Russia/Caspian
Perestroika and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union, however, opened up a continent of information and data and integrated the supply/demand developments of the FSU countries with the rest of the world. ESAI has been at the center of the effort to understand and project supply and demand in the countries of the former Soviet Union. In 1992, ESAI published The Refining and Distribution System of the Republics of the Former Soviet Union. This study marked the very first time Soviet refining capacity data as well as demand data were made available outside of the country. This study was accompanied by the first ever publication of very detailed Soviet-era energy maps.
As the FSU countries began to climb out of the economic slump caused by the Soviet collapse, the impact of crude oil production from these countries on the rest of the world became a question of the pace of investment in refurbishing refineries and building pipelines. To further the understanding of its clients, in 1996, ESAI published Rebuilding Russia’s Refineries and Uncorking the Bottle: The Present and Future Status of Oil Export Pipelines and Terminals in the FSU.
In the meantime, ESAI launched Russiawatch in 1995 and through an exclusive partnership with Incotec (formerly Vniiktep the energy research arm of the Soviet Gosplan) has published a monthly analysis of crude oil and individual petroleum product supply and demand ever since. ESAI’s analysis of the FSU petroleum sector has evolved with the times, but ESAI has maintained an unbroken flow of data and analysis on the countries of the FSU. In 2003, Caspianwatch was launched and in 2005, Russiawatch and Caspianwatch were combined into CISwatch. Since then ESAI’s research continued. In 2009, ESAI published a white paper entitled Pursuing Global Influence: Oil, Gas and Russia’s New Foreign Policy of Confrontation. Also in 2009, ESAI launched the monthly report Eurasia Natural Gas Watch which analyzes and projects the supply/demand and exports of natural gas from the FSU countries.
The countries of the FSU will remain among the largest energy suppliers in the world. Anyone following the petroleum or natural gas markets will have to understand the broad range of issues that shape this massive and quixotic producer.
For more on how ESAI can help you understand the energy sector of the FSU countries contact Sonny Kanlier at skanlier@esai.com.