The Nabucco pipeline may not be dead yet. A scaled-down version of the long-planned project could end up being folded into a joint Azerbaijani-Turkish effort to transport natural gas from the Caspian Basin to Europe.
At the northern edge of the vast Karachaganak gas condensate field sits a small village named Berezovka. Since 2002, residents have sought to be relocated, claiming that emissions from the field’s operations pose a health hazard.
Energy-rich Azerbaijan appears to be quietly backing the idea of tightened international sanctions against its southern neighbor, Iran. But it seems that Baku won’t profit from a potential European Union oil embargo against Tehran.
The recent discovery of a sizable, new natural gas field in the Caspian Sea is giving officials in Azerbaijan additional reason to cheer. But the discovery also is highlighting a dilemma for Baku – one in which the abundance of gas is currently offset by a dearth of export capacity.
An industrial dispute in western Kazakhstan that is dragging on into its sixth month is casting a shadow over the Central Asian state’s all-important energy sector.
Gas stations run by a Gazprom affiliate that operates in Tajikistan only have two to three days’ worth of high-octane fuel left, Asia-Plus reported Sept. 12. Gazprom Neft-Tajikistan gas stations began limiting sales to 20 liters (5.3 gallons) per person Sept.
Mangistau, an oil-rich region on the Caspian Sea, is sometimes described as the motor of Kazakhstan’s vibrant economy. These days, it is also a hotbed of social tension.
Azerbaijan’s days of explosive growth, driven by rising energy production, appear to be over. Baku is now emphasizing economic diversification, but the early returns are mixed as to whether non-energy sectors can place Azerbaijan in a stable growth trajectory.
Political observers are trying to determine the cause of the latest energy-supply spat between Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Some see a connection to a Customs Union comprising Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. Others believe it was nothing more than a PR stunt undertaken by Kyrgyz Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev in order to fuel his presidential ambitions.
