EU Energy Chief Warns Russia, Others Against Gas Cartel

E.U. Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs on Monday warned natural gas producers such as Russia and Algeria that if they considered forming a cartel, he would strongly push the development of nuclear power to meet the E.U.’s energy needs.

Speaking after a strategic energy review with U.S. officials, including Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, Piebalgs said a gas cartel wouldn’t be in the interests of producer countries.


Russian President Vladimir Putin and Qatari Emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani said in February at a meeting in Doha, Qatar, that they wanted competing gas producers to cooperate more. Putin said he would send a team of experts to a natural-gas conference in Doha in April, where they would discuss details of building a cartel.

Also earlier this year, Russian gas monopoly Gazprom OAO (GSPBEX.RS) contacted Algeria’s state-owned Sonatrach about cooperation.

Dow Jones Newswires