International Market Analysis

 

Category Archives: Energy Security

Beyond Oil and Gas: Kazakhstan Bets its Future on Reform

Natural Gas Europe
June 08, 2015
By Dr. Ariel Cohen

Recent events in Ukraine and Russia’s anti-Western rhetoric and military posture force European energy consumers to look for alternatives for Russian hydrocarbons. One of the possible suppliers of both oil and gas could be Kazakhstan, which boast the largest hydrocarbon resources in the oil-rich Caspian basin.

SYSTEMIC VIOLENCE THREATENS MIDDLE EAST OIL OUTLOOK

The Atlantic Council
June 03, 2015
By Dr. Ariel Cohen

When oil ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meet in Vienna on June 5, they’ll face a strategic dilemma. Political instability in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is discouraging capital investment in local oil and gas projects, and shifting interest to North Americanshale—despite MENA’s cheap, abundant and easy-to-extract hydrocarbon resources (see graphs below). Although the current oil slump has hurt investment worldwide, the recovery period appears to favor investment in North America, the Caspian, and Africa at OPEC’s expense.

WILL GREECE–RUSSIA GAS DEAL THREATEN EU ENERGY SECURITY?

Natural Gas Europe
May 04, 2015
By Dr. Ariel Cohen

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras that Greece would get “hundreds of millions of Euros every year” for bringing Russian gas into the EU. Gazprom’s goal is to establish a new entry point to Europe bypassing the traditional route through Ukraine. Panagiotis Lafazanis, the Greek energy minister, announced last week that Athens may repay the advance provided by Moscow once the “Turkish Stream” extension becomes operational in 2019.

Ukraine’s tax hike will strangle the domestic oil and gas sector

Natural Gas Europe
March 10, 2015
By Dr. Ariel Cohen

Ukraine is facing existential challenges, and energy security is one of them. The country is dependent on Russia supplying most of its natural gas as well as uranium fuel for its nuclear reactors. Under these very difficult circumstances, a government with a holistic view of its strategic security and energy goals would logically develop a policy aimed at encouraging increased domestic oil and gas production. Unfortunately, Kyiv is doing the opposite.

A GLIMPSE AT ENERGY POLITICS IN ‘THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH’

The Wall Street Journal
November 28, 2014
By Dr. Ariel Cohen
Michael Apted’s 1999 film “The World Is Not Enough” portrays the iconic James Bond and his fight against an international conspiracy involving a Caspian oil pipeline, a mysterious oil heiress, and an anarchic nemesis bent on chaos. Themes that haunt the energy industry appear frequently: oil terrorism, catastrophic damage during energy transport, and environmental protests.