|
14 December 2010
The MIEF Principal Analyst Alexander Epishov’s comments on the speech of the President of Russian Federation Dmitriy Medvedev at the Session of the Security Council of the Russian Federation of 13 December 2010.
To correctly understand the President Medvedev’s speech at the Russian Security Council session on the energy safety issues, one should begin with consideration of a number of the key details.
Firstly, it does not deal with a new Russian Energy Doctrine, contrary to the springing headlines of numerous media, but covers only the Energy Safety Doctrine. To speak even more precisely, it is the Russian Energy Safety that is concerned; so the question is considered within the national or, in other words, regional scope.
Secondly, the very place for the presentation of the new D. Medvedev's initiative is of individual significance. Since the energy safety is involved, the place should match – the Security Council of the Russian Federation.
The third important detail – the word «doctrine». Unlike the traditional «strategic approaches and concepts», within this context, such a title of a new official document highlights that the matter is about establishment of a new system of the national energy values, new guiding principles of the national energy safety policy.
Such a shift of the subject – from the industrial domain to that of national security – shows its exceptional importance and a bit different interpretation of the notion itself. In this case, the energy safety, being the object of the major interest, becomes a key criterion for assessment of the development and reliability level of the fuel and energy complex, as well as of the Russian economy in whole, especially in terms of achievement of the significant social goals.
Such an approach looks quite natural if one takes account of two factors: the contribution of the fuel and energy complex to the Russian GDP, and the territorial and climatic features of the country.
Yet, what seems more important is that the attitude to the priorities of the energy strategy and policy is more modern and civilized; it means that it is based on the analysis of the recent substantial changes in the world energy order. And this attitude looks quite appropriate: with the strategic course towards modernization declared, the trends and priorities followed by the world-leading energy powers can no longer be dissembled.
Thus, we can state that: the increased interest to the alternative energy sources and environmental aspects of the fuel and energy complex development, and, moreover, the elaboration of the special Program for Hydrocarbon Production from Unconventional Sources constitute a very serious change of the direction of the Russian energy policy.
It is interesting to focus on two more details reflected in D. Medvedev’s address.
First is that the Russian fuel and energy complex is to undergo serious changes. These changes could promote the conditions for the growth of the investment to technological modernization of the fuel and energy complex and encouragement of the fuel companies to introduce new technologies. The substance of the changes has not been announced; yet, the conditions of access to the strategic industries for foreign investors may be corrected; moreover, in the energy sector, there may be serious structural changes aimed at increasing its transparency and competitiveness, as well as diminishing the monopolism and state presence.
The second detail is that the President has noted the importance of support for the science research and innovations in the sphere of the energy technologies.
And the last point is that the new energy initiatives have been presented, first of all, within the context of the domestic energy policy. Still they constitute an important positive factor within the international context, especially concerning the progress of the dialog between Russia and EU.
The sole concurrence of the interests, energy values and energy priorities may be a new step toward achievement of the long-expected compromise stating the «golden recipe» for cooperation, the recipe to be convenient for both parties.
In conclusion, it is important to note the following. The new Energy Safety Doctrine will bear fruit only if its developers in the Russian Government go further than formulating it as a set of abstract principles and priorities. On the basis of this Doctrine, it is necessary to develop a certain performance specification, under which all effective state documents, in a certain degree, covering the principles and mechanism of the energy safety maintenance, will be amended.
Translated from Russian into English by Literra translation bureau
|
|
