Putin kicks off deliveries to Uzbekistan

2023-10-07 13:34:00

While Russian gas flows via pipeline to the European Union have dried up considerably since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia is turning to new markets. This Saturday, Vladimir Putin kicked off the delivery of Russian gas to Uzbekistan via Kazakhstan.

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“Permission granted”, launched the Russian president, alongside his Uzbek and Kazakh counterparts, Chavkat Mirzioïev and Kassym-Jomart Tokaïev, who came to his residence near Moscow, for a solemn ceremony to launch the delivery by videoconference. The ceremony takes place on the day when the master of the Kremlin celebrates his 71st birthday.

Wider cooperation in perspective

« It is the largest trilateral energy project » between Russia and these two former Soviet republics of Central Asia, welcomed Vladimir Putin.

According to him, this project will allow Uzbekistan, itself rich in hydrocarbons, to have “ an additional source of energy », while Kazakhstan will be able to solve the gasification problem of the regions located in the north and east of the country.

“Russia will once once more be able to confirm its status as a reliable supplier of natural gas,” he added.

« We are open to further cooperation », Underlined Vladimir Putin, adding that the three leaders will discuss the prospects of this cooperation in the followingnoon. These are “ important, significant in the energy field in general, not only in what is linked to the delivery of gas “, he assured. “ There are projects. And possibilities (…), there are also some », a conclu Vladimir Poutine.

No European gas embargo, but a strategic change

Unlike coal and certain petroleum products, Russian gas is not subject to an embargo put in place by the European Union following the Kremlin’s military intervention in Ukraine, launched in February 2022.

It is even the opposite movement that has occurred. Moscow itself voluntarily reduced its gas flows transiting by pipeline to the Twenty-Seven and in recent months has initiated a strategic change by redirecting part of its exports towards Asia, where energy demand is strong.

But, contrary to popular belief, flows to the Old Continent are not completely cut off and the European Union still receives Russian gas by pipeline. Thus, according to estimates from the Jacques Delors Institute, Russian flows transiting by gas pipelines still represent today between 6 and 7% of the Union’s supplies. It was certainly 40% before the start of the conflict.

Russia, a major LNG supplier to Europe

Furthermore, Russian gas is not only transported by pipeline. It can also be imported by sea following having been liquefied. We then speak of LNG for liquefied natural gas. If the United States has become, by far, the leading LNG supplier to the European Union, Russia would rank 3rd following Qatar, according to a report from the IEEFA (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis) think tank. . The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that 2 billion m3 of LNG were delivered to the Twenty-Seven by Russia in 2022.

Last July, the NGO Global Witness accused TotalEnergies of being the second largest buyer of Russian LNG in the world. According to her, since the start of 2023, the French major has purchased nearly 4.2 million m3 of Russian LNG. Even down compared to 2022, these imports from Russia “still represent nearly 20% of all the LNG that Total has purchased” in the world, the NGO further notes.

(With AFP)