Russia’s anti-monopoly authorities may ask Gazprom to share its export pipelines with independent gas producers.
The world's largest gas producer, Gazprom supplies Europe with a quarter of its gas, making an estimated $US 40 billion a year on exports. The anti-monopoly watchdog is preparing to submit amendments to the current law, which makes Gazprom an export monopoly. Vitaly Ermakov of Cambridge Energy Research Associates told RT the move would create a legal framework for independents, but does not necessarily mean they will rush to compete with Gazprom. “It can potentially diminish the share of gas exports for Gazprom and, for the first time, actually allow independent producers to export their gas. The big change that will happen domestically in terms of greater value may actually change the situation with respect to the export channel quite dramatically,” Ermakov said.