Month: January 2020

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Professori: Putin tarrautuu ilmastodenialismiin ja fossiilisiin turvatakseen valtansa

Uusi Suomi published an article titled “”Kuolevaan teollisuudenalaan takertuva Venäjä on vaarallinen Venäjä” – Professori: Putin tarrautuu ilmastodenialismiin ja fossiilisiin turvatakseen valtansa” (“Russia clinging to a dying industry is a dangerous Russia” – Professor: Putin clings to climate-denialism and fossils to secure his power). The article is available for subscribers via this link.

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Meeting of the study group on “Energy Materiality: Infrastructure, Spatiality and Power” in HWK, Delmenhorst, Germany

This week, from 19th to 25th of January, Professor Tynkkynen participates in the meeting of the study group on “Energy Materiality: Infrastructure, Spatiality and Power” in HWK, Delmenhorst, Germany.This is the 6th meeting of the study group, led by Professor Margarita Balmaceda. Together with Dr. Per Högselius, Professor Dr. Corey Johnson, Professor Dr. Heiko Pleines, the participants discuss the issues of energy materiality. The main outcome of the study group will be a special issue of a journal on “Energy materiality: Infrastructure, Spatiality and Power.” In addition, individual or co-authored publications are expected on sub-areas of the SG interest, such as the impact of energy infrastructure on political power relations, and the impact of energy materiality on the role of producing, transit, processing and consumer areas.

More information on the group may be found online here.

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“The Energy of Russia. Hydrocarbon Culture and Climate Change” book launch

Last Friday Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen presented his new book “The Energy of Russia. Hydrocarbon Culture and Climate Change”. In this informal gathering at the University of Helsinki Think Corner “Fönster”, professor Tynkkynen presented the main insights of his timely book and answered excellent questions about Russian energy and environment policy, climate change and more. The successful event attracted a large audience of scientists, journalists and a wider community of interested in Russia and its energy policy people.

The book is officially out and can be ordered online at the publisher’s website.

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Venäjän ja Turkin presidentit vihkivät Mustanmeren pohjassa kulkevan kaasuputken

Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen provided his comments for the new article “Venäjän ja Turkin presidentit vihkivät Mustanmeren pohjassa kulkevan kaasuputken” (Russian and Turkish presidents launched passing through the Black Sea bottom gas pipeline), published in Ilta-Sanomat on 8th of January. Professor Tynkkynen says that the new Turkstream pipeline is a significant step towards Russia’s long-term strategic objective of circumventing Ukraine when supplying gas to Europe.

The article can be read online in Finnish.

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Ve­nä­jän hii­li­ve­ty­kult­tuu­ri ja avai­met sen pur­ka­mi­seen

This week, on 17th of January, Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen will present his new book “The Energy of Russia” at Tiedekulma. Helsinki University website published an interview with Professor Tynkkynen “Ve­nä­jän hii­li­ve­ty­kult­tuu­ri ja avai­met sen pur­ka­mi­seen” (Russian hydrocarbon culture and the keys to its dismantling), where the readers can learn more about the book and its premise.

Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen’s work “Energy of Russia. Hydrocarbon Culture and Climate Change ”, published in December 2019, is a clear and comprehensive presentation of Russia’s energy policy and its deep links to domestic and foreign policy as well as to Russian identity. The book is particularly valuable because, in addition to presenting the problems, it also offers concrete solutions. There are no easy solutions, but Tynkkynen still encourages trying.

Russia could produce all the energy it needs via renewable energy sources. There are so many areas in a large country ideal for solar power plants, wind farms and hydropower, that there would be plenty of energy to export. Technology is available, and the growing concerns of Russians about both global climate change and local environmental problems are putting pressure on the transition to cleaner energy production. Why doesn’t something happen, though?

– It is unnecessarily pessimistic to say that nothing would happen, comforts Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen, Associate Professor of Russian Environmental Studies There are projects in Russia, for example, aimed at increasing the utilization of wind power. Having said that, however, it must be pointed that while the projects, in absolute terms, may be large, they are mostly cosmetic in the scale of Russian energy production. Russia is helplessly behind the rest of the world, especially the EU, the US and China.

Read this brilliant interview by Niina Into in full on the University’s website.

 

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Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi

From 10th to 12th of January Professor Tynkkynen participated in the 4th annual Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi.

The three-day high-level event gathers international and regional political, industry, and thought leaders to set the global energy agenda for the year ahead and examine the longer-term geopolitical and geo-economic implications of the changing energy system. The 2020 conference will focus on the role of oil and gas in the energy transition, financing the future of energy, and interconnections in a new era of geopolitics. Following up on the 2019 Global Energy Forum’s regional focus on East Asia, the 2020 Forum will emphasize South and Southeast Asia as a growing demand center.

Speakers at the 2020 Forum will include: H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, United Arab Emirates & CEO, ADNOC Group; H.E. Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy & Industry, United Arab Emirates; Musabbeh Al-Kaabi, CEO, Petroleum and Petrochemicals, Mubadala Investment Company; H.E. Mohammad Barkindo, Secretary General, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries; H.E. Dr. Tawfiq-e Elahi Chowdhury, Energy Adviser to the Honorable Prime Minister, People’s Republic of Bangladesh; Francis Fannon, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources, US Department of State; Nandita Parshad, Managing Director, Sustainable Infrastructure Group, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; Majid Jafar, CEO, Crescent Petroleum; Dr. Helima Croft, Managing Director & Global Head of Commodity Strategy, RBC Capital Markets; Manoj Kohli, Executive Chairman, SB Energy; Meg Gentle, President & CEO, Tellurian, Inc.; Adam Sieminski, President, King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center; Anatol Feygin, Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer, Cheniere Partners; and Steven Kobos, President and Managing Director, Excelerate Energy.

More information on the event can be found here.