The paper focuses on the struggle for changes in the Russian gas market.
The Report highlights the alignment of forces in the Russian gas industry and recent clashes of interests of the stakeholders.
The principal contradiction of Gazprom's interests and those of the Russian oil majors made some of the parties concerned, especially in the Government, change their stances on the gas market restructuring.
This makes Gazprom, Russian and foreign oil and gas companies, major consumers of gas and social and bureaucratic groups upgrade their approaches to the gas reform in Russia.
The Report thrashes out the following issues:
- Independent gas producers: Champions of radical changes in the branch and those ready to compromise with Gazprom. Oil companies divided over the ways of the Russian gas market development.
- Future of the medium-size gas companies. Prospects for Itera and Nortgas. Novafininvest - a new enigma of the Russian gas market.
- Gazprom as the reform's subject and object. Mounting economic problems of the monopoly. Gazprom reshuffling its top management. A new system of gas trade in the domestic market: political benefits vs. economic sense.
- Projects for the gas market liberalization. The key stakeholders revise their stands. New suggestions and proposals of Gazprom, Government, independent gas producers and oil majors.
- Fight for external markets - a new dimension of the struggle for the reform. Rivalry for the CIS gas markets. Race for the gas transportation to Asia: Gazprom's fate is being sealed in Eastern Siberia. Who will transport gas from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan? Will liberalization of the European gas sector impact restructuring of the Russian one?
- The gas market liberalization and the 'Big Elections 2003 - 2004'. Conflict of the oil producers and Gazprom as part of the elite groups' struggle in President Putin’s near circle.
