MOSCOW, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Russia's influence in the global energy market continues to rise as the world's largest non-OPEC producer.
Transneft's press service reports that Russia is projecting that 2006 oil exports will reach 265.5 million tons, a 9.7 percent increase over Russia's 2005 oil exports of 241.9 million tons. Following that, Federal Energy Agency official Sergei Oganesyan told reporters that Russia intends to boost output by 1 percent to 2 percent annually.
Western energy experts view Russia's increased presence as an energy producer as a mixed blessing.
Russia's recent "oilpolitik" dispute with Ukraine over natural gas supplies has exacerbated European worries about Russia's willingness to exploit its oil and gas assets. The dispute followed an earlier disagreement with Belarus two years ago.
In both the Ukrainian and Belarusian cases Russia's Gazprom shut off natural gas supplies to force the two nations to pay more for Russian energy imports. In both cases the two nations agreed to pay higher prices for Russian natural gas, as they had no significant alternative sources.
Europe now receives a quarter of its gas imports from Russia, which plans to increase its gas exports to Europe by a third to 261 billion cubic yards by 2020.
