Tomáš Vlček

Energy Security in Central and Eastern Europe and the Operations of Russian State-Owned Energy Enterprises

The book analyses activities of Russian state-owned energy companies in the region of the Central and Eastern Europe and offers a complex analysis of their behavioural patterns with regard to the operational environment. The main incentives for making this study were traditionally strong ties between the Russian Federation and the region as well as currently worsening relations between Russia and the West, especially with regard to the crisis in Ukraine. The study focuses on the sectors of nuclear energy and natural gas where Russian influence is perceived as especially sensitive. The aim of the study was to find out whether Russian state-owned enterprises in the aforementioned sectors can be perceived as foreign policy tools. The study is a result of an extensive research project conducted by a research team consisting of analysts from the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University and the Prague-based think-tank Prague security Studies Institute. For the purpose of the study, the research team developed behavioural models upon which behavioural patterns of the Russian companies Gazprom and Rosatom were assessed. The study is focused on 12 countries and includes also an extensive field research and use of analytical software. For complex understanding of the strategy of both aforementioned companies, chapters aimed on their position in Asia as well as the chapter concerned with the energy policy of the European Union are included. Given the complexity of the presented study, the findings can be used by both broader public and experts, as well as practitioners and decision makers in state administration and private sector.

Russia’s energy relations in Southeastern Europe: an analysis of motives in Bulgaria and Greece

Abstract Although officially Russian state-owned energy companies operate as independent entities, their actions often lead to suspicion that they are acting as a tool of Russian state foreign policy. Countries on the southeastern borders of Europe – Bulgaria and Greece – are prime examples of where this might be the case, since they not only have a central position in Russia’s plans to penetrate European markets through new transport infrastructure but are also part of competing plans for routing non-Russian gas to Western markets. The main focus of the present research is on the natural gas and oil sectors, as these are the traditional foundation of Russian energy exports to Europe. The aim of this paper is thus to provide an objective, evidence-based analysis of Russian activities in the natural gas and oil sectors of Greece and Bulgaria in order to establish whether its actions have been implicitly or explicitly politicized and have served to strengthen Russian influence in the region.

The Energy Sector and Energy Policy of the Czech Republic

The book The Energy Sector and Energy Policy of the Czech Republic is divided into eight chapters. The first describes the key actors and the legislative framework of the energy sector of the Czech Republic, including an analysis of the Government, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of the Environment, and other legislative and regulatory bodies and political parties. The second chapter introduces the rich and complicated history of the development of the Czech national energy sector. The following chapters familiarize the reader with the coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, renewables industries, and electricity and heat. The book is recommended to scholars and researchers, as well as experts in the relevant fields of study, but will also serve as a guide for those outside academia who work with the topic daily, such as in public administration.

Unconventional Sources of Natural Gas: Development and Possible Consequences for the Central Eastern European Region

The upcoming years will show whether or not the North American model of unconventional natural gas resources development can be replicated outsider the continent. In Europe, Poland has recently gained most attention and in this sense it is considered to be a test case for whole Union. This book presents key dimensions which will either foster or inhibit possible development of this resource in Poland: geology, technology, infrastructure, environmental imprint and the role of the EU. The main focus of the book is a stakeholder analysis dealing with IOCs, PGNiG, government, local communities, NGOs and the EU. The book also features an evaluation of several scenarios of possible unconventional gas development in Poland and their consequences for Central European gas market.

The Future of the Druzhba Pipeline as a Strategic Challenge for the Czech Republic and Poland

The Druzhba pipeline is one of the most important energy infrastructure projects in Central and Eastern Europe, supplying the European part of Russias former Soviet bloc with oil since the second half of the last century. The future of the pipeline has become uncertain in recent years. The further use of Druzhba is in doubt mainly due to the difficult relations of the Russian Federation with transit countries, and its possible termination is indicated by Moscows change in its export strategy, namely increasing crude oil exports via sea terminals, at the expense of pipelines. The authors focus on how a potential curtailment of oil supplies by Druzhba can affect the energy situation of the two customer countries, i.e. the Czech Republic and Poland. Also, the text offers answers on many questions, such as Is there a danger of curtailment of the supply of oil via Druzhba to the surveyed countries? If so, what might be the mid-term implications of the situation, economic, security or other? Which actors will be affected by potential supply curtailment and how? The study focuses on the impact on economic entities (firms), the state and even households to a limited extent.

The Hydrocarbons Sector in Albania: Short-Term Challenges and Long-Term Opportunities

Abstract:Albania is a small country in the Western Balkans whose role in international politics throughout history has been minor, mainly due to its size, low economic potential, and the legacy of the Stalinist isolationist regime that was in place during the Cold War era. The inclusion of the country and its infrastructure in several gas and oil supply projects in the Balkan Peninsula in recent years, however, has enhanced Albania’s significance. Projected outcomes indicate a fairly poor future for the oil sector but a relatively strong potential for future development of the country’s natural gas sector.

Global impact of energy exports from the USA: assessment of potential consequences for targeted markets

The position of the USA in the global energy environment has undergone substantial change in recent years. Mostly thanks to the introduction of new mining techniques, the USA has once again become a major producer of oil and gas, and the outcome of this is visible both at home and on the global scale. This paper assesses obstacles that stand in the way of these exports, and analyses the potential consequences on major world markets. The oil and gas glut at home is also affecting the use of another traditional US energy source: coal. Coal is being squeezed out of the energy mix and is looking for fresh markets abroad. The paper thus analyses the positioning and views on these exports on the major global markets, as well.

Lifting lignite mining limits – correction of the Czech Republic energy policy

ABSTRACT In its decision from October 2015, the Government of the Czech Republic corrected its raw material and energy policies by modifying the scope of the territorial ecological limits placed on the mining of lignite. Such action is impacting the energy sector operating in the North Bohemian Basin, the largest region for lignite production in the Czech Republic. This article explains the background of the mining restrictions and the significance of the Czech government’s decision to amend them for the district heating industry; the composition of the future energy portfolio for electricity production; and the energy security of the Czech Republic.

Ropná politika USA: historie a výzvy

Publikace se zabýva významnosti zdrojů energie, předevsim ropy, v americke zahranicni politice. Kniha je rozdělena do několika kapitol: prvni kapitoly zachycuji rozvoj ropneho průmyslu v USA z historicke perspektivy a výzvy s nim spojene; nasledujici cast se věnuje roli, kterou ropa zastavala v americke zahranicni politice; třeti cast knihy rozebira situace, kdy doslo k použiti tzv. „ropne zbraně“ a jejim důsledkům; nasledujici kapitola diskutuje nad novodobými výzvami, kterým USA, jako největsi světový spotřebitel, celi na globalnim trhu s ropou; konecně zavěrecne kapitoly věnuji pozornost jak namořnimu transportu ropy a připadným hrozbam, tak rozvoji nekonvencnich zdrojů zemniho plynu v USA a narůstu významnosti plynarenskeho sektoru, historickeho dvojcete sektoru ropneho.

Technicko-ekonomické aspekty energetiky

Kniha se zaměřuje na zakladni technicke a ekonomicke principy energetickeho průmyslu. Prvni cast knihy představuje palivove řetězce nejvýznamnějsich energetických komodit. Obsahuje tedy zakladni informace o průzkumu, těžbě, zpracovani, transportu a využiti ropy a zemniho plynu. Druha cast knihy je zaměřena na elektroenergetiku a vedle palivových řetězců uhli a stěpných prvků představuje zaklady fungovani obnovitelných zdrojů a problematiku výroby a přenosu elektřiny. Tyto hlavni casti jsou uvedeny reflexi energetiky v sociokulturnim vývoji moderni spolecnosti. Cilem knihy je tedy poskytnout ctenaři ucelený přehled o komplexitě energetickeho průmyslu. Text nepředpoklada předchozi znalost technických ci ekonomických realii. Je urcen převažně ctenařům, kteři se v energetickem průmyslu nepohybuji, ale radi by nahledli do jeho fungovani.