Central Asia at Oil Change

Archive for the 'Central Asia' Category

Turkmenistan Begins “New Era”

0 Comments Published by Andy Rowell February 15th, 2007 in Central Asia, Gas, human rights

The oil industry is getting excited by the fact that power has changed hands for the first time in two decades in the authoritarian energy-rich state of Turkmenistan. Former dentist, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, has taken the presidential oath in the capital.
The strategic importance of the event was underscored by the presence of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail […]

BP In More Trouble Over BTC Pipeline

0 Comments Published by Andy Rowell February 15th, 2007 in Central Asia, Safety, pipeline corrosion

BP’s troubles continue. A US government lending agency has been told by its own internal accountability watchdog that it must monitor more closely the safety of BP’s Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, amid allegations that the company failed to report cracks and leaks in its coating.
A report from the office of accountability at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation […]

Dictator’s Death May Spark Gas Contest

1 Comment Published by Andy Rowell December 22nd, 2006 in Central Asia, European Union, Russian oil

The death of Saparmurat Niyazov, the idiosyncratic dictator of Turkmenistan, the former Soviet republic, could trigger a new round in the fierce battle between the United States and Russia for control of Central Asia’s huge oil and gas reserves.
Turkmenistan is the second-largest natural-gas producer in the former Soviet Union, after Russia. The country holds 2.9 […]