Energy Blast – Feb 25th, 2009

President Dmitry Medvedev and his Yemeni counterpart Ali Abdallah Salah will discuss military and trade cooperation when they meet in Moscow today, with special focus on Yemen’s electric power industry, and oil and gas sector.  A senior executive at Royal Dutch Shell says foreign investors want more confidence about access to Russia’s energy riches before helping the country tap its resources.  Iran is ‘moving a step closer to joining the nuclear club’ by starting tests on its Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant as part of preparations for its launch.  The ‘first class scandal’ of Sibir Energy continues.  The company has suspended its chief executive and launched an investigation into how Chalva Tchigirinski, one of its major shareholders, was able to borrow $200m from the firm apparently without the knowledge of the board.