Posted on 10/04/2011 7:22:42 AM PDT by bananaman22
While few people in the world have warm feelings for energy companies beyond perhaps their stockholders, Russia’s state-owned natural gas monopoly Gazprom has shown an unrivalled and unique capacity to alienate is customers over the past two decades since the collapse of the USSR.
Nations unhappy with Gazprom’s bludgeoning tactics include virtually all of the new nations composing the post-Soviet space and beyond. Issues range from aggressive low-balling of purchase prices for natural gas exports (Central Asia post-Soviet states) through transit countries getting screwed on both prices and transit fees (Belarus, Ukraine and China) to end consumers from Eastern and Central Europe to Asia.
Gazprom’s customer base is nervously contemplating if the monopoly’s obnoxious buccaneering capitalist tactics will cause further disruptions in continued supplies of natural gas if the energy giant pushes their transit neighbors too far.
One of Russia’s customers has had enough of being regarded as Gazprom’s milch cow, and unlike Ukraine or Belarus, Moscow may suddenly find that Turkey has both the inclination and wherewithal to fight back, and it is a fight that Gazprom would be foolish to pursue.
The storm flags were raised in Ankara on 29 September when Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told a symposium on the exploitation of mineral resources that Turkey may sever its natural gas contracts with Russia if discounts on fuel supplies cannot be resolved. Taner said, "The operation of our agreements for the supply of gas through the western corridor is expiring later this year. We import much of our oil and gas. In this regard we have requested from the Russian side a discount on the gas being supplied along the western corridor. If Russia does not offer a discount that will satisfy us, we intend to raise the question of terminating the contract" before reminding his audience that over the past 29 months the price of Gazprom natural gas imports had risen by 39 percent.
Yildiz stated that in view of the rising prices the Turkish government intended to seek a partial rebate for the country’s purchase price of Russian oil and natural gas via the Balkans, commenting, "Specifically, we shall analyze every agreement in this area that is expiring.
Among them contracts for supply through the western corridor" before reiterating that without a discount Turkey would not renew the purchase agreements.
Now Ankara has upped the ante, as on 2 October the Turkish state gas pipeline operator Botas informed Gazprom that it will end its contract with them for the delivery of natural gas to Turkey through the Balkans. Sources in the Turkish Energy Ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity said, "Russia has failed to take steps that would satisfy the Turkish side. Proceeding from this, Botas has officially Full article at: Turkey and Russia Spar Over Natural Gas Prices
yes.
turkey’s already pushing up against israel’s exploration sites, using the cyprus turks as their reason.
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