Elena Burmistrova: Women in the Gas Industry Page 5
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BLUESeptember 2015/ Vol. 8/ Issue 4 FUELBLUE FUEL Gazprom Export Global Newsletter September 2015/ Vol. 8/ Issue 4 Elena Burmistrova: Women in the Gas Industry Page 5 Nord Stream II – New Security for Europe Page 6 Expansion and Transformation of the Global LNG Industry Page 12 www.gazpromexport.com | [email protected] +7 (812) 646-14-14 | [email protected] © Gazprom Export www.gazpromexport.com | [email protected] | +7 (812) 646-14-14 | [email protected] 1 BLUE FUEL Gazprom Export Global Newsletter In this issue September 2015/ Vol. 8/ Issue 4 To Our Readers .........................................................................................................4 Elena Burmistrova: Women in the Gas Industry ......................................................5 Nord Stream II – New Security for Europe .............................................................. 6 Post-Sanctions Iran: A Game-Changer of the Global Energy Landscape? ............8 GM&T Group Secures USD 500 Million Revolving Credit Facility ...........................9 GM&T Signs Technical Consulting Agreement with Gazprom Flot for Design and Construction of Floating Storage and Regasification Unit ............10 The EU Continues to Ignore the Tesla project. A South Stream Symptom? ...............11 Expansion and Transformation of the Global LNG Industry ..................................12 First Firefighting Vehicles Powered by CNG Introduced in the Czech Republic ....14 GM&T Singapore Hosts Scientists ........................................................................ 14 Young Talents Illuminate Summer Academy of Arts .............................................15 Publishers Contact Info: www.gazpromexport.com | [email protected] +7 (812) 646-14-14 | [email protected] 2 September 2015/ Vol. 8/ Issue 4 BLUE FUEL To Our Readers Until recently, it seemed that Europe was years, to close them down. This move will Generous subsidies for expensive renewable energy in carbon dioxide emissions by 3%. According to BP, switching methodically shooting itself in the foot allow Germany to reduce CO2 emissions combination with their priority access to the power grid forced from coal to natural gas just by 1% has the same impact as an by embracing heavily polluting coal and by 11 million tons. German energy companies to prefer “dirty” coal for the sake of 11% increase in renewables’ output. lignite power generation plants which cost optimization. Along with the gradual phase-out of Furthermore, gas-powered plants ensure security of supply: they celebrated a formidable ‘renaissance’ lignite power stations, Berlin will increase In addition, the not so perfect emission trading system was of can be quickly geared up to full capacity and put to a halt just as under a favourable EU regulatory regime. funding for cogeneration plants from €0.5 little help: low fees for carbon emissions due to the recession in fast. This type of flexibility provided by natural gas allows utilities It seemed that natural gas would be million to €1.5 million, which, according the Eurozone allowed energy companies to profit from the use of to smooth the inherent fluctuations of wind and solar power completely squeezed out of power to preliminary estimates, will save 4 cheap but environmentally unfriendly fuels. As a result, the share generation. generation by the EU’s skewed policy million tons of CO2 per year. This will be of natural gas in German power generation gradually declined to treatment. The formula “we make up Germany as the economic power house of Europe paves the achieved by taking funds used for coal- 9.6% in 2014 (compared to 12.1% in 2012). for the losses incurred by the heavy way for creating a level playing field for all types of fuel thus powered cogeneration plants and pass subsidies to renewables by buying cheap This just did not make any sense given the fact that natural parting with the experiments which have already cost European them to gas-powered stations, as well as dirty coal” was a clear mishap on the gas is the most environmentally-friendly fossil fuel and highly taxpayers and consumers dozens of billions of euros. Whether by financing the construction of new gas- environmental side. complementary to renewable sources. Emissions of CO2 while Germany’s move will become a game-changer in terms of powered cogeneration plants. burning natural gas are 50-60% less than in the case of coal. economy and ecology is truly a billion euro question. Fortunately, environment-friendly and By 2021, according to the unveiled plan, Increasing the share of the “blue fuel” only by 1% reduces business sense-oriented policy-makers three gas-powered stations will have the have taken the upper hand, at least on capacity to replace one closed nuclear the national level, as we have seen in power plant. Two gas-powered stations Germany, for example. will be put into operation in Bavaria, Women in the Gas Industry Recently, the Federal Ministry for each of them with an output capacity Economic Affairs and Energy of of 600 megawatt. Apart from that, the Speech by Elena Burmistrova, CEO, Gazprom Export, gas industry. I had already witnessed and experienced tectonic Germany presented a new emphasis most efficient power station in the world, at the World Gas Congress 2015 shifts in the social and economic environment of Russia which in its implementation of the so-called located in Irsching, Bavaria, which was had almost overnight subscribed to the principles of the free Energiewende, or energy transition policy. mothballed due to unfavorable trends It is my utmost pleasure market and vigorous individual entrepreneurship. “Up to now, the Energiewende consisted on the national electricity market, will be to speak about the of separate gear wheels. Now we have the revived. “unspeakable” subject: gender Take my word for it: those were challenging times. The rules clockwork,” Minister Sigmar Gabriel said. equality and social cohesion in of the game had changed drastically. The terrain was rough, Up until now, the Energiewende produced the workplace, and in my case, unpredictable and often incomprehensible. You faced the The German government, in particular, contradictory results: the share of making it to the top in the gas uneasy task of making a career choice that would best suit your has decided to gradually shift several renewable energy grew concurrently with industry. intellectual and emotional aspirations, as well as expectations in lignite power station units (amounting volume of CO2 emissions released into life which were determined by a different set of values. I made to 13% of installed lignite capacity) into the atmosphere. Frankly, in my younger my choice and decided to go into business and face the ups capacity reserve and then, after four days when I was green in and downs of this trade, often referred to as a pretty sounding judgement, I did not dream euphemism, “volatility.” about getting intimately involved with drilling, And volatile it was, at full swing. First, however, I did my compressing, pumping, homework. In 2007, I completed the American Business estimating the rate of return and Practices program at Boston Northeastern University on investment in pipeline in the United States, and two years later earned my MBA at infrastructure, calculating its Lomonosov Moscow State University. The task to match theory throughput capacity, bargaining over the “take-or-pay” clause and practice was far from easy. Gradually, however, I learnt on in long-term contracts. And above all, I did not perceive the the job. need to assess the benefits of LNG when delivering gas to a destination over 5000 km away or the expediency of hydraulic What I also learnt was that the oil and gas sector has traditionally fracking. An appreciation of all these joys came later. been mainly a man’s business, and Russia was no exception. I was young, I was a woman and I was blond. What were the It was back in 1995 when I received my BA from the Moscow chances of being taking seriously? But a more comforting State Linguistic University preparing to embark on a career in observation came a bit later when I witnessed this trend if not translation of Shakespeare or Thackeray texts. Not exactly the reversed altogether then at least corrected in favour of a more most likely starting point for a successful career in the oil and balanced gender representation in the oil and gas industry. Continues on page 6 4 www.gazpromexport.com | [email protected] | +7 (812) 646-14-14 | [email protected] 5 September 2015/ Vol. 8/ Issue 4 BLUE FUEL Statistics support the visual evidence: teams of Gazprom and its subsidiaries New challenges Nevertheless, establishing new transport routes is not the the gender gap in Russia is steadily can boast of 8,178 female colleagues of only concern of the European gas industry. It also needs a decreasing as more and more female top Marie-José Nadeau, the first female chair The two key points of the MoU are: resolute, joint approach to natural gas as a product. Its image managers enter the board of directors of the World Energy Congress. (i): OMV and Gazprom are preparing to cooperate on the needs strengthening – through the efforts of every player in the and executive floors in energy companies. planned construction of the pipeline Nord Stream II, which is market. The facts are obvious: natural gas is by far the cleanest The gas business as an inherent part of set to bring more natural gas to Europe from Russia via the fossil fuel and the model for success in order to escape the Gazprom, a company often associated global energy is undergoing fast and often Baltic Sea route; and (ii): the partners have agreed to evaluate fallacy of coal. This also makes it the key to the challenges with the image of a drilling rig and a turbulent changes. Governments and civil OMV’s participation in developing further areas of the Achimov related to reducing carbon dioxide emissions in Europe. We pipeline piercing the horizon, follows the societies are debating what the future formation in the Siberian Urengoy field.