IEA notes also that the savings now faces number of barriers

On the sidelines of a G8 very focused on the problems of energy security, the International Agency for energy (IEA) released yesterday a destabilizing study for the largest global producer of gas, the Russia. Its main conclusion: 80 billion cubic metres of gas are wasted every year around the world by producing countries and could be saved, including at least 30 billion m3 in Russia. It is the equivalent of one fifth of the export of Russian gas in the West part in smoke. Literally, since much of this gas (15 billion cubic metres according to the IEA) is wasted by the oil companies, notably in Western Siberia, where the number of oil fields are located. The gas is present in the same deposits that black gold, or whether to do so, oil tankers, but too often choose to burn from the operating deposit. For IEA, saving 15 billion cubic metres per year at this level is much more feasible that the mess is currently very important. The Agency estimated that 60 billion cubic metres are burned in the Western Siberia only. Is the Russian official figures, which largely underestimate the phenomenon in the $ 15 billion m3 for the whole of the country...

IEA notes also that the savings now faces number of barriers. The first is difficult, even impossible, for third parties such as oil tankers to have access to cost-effective conditions in the transport infrastructure of gas of Gazprom, or, without access to the transport tankers can hardly change of practice... As very low domestic price of gas does not encourage savings. On the internal market, the gas is sold $ 40 the 1,000 cubic metres, a tariff to years light selling in Europe prices, currently around $ 260.

A problem of obsolescence

Burning gas from oil fields is not the only source of waste in Russia. Gazprom is also pointed the finger in a general problem of obsolescence and ineffectiveness of the transmission and gas distribution system. The network has suffered for years from a lack shouting modernization investments. Result: gas leaks around the circuit of distribution, that save 3 billion cubic metres per year if it were better maintained. At the level of transmission, as producer, Gazprom uses the gas to run the compressors that inject its production in gas pipelines. But the State giant consuming, because its compressors are dilapidated, so ineffective. Every year, the IEA considers that $ 5 billion to 10 billion m of gas could be saved in the transmission.

In the end, the 200-page report detailing the faults of the Russian system is working the country that hosted the G8 in Saint Petersburg, but Vladimir Putin did not wish to dodge the debate on energy efficiency. "There are still a few weeks, it was not certain that a subject such as the practice of burning oil fields the"gas flaring"gas would be discussed by the G8, says the head of IEA, Claude Mandil.". It was and this gives more impact to this study, we have given Monday to Russian interlocutors.