RUSSIAN NATURAL GAS REFORMS AND TRENDS ON THE DOMESTIC AND EXPORT MARKETS

Russian natural gas pricing model after several attempts to reform it, particularly since the refusal to bring the industry prices to export parity in 2013, is virtually absent. On the one hand, there is uncertainty about the gas pricing mechanism, the access of independent producers to the unified gas transmission system and export pipelines, as well as export strategy. On the other hand, the concept of a single market within the EAEU is under development, implying not only the legal framework harmonization, but also promoting non-discriminatory access to the gas transportation system and common approaches to gas pricing, thus defining timeline for the new market-based approaches establishment. Both issues raise the question of carrying out a large-scale reform of the Russian gas industry. The purpose of this article is to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the Russian gas industry in the domestic and foreign markets, as well as the analysis of the organization model of the gas industry in terms of pricing, tariffs and gas transportation.

domestic gas market, pricing mechanism, liberalization, export netback, independent natural gas producers