Energy Blast – August 27, 2009

The Russian government plans to invest as much as $1.9 trillion in its energy sector by 2030 in an attempt to increase idling oil and gas output.  Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdori has proposed that a Russia-Mongolia natural gas pipeline could be built as the two countries attempt to develop their ‘strategic partnership’.  Russia looks set to open a pipeline supplying gas to South Ossetia, bypassing Georgia.  The Nord Stream pipeline group has asked banks to bid for $5.6 billion financing.  Gazprom expects exports to increase over the second half as gas prices have fallen.  A group of Russian investors plan to obstruct any attempt by Ukraine’s Naftogaz to restructure a $500 million bond that matures next month.  Uranium supplies will not match demand after 2015 as Russia, the US, India and China develop their nuclear industries, says Bloomberg.  GDF Suez has said that profits fell by 6.3% in the first six months of the year – which in fact beat estimates from analysts.  Reuters has a feature on the Caspian Sea’s Kashagan oil field, ‘the last pearl in the crown of the world oil industry’.