New hope for Rosneft's gas export ambitions

摘要

EUROPE'S natural gas crisis could help chip away at Gazprom's longstanding monopoly on gas exports from Russia as government officials signalled openness to Rosneft's request for throughput capacity in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has recommended to President Vladimir Putin that Rosneft be permitted to start "experimental gas pipeline shipments" to Europe, according to the Moscow business daily Kom-mersant. However, Novak added that Gazprom would act as an agent for Rosneft in such sales to comply with existing rules that give Gazprom and its subsidiaries exclusive rights to export Russian pipeline gas.