MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/. The Energy Ministry considers the problem of competition between Russian LNG and pipeline gas in Europe far-fetched. Rather, competition exists with LNG from Qatar and the United States, Russia’s Minister of Energy Nikolay Shulginov said in an interview with Energy Policy magazine.
"The competition between Russian pipeline gas and LNG is rather far-fetched. Not all European countries are connected to our gas pipelines, so it is good that, for example, Spain has the opportunity to purchase Russian liquefied gas. In addition, mobility of LNG supplies allows Novatek to quickly reorient supplies to Asia when prices rise sharply there," Shulginov said.
"First of all, this is a competition between Russian gas and LNG of the United States and Qatar. When the pipeline has been functioning for a long time and gas supplies are stable, this in itself becomes a competitive advantage," the minister said.
While there is a window of opportunity, it is necessary to develop the LNG market, develop Yamal and Taimyr, he added.
Shulginov also spoke about the possibilities of developing gas resources in Yamal. According to him, several scenarios are currently being considered. The priority options include the development of gas chemistry, as well as the possibility of using the resource base to enter new markets, that is, LNG production.