748058510454066.html
Read the article on Sakhalin:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115748573538754184.html