Energy Blast – October 9, 2009

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has said that some countries have offered to provide Iran with uranium enriched to 20% for peaceful use as nuclear reactor fuel.  In a move to decrease energy consumption, Russia plans to ban the production and sale of all kinds of incandescent light bulb from January 1, 2014.  Gazprom hopes to take a 10% share of the US natural gas market within five years.  The company’s deputy CEO, Alexander Lebedev, has apparently also said that it plans to gain a 25% share of the global market by 2020.  Bloomberg reports that the gas giant is in talks with Petroleo Brasileiro SA on joint operations.  Lukoil has said that it has no corroboration of reports that its partner, ConocoPhillips, may halve its stake in the Russian company.  Russia and Bolivia may establish a joint venture to explore and produce natural gas in the next two to three months.  ITAR-TASS reports that Ukraine will reduce its purchases of Russian natural gas in 2010, and will ignore any ‘aggressive‘ comments on the topic that has proved so thorny for the two nations.  More likely a zone of cooperation than confrontation?  A piece in the Economist looks at Arctic aspirations.