Energy Blast – Dec 8, 2010

The volume of Russian gas exports to Europe via Ukraine for the next five years will be 16 billion cubic meters higher than current deliveries.  President Dmitry Medvedev has some very level-headed advice for Ukraine on ensuring energy security this winter: ‘If there is money, there will be gas. This is an absolutely normal approach.‘  In a warning to investors about ‘distorted‘ business decisions, the Economist has cherry-picked a soundbite from last weeks’ slew of WikiLeaks, pertaining to corruption and inefficiencies in the energy sector, from this New York Times piece.  Two former US State Department officials say that a single, global climate treaty is ‘completely unrealistic‘.  Six-power talks on Iran’s nuclear program have come to no agreements on anything except their next meeting date.  Russia and the US have committed to studying methods of removing uranium from Russia’s reactors.  Bashneft’s profits could hit $1 billion this year.