A letter to the editor “Suomen malli suitsisi Venäjän energiavaltaa Ukrainassa” (Finland’s model would limit Russia’s energy power in Ukraine) was published today in Suomen Kuvalehti.
Gas power has been the most effective means of pressure, writes Professor Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen. One of the key factors in the construction of an independent and internationally strong Ukraine is the long-term limitation of Russia’s energy power.
Read the full piece here.
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“Russian Energy and Security up to 2030” is a new book edited by Susanne Oxenstierna and Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen and published this month by Routledge. Professor Tynkkynen also co-wrote the introduction and wrote a chapter “Russian Bioenergy and the EU’s Renewable Energy Goals: Perspectives of Security” for this volume.
The challenges in Russia’s energy sector are changing. On the demand side, Europe is seeking to limit its dependence on Russian oil and gas, with the result that China and other Asian countries are likely to eventually become growing export markets for Russian energy. On the supply side, oil and gas fields in West Siberia are diminishing and in future Russia’s energy will have to come more from East Siberia and the Arctic, which will necessitate new infrastructure development and the employment of advanced technologies, which may increase Russia’s dependence on commercial partners from outside Russia. This book explores the challenges facing Russia’s energy sector and the resulting security implications. It includes a discussion of how far the Russian state is likely to continue to monopolise the energy sector, and how far competition from private and foreign companies might be allowed.
More information about the book.
Helsingin Sanomat published a recent letter to the editor, written by Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen. The piece is titled “Venäjä ei piittaa ympäristömaineestaan” (Russia doesn’t care about its environmental reputation).
When the market outlook for Russian energy in Europe changes, soft values do not have the same significance in production.
Read the letter here.
The latest issue of Baltic Rim Economics contains an article written by Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen and titled “Russia as an environmentally responsible energy superpower?”
Russian leadership argues, as do many European politicians and scholars, that Russia is only after stable markets relations and economic prosperity via energy exports and distribution businesses. The argument goes that Russia would not jeopardise its energy relations with the EU, the biggest customer, using energy as leverage for political goals. Regardless of how the international political might of Russia is eventually evaluated – in traditional military or in recently claimed resource or energy terms – it is clear that its political manoeuvring space has drastically changed since the 1990s. If 20 years ago Russia was living from hand-to-mouth, and was strongly dependent on buyers of its energy, today’s Russia has at least financially the potential to act as an Energy Superpower and to push forward its political agenda, accumulated energy wealth as its sinew.
This and other articles of the issue can be found here.
Read a new letter to the editor, published by Helsingin Sanomat and written by Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen. The title of the article is “Öljyn riittävyys ei ole tuotannon pahin pulma” (Adequacy of oil is not the worst problem facing production). “Attention should be paid to environmental damage and human suffering caused by oil production“, argues Professor Tynkkynen.
The first issue of Idäntutkimus of this year is devoted to energy. One of the articles, “Beyond Petroleum – Venäjän energiastrategia” (Beyond Petroleum – Russia’s energy strategy), is written by Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen. Read it and other articles of the volume online here.
University of Helsinki