Energy Blast – April 23, 2009

‘Great attention’ will apparently be paid ‘to the issue of energy cooperation’ in today’s meeting between Dmitry Medvedev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.  The ‘climate doctrine’ drawn up by Russia’s Natural Resources and Environment Ministry plans to introduce harsher punishments for violations of environmental law.  Protests have taken place in a Bulgarian Black Sea town against the intended construction of a trans-Balkan oil pipeline, fearing possible environmental damage.  A top U.S. climate negotiator has said that Congress needs to act first to reduce greenhouse emissions, and then an international agreement can follow.  TNK-BP plans to invest $88 million this year on environmental protection measures, higher than last year’s sum.  The company has begun bidding for a minority stake in Sibir Energy, offering a surprisingly high price, the Moscow Times reports.  Gazprom Neft has bought the Italian operations belonging to U.S oil giant Chevron.  The Prirazlomnaya platform will be handed over to Gazprom in 2010, at which point testing of it can begin; the project has reportedly been unaffected by the crisis, says Oil and Gas Eurasia.