‘We Cannot Continue to Waste Valuable Natural Resources’

In a SPIEGEL interview, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko discusses plans for joint ventures with German engineering multinational Siemens, secure shipments of natural resources to the West and rumors that Moscow wants to start a gas cartel modeled after OPEC

…SPIEGEL: Why is Russia, with its enormous energy reserves, so interested in efficient technology?

Schmatko: Because we cannot continue to waste these valuable natural resources to such an enormous extent. Of the 640 billion cubic meters of natural gas we produce every year, we consume 400 billion ourselves. If we can manage to save up to 100 billion cubic meters of that by 2020, we will be able to sell the gas and at the same time spare ourselves the extremely costly development of new production areas in Siberia.

SPIEGEL: Why are you looking for partners in Germany?

Schmatko: During my student years in Marburg, I was impressed by how everything in the student dormitory was geared toward energy efficiency. Today an entire sector is developing around energy conservation. We need something like that in Russia. This is why we are now establishing a similar driving force at home, using the German Energy Agency as our model.

Speigel