Bulgarian Foreign Minister: the crisis in Ukraine proves it necessary to launch the “South Stream”

The situation in Ukraine, which could lead to a halt of Russian gas transit, really proves the necessity of the project “South Stream”, said Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin.

Answering journalists’ questions in Varna, Bulgaria, the Minister stressed that for the European citizens, including Bulgarians, it is very important to guarantee the security of gas supplies.

“We cannot be held hostage to the economic, political and financial instability in the transit countries. We want Ukraine to be a stable and secure state, but we see what is happening there, and we believe that this instability will last for a long period of time,” – said Vigenin.

Dvorkovich: the contract of “Gazprom” with China Gas to be prepared for Putin’s visit to China

The contract for the supply of Russian gas to China will be prepared for the upcoming visit to China of Russian President Vladimir Putin which is to take place in May, said Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich at a meeting with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

Dvorkovich said that the gas supply issues were discussed during last week’s intergovernmental commission’s work in the energy sector. “We have much greater potential (than the current level of interaction), and in some areas we have agreed to use this capacity. Specifically, we are talking about oil production and refining,” – said Dvorkovich.

He noted that the Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin will continue to consult with China on expanding cooperation in the nuclear energy industry.

Medvedev considers it possible to create special economic zone in the Crimea

Crimea may obtain the status of a special economic zone, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at a meeting on socio-economic development of the Crimea and Sevastopol. According to him, all federal departments and agencies of the Russian Federation by the end of the year will present an action plan to support the Crimea on their profile.

Medvedev instructed the government to develop tax incentives for businesses in the Crimea, which will be under Russian jurisdiction.

According to him, in the coming years it is expected “to increase gas production in the region in 1.5-2 times.”

“With regard to electricity, there are options to connect Crimea to the United Energy System of Russia through the Kerch Strait, as well as the construction of its own generation plants on the peninsula,” – said the prime minister.

Russia Suggests Energy Synchronization with the Baltic States

Russia has suggested the CIS and the European Union synchronize their electricity supply systems, said Russia’s Permanent Representative at the EU, Vladimir Chizhov.

“This would give a strong impetus to electricity trade,” he said in an interview to Russian journalists in Brussels. Negotiations about a unified energy system of Russia, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are stalled “for solely political reasons”, he believes.

The Baltic countries that have been members of the EU for already ten years also remain part of the united CIS electricity system, Chizhov added.

“During this period they were keen to switch to the EU’s electricity system,” he said. “According to our sources, they have ordered a feasibility study at an independent company.”

Chizhov believes Russia’s construction of the Baltic nuclear power plant in Kaliningrad Region would be another step ahead with this project since generation at this plant would more than twice exceed the region’s needs, thus providing opportunities for energy export to the neighboring EU states.

We Wish That Russia Continued to Provide Us Assistance in Training Personnel for Nuclear Industry

In connection with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s official visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam due to take place on November, 12 Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang gave an exclusive interview to ITAR -TASS.

“Vietnam and Russia have a long history of the traditional friendship and bilateral ties. In 2001, the parties established a strategic partnership, and in 2012 took them up to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership. This solid foundation provides a reliable basis for further deepening and all-round development of our relations.

The political relations between the two countries possess a high degree of mutual trust, we have effectively developed trade and economic partnership, expands humanitarian cooperation. I believe, that in order to give further impetus to the development of bilateral relations in the near future Vietnam and Russia should focus on the implementation of strategic joint projects in such key areas of interaction as trade and economy, energy, including oil, gas and nuclear power sector, military technical co-operation.

Medvedev Calls for Soonest Solution to Russian Gas Pricing Problem for China

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev believes it is of huge importance to resolve as soon as possible the problem of the Russian gas export price for China.

“Now we are completing to adjust the gas export pricing formula,” Medvedev told an on-line conference with Chinese Internet users on Tuesday. “It is time to finalize the issue and to launch gas supplies to China,” he added.

In general, Medvedev highly assessed energy cooperation with China. “This is a very important sphere of our cooperation,” he said, adding that this kind of interaction had entered a qualitatively new level.

The prime minister said that the two countries actively developed energy interaction not only in the sphere of hydrocarbons, but also in the atomic energy area.

Rosneft Cedes Fields to China

Rosneft will cede a share of its oil riches to China under a memorandum signed Friday to jointly develop East Siberia deposits, in the first such deal between China’s largest oil company and Russia. The world’s top oil producer, Russia has previously preferred to sign long-term supply deals backed by loans with China, the biggest oil importer.

The state-owned company said it signed a memorandum with China National Petroleum Corp, or CNPC, to jointly tap oil reserves. These include the Srednebotuobinsk field previously owned by oil producer Taas-Yuryakh, which Rosneft recently took over. Rosneft will have a controlling stake of 51 percent in the future joint venture, while CNPC will own 49 percent.

Rosneft has a similar deal with another Chinese company, Sinopec, which is producing oil just west of the Urals in the Republic of Udmurtia.

Rosneft, which in March acquired British-Russian oil firm TNK-BP for $55 billion, also needs to increase its upstream base to honor a pledge to increase sales to China.

Rusatom Overseas Signed the Memorandum of Mutual Understanding with the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Center at the Czech Technical University in Prague

Rusatom Overseas, a subsidiary of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM, today signed the Memorandum of mutual understanding with the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Center at the Czech Technical University in Prague (ČVUT).

The signing of the memorandum, which was the part of the Russian Federation Business Day on 55th International Engineering Fair in Brno, is a follow-up of cooperation between Russian and Czech experts in the nuclear field. The memorandum provides a legal basis for strengthening cooperation in the academic and scientific fields.

“The memorandum will allow Czech science to enhance the interaction with the world leader in nuclear technology. I believe that this cooperation will help to raise the level of education and research, not only in the Czech Technical University “- said Frantisek Hrdlicka, the Dean  of Czech Technical University Engineering Faculty.

Medvedev to Chair Conference on Measures to Strengthen Payment Discipline in Gas Supply Sphere

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will chair a conference Wednesday on urgent measures to strengthen payment discipline in the natural-gas supply sphere.

A government press service official said participants in the meeting would discuss the situation concerning indebtedness for the supply of gas in Russia’s regions and ways to resolve it. “The meeting will be held in a video conference mode with the participation of the leaders of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation,” the government official pointed out, adding that live standups are planned from Bashkortostan, Kabardino-Balkar Republic, Kalmyk Republic, Novgorod, Yaroslavl, and Volgograd Regions.

Participants in the conference will be as follows: Vice-Premier Arkady Dvorkovich, Minister of Energy Alexander Novak, Regional Development Minister Igor Slyunyayev, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, as well as Sergei Novikov, Director of the Federal Tariff Service, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller, representatives of respective ministries and agencies, and governors of regions.

Medvedev in Astrakhan Chairs Conference on Caspian Oil Wed

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev made a working tour of Astrakhan on Wednesday to chair a conference on the use of subsoil resources and transportation of hydrocarbon fuel.

The Russian government press service reported that the Head of the Cabinet also visited an offshore ice-resistant stationary oil platform belonging to the LUKOIL Company. The platform was named after Yuri Korchagin, former secretary of the LUKOIL Board of Directors. Over there, Medvedev familiarized himself with the residential and production premises, drilling equipment and platform control systems.

Vice-Premier Arkady Dvorkovich, Vladimir Ustinov, plenipotentiary presidential representative in the Southern Federal District, the Ministers of Natural Resources and Energy, Sergei Donskoi and Alexander Novak, and Astrakhan Region Governor Alexander Zhilkin participated in the conference held under Premier’s direction.