Search results

The energy sector in Russia since 1991.
Power production in Russia (oil, coal, electricity) has fallen significantly since 1990 ; only that of natural gas is being maintained. On the other hand, there was a marked increase in exports in 1992, reflecting the end of the State monopoly, and the freeing of prices. The victims of these contradictory developments are the other republics of the former USSR, who are experiencing a serious drop in their fuel deliveries. There is, in the present study, a more detailed analysis of the Ukrainian situation, since the Ukraine has some retaliatory powers in dealing with Russia, and has been able to delay, though not entirely to prevent, this development. When it comes to the oil industry in Russia, and its distribution, while extraction is intensely concentrated in the region of Tyumen (Western Siberia), refining follows a pattern of distribution more or less corresponding to its end use. It may be concluded that the distribution network is still functional. On the other hand, prices may differ widely from one region to another. In other respects, the oil industry has a significant effect on the overall standard of living of the regions where it has been established : there is a noticeable correlation between the development of wages in these regions and the level of fuel prices. Thus, we are at present witnessing a large-scale redistribution of resources among the republics of the former USSR, and among the regions or social groups of Russia, consequent upon developments in the energy sector.