CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VI (1) Contemporary-Eurasia-VI-1-engl | Page 25

CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VI (1)
ensure equal opportunities in acquisition, consumption, distribution,
and transit. Currently, a so-called energy dialogue is underway among
the EAEU members, aiming to reach decisions that will be acceptable
for all sides in creating the mentioned single energy market 12 .
One of the key issues in this energy dialogue is a phased approach
to the formation of a single energy market. Current talks pertain to the
formation of a single electricity market on the basis of coordinated
power systems operating in parallel. Future talks will cover single gas
and oil (primarily petroleum) markets 13 .
The Russian Federation, as one of the energy superpowers, is a key
player in the Union and dominates the energy markets of the EAEU.
Russian companies control most of the energy corporations and
infrastructures in the EAEU countries – hydro or thermal power
stations, electricity grids, etc.
Meanwhile, energy interests of EAEU member countries have
certain differences as well. For example, for energy consumer
countries like Armenia, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan, a common energy
grid and a network are more attractive due to the perspective of access
to Russia’s internal electricity, oil, and gas networks at more favorable
conditions economically and financially. This also creates additional
opportunities for energy exports on the part of the member states.
For Kazakhstan, the energy dialogue is interesting because it
provides an opportunity to use the Russian pipeline infrastructure for
its own gas and oil exports at transit rates that are in line with Russian
internal market prices as opposed to the current higher tariffs 14 14. At
the same time, Kazakhstan has an electricity deficit and a common
energy market gives it an opportunity to take additional electricity
from other members of the EAEU. Unlike Kazakhstan, Armenia has a
12
Vinokurov E., Eurasian Economic Union: Current state and preliminary results,
Russian Journal of Economics 3, 2017, pp. 54–70, https://ac.els-cdn.com/
S2405473917300041/1-s2.0-S2405473917300041-main.pdf?_tid=d316ccea-
01e1-11e8-8f91-
00000aab0f6c&acdnat=1516893185_2a0660ab4570ca3673bd451ed0f9a74b
13
Strategic Goals and Objectives of EAEU in Energy Field explained by EEC
Minister Tair Mansurov, Eurasian Economic Commission, 2015,
http://www.eurasiancommission.org/en/nae/news/Pages/17-11-2015-15.aspx
14
Oil Export Routes From Kazakhstan, Facts and Details, 2016,
http://factsanddetails.com/central-asia/Kazakhstan/sub8_4e/entry-4678.html
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