OREANDA-NEWS. February 10, 2012. The Head of the World Energy Section of the SKOLKOVO Energy Center participated in a panel discussion titled Exports of Russian gas to Europe: New Challenges and Opportunities, which was held at the Forum Russia 2012.

In her speech, the expert noted that the current situation in the European market was highly uncertain: the spectrum of the 2030 gas demand forecasts for Europe exceeded 400 billion cubic meters, while Europe’s desire for the “decarbonisation” of its economy created favorable situation primarily for renewable energy sources at the expense of gas consumption.

She added that the coal generation was paradoxically booming at the same time: in Germany, out of the 24 power stations under construction only one was a gas power plant, and 10 of them – coal fired power plants. Among other the factors that increased the risks of producers at the European gas market, she noted further liberalization of the European energy market, the impact of the shale revolution taking place in the U. S. A., as well as the increased competition at the market, and in particular, the increase in the LNG share of the overall European gas imports (more than 20% as of 2011).

In her opinion, in order to get adapted to these changes in the environment, Russia would need to adopt new and more robust marketing strategies. Yet, the main prerequisite for increasing the competitiveness of the Russian gas at the European market would be taking important decisions related to the regulation of the Russian gas industry. “It is vital that production and transportation costs were controlled more closely, and, apparently, the tax burden imposed on new gas projects should be revised, especially in such severe regions as the Arctic, noted the SKOLKOVO Energy Center expert.