VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
“When we take measures in favour of consumers, we cannot forget, as I said, the problems of electricity suppliers. These are primarily payment discipline and offenses in power accounting – these should be excluded. The new rules include significantly higher consumer responsibility for unaccounted consumption or consumption without a prior contract.”
“We need to take effective steps to upgrade competition at the retail electricity market. Energy companies require stable, predictable conditions, steady and predictable demand and guarantees for the return of investments, which are quite considerable.”
“Currently we are creating all necessary conditions for the work of our companies, for developing new oil and gas provinces, for improving the sector's efficiency. These are financial incentives and the consistent development of transport infrastructure, including the pipeline network, which will doubtless create new conditions and new prospects for the sector.”
“Based on a system-wide approach, we began to create incentives for investment projects that will ensure the long-term growth of oil and gas production. Our goal is to create a flexible toolkit, including fiscal tools, to make all of the hydrocarbon production projects more attractive for investment. In this way, we will be able to strategically enhance Russian energy security and play a bigger role on the global energy markets.”
“A significant reserve means more field production and the sparing use of minerals, as well as the more active use and involvement of hard-to-recover oil reserves. As you well know, such projects need both serious investment and state-of-the-art technologies. And we need to create conditions that attract investment, so that beginning work on new sites and the exploration of technologically difficult fields are profitable and worthwhile endeavours for companies that allow them to recoup investment costs and earn economically justified profits.”
“Our long-term goal is to ensure that Russia is a leader on the global energy markets, to guarantee the growing domestic economic demand for hydrocarbons and to consolidate our positions on the world markets.”
“Today we will discuss amendments to the law that will simplify access of this associated gas to gas pipeline systems. We have an extremely important objective: it is clearly unacceptable to undermine the options and economic opportunities of major gas producers, but it is necessary to use the associated gas, too.”
“I think it makes sense to introduce one additional requirement on the energy companies in order for them to obtain certificates for their facilities regarding their readiness for coping with the autumn and winter peaks. This new requirement should be to have long-term contracts for the delivery of alternative types of fuel so that any problems that arise can be solved quickly and without any fuss.”
“First, we need to increase the industry’s capabilities, enhance its infrastructure, resolve the bottleneck problems in the gas distribution system and build new gas storage facilities. This will ensure that we have room for maneuver and can meet the demand both on the domestic and foreign markets. Secondly, an intense gasification of Russian regions is a priority.”
“We need to take a closer look at the opportunities offered by the LNG market. So far there is only one big project operating on Sakhalin-2. New liquefaction plants are due to appear in the coming years as a result of the exploration of the Yamal and Shtokman deposits. Russian liquefied natural gas should occupy a large niche in the global energy markets.”
“Our task is to meet the Russian consumers’ growing demand for gas, which this includes utility services, industry, agriculture and household consumers, as well as to consolidate and expand our presence on the global markets. It is also clear that the future of the gas sector lies in its technological modernisation, the reduction of costs and enhancing the production and cost effectiveness.”
“Russia has always been a reliable partner on the global energy markets. We highly value this reputation and are open for mutual cooperation with all our foreign partners, including investment projects and joint participation in the development of production and infrastructural assets.”
“In fact, Yamal will become a new oil and gas region in Russia comprising production centres, transportation, a sea port, and gas processing and liquefaction enterprises. This is a large industrial project, which is unique in terms of its complexity and the projected returns. In the long term, it will ensure an increase in gas production to 140 billion cubic metres per year.”
“I would firstly like to point out the need to be very careful about exploring the stocks of both existing and newly discovered fields. I am talking about traditional mining areas such as Kuzbass, Eastern Donbass, Vorkuta, and prospective areas in Tuva and Yakutia. Second, we need to step up the implementation of the latest coal production, processing and enrichment techniques, which significantly increase the added value. <…>Third, we will need skilled employees and scientific research if we want to bring the coal industry in line with the highest international standards. <…>Fourth, we need to remove all infrastructure limitations that stand in the way of the further development of the industry.”
“In 2011, Russia produced a total of 336 million metric tons of coal. The results of the Russian coal industry were quite good last year. Profits increased by more than 50%, reaching 122 billion roubles. A solid financial foundation allows us to invest in the development and modernisation of new fields, and the re-equipment of the currently operating facilities. This all pays off in the form of a modern and competitive industry.”
“Now for the future prospects. Experts predict that the demand for coal will grow in the coming decades, both in Russia and in the global market, which is particularly important. Our coal industry, related industries and transport infrastructure must be ready to respond to this demand. We must be able both to maintain and to significantly extend our presence in the market, including the highly promising Asian and Pacific markets.”
“Our tasks are modest: we want 25% of our total energy to come from nuclear power, but even that is a challenge. It means that in the coming years we must build as many nuclear reactors as were built during the whole history of the nuclear industry in the Soviet Union. That will be sufficient and necessary to ensure a balanced structure for the Russian power industry.”
“There should be strict requirements involved in the management of power companies with public shareholdings. It is no secret that the risk of corruption is potentially very high in this sphere, as is the likelihood of a clash of interests. <…> It seems fair that the heads of these entities, their family members and close relatives be required to inform the Ministry of Energy about their income and property status. These heads should be dismissed if some shady connections are uncovered.”
“As for the power-generating industry, one can safely say that the country has overcome all crises. <…> We need to create a powerful energy foundation for our overall national development and industrial growth, and to develop new territories and the vast expanses of our country, to facilitate a reliable base of power-generation for the operation of the housing/municipal utilities infrastructure and the social sphere. Moreover, we should not forget that the modernisation of the power industry’s infrastructure creates a substantial demand for science, engineering centres, as well as such affiliated sectors as engineering and the construction industry.”
“Our aim is to create an objective and economically justified mechanism for power pricing. The consumer should pay a price that is fair, not one that is simply pulled out of a hat. No one is saying that a system should be devised that will ruin the electrical energy industry or the power sector in general. No, of course not. But there is no justification for having exorbitant prices either. Otherwise we are creating insurmountable obstacles for our national economic development.”
