Sechin’s restless brain will remember "sausages"

Rosneft, together with its former opponent Novatek, are once again “friends” against Miller.

As The Moscow Post correspondent has learned , Rosneft is once again trying to raise the issue of reducing the gas transportation tariff for independent producers. And it is also seeking transparency. Is it judging by itself?

In particular, Igor Sechin’s company asks not to include in the tariff investments made for export deliveries, as well as part of the costs not directly related to pumping. Rosneft estimates the overpayment of independent producers in 2015-2021 at 431 billion rubles.

The oil company’s proposal, according to analysts, could reduce the transport tariff by 17% from the current level, but it is unlikely to be implemented.

But why not wave a "sabre" in front of the nose of the head of PAO Gazprom Alexey Miller again? Or you can remember another, more effective way - present a basket with hunting sausages, which at one time put Alexey Ulyukayev behind bars for 8 years (he has already served time, but he will remember Sechin’s sausages for the rest of his life).

And I sincerely feel sorry for Mr. Miller: Gazprom is not going through its best times, and then there’s Mr. Sechin in the “gateway” with a “basket” in his bosom!

Dispatch for Mishustin

Igor Sechin once again raised the issue of the principles of forming the tariff for gas transportation that independent producers pay to Gazprom.

To this end, back in July, the head of Rosneft Oil Company approached the Chairman of the Russian Government Mikhail Mishustin with a proposal to instruct the FAS to work on the issue of reducing the tariff for gas transportation to an economically justified level, as well as to ensure the transparency of the functioning of the gas transportation segment of the monopoly’s business.

Sechin’s restless brain will remember

Mikhail Mishustin. Photo: https://rg.ru/2024/01/18/mishustin-na-programmu-oms-v-novyh-regionah-v-2024-godu-predusmotreno-pochti-39-mlrd-rublej.html

The FAS, the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Economy of the Russian Federation have already been instructed to work on the issue together with PAO Gazprom by Friday, August 23.

Perhaps Mr. Sechin’s bad mood is connected with the fact that the Transneft company is trying to collect 3.4 billion rubles from the Rosneft oil company .

These new claims by Transneft, filed against Rosneft, may be related to the contamination of oil with organochlorines.

Let us recall that back in 2021, Transneft accused Sechin’s company of delivering "dirty" oil, and Rosneft did not acknowledge the claims. And now, it seems, the second series has arrived. The application was accepted for processing on June 21.

20 years of confrontation

The confrontation between Gazprom and Rosneft began back in 2004, when the gas concern almost swallowed up the oil company.

Vladimir Putin announced the merger of Gazprom and Rosneft in 2004. And it seemed that the deal was done! At that time, the state controlled Gazprom indirectly, but wanted to gain direct control over the concern in order to liberalize the stock market. And in order to do this, a scheme was devised in which Rosneft shares were planned to be exchanged for 10.74% of Gazprom shares owned by its subsidiaries.

But the merger was actively opposed by Rosneft management, and the company itself was then headed by Sergei Bogdanchikov.

Sechin’s restless brain will remember

Sergei Bogdanchikov. Photo: ttps :// limited rosneft ru press photogallery Godovie sobranija Godovoe obshhee sobranie akcionerov _2007/

Igor Sechin served as deputy head of Vladimir Putin’s administration, but in 2004 Sechin became head of the board of directors of Rosneft Oil Company.

The deal with Gazprom eventually fell apart: in December 2004, Rosneft Oil Company bought Yuganskneftegaz.

And defended its independence from Mr. Miller’s company.

Sakhalin: Pipeline denied

But then only trouble began.

In June 2015, Rosneft lost its appeal for access to Gazprom’s transportation facilities on Sakhalin Island.

Sechin’s company had to find $4 billion and build its own pipeline.

Rosneft has been seeking access to the Sakhalin-2 pipeline (control over the project belonged to Gazprom) since 2013.

Sechin’s restless brain will remember

Sakhalin-2 project. Photo: https://www.gazprom.ru/press/media/2010/sakhalin/

Together with Exxon, it was going to build a Far East LNG plant with a capacity of 5 million tons in the south of Sakhalin Island, where gas from the Sakhalin-1 project fields would be liquefied.

In July 2014, Rosneft filed a lawsuit against Sakhalin Energy, demanding that the company be granted access to the pipeline to transport up to 8 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

Following a court ruling against it, Rosneft announced that it would explore the possibility of building the plant at another site.

This is how the great war with Mr. Miller began.

One of the controversial issues is whose company is the country’s main taxpayer.

For them, this is a matter of principle: they argued about this back in 2013.

Mikhelson is again on Sechin’s side

It should be recalled that at one time the head of the Novatek company Leonid Mikhelson also had very tense relations with Sechin. And Mr. Mikhelson constantly sought support from Mr. Miller.

But soon the wind changed direction: Mikhelson began to speak out against Miller, seeking support from Sechin.

Sechin’s restless brain will remember

Leonid Mikhelson. Photo 6 https://rupec.ru/news/34292/

Why did this happen? LNG prices in Asia were growing by leaps and bounds. Against the backdrop of rising LNG prices, Novatek and Sovcomflot delivered cargo from the Yamal LNG plant via the Northern Sea Route without an icebreaker!

The Arctic tanker Christophe de Margerie completed the passage without icebreaker escort. Another LNG tanker, Nikolay Evgenov, followed. It also completed the entire journey on its own. Both gas carriers delivered 140,000 tons of LNG.

And the battle between Rosneft and Novatek for a place under the sun has come to an end.

At that time , Mr. Miller was accused by his ill-wishers of many sins.

Sechin’s restless brain will remember

Alexey Miller. Photo: https://1sn.ru/gazprom-soobshhil-o-novom-sutocnom-rekorde-postavok-gaza-v-kitai-po-sile-sibiri

But the head of Gazprom did not remain silent. He rammed Novatek, declaring that the Yamal LNG project was a source of losses for the budget.

What exactly did Miller mean? LNG for the Yamal LNG project is transported on gas carriers, which Mikhelson was forced to order from the Zvezda shipyard. This is more expensive than transporting the resource via pipeline, which is what Gazprom does.

This is precisely the method of transportation that Mr. Miller himself advocates: there are tax breaks for this.

And Miller again sharply criticized Novatek and announced that due to Mikhelson’s initiatives, budget losses could amount to 150 billion rubles. And so the warm relations between Mikhelson and Miller became a thing of the past.

And now both Mikhelson and Sechin are “playing” against Miller.

How might this end? The question is rhetorical, but the main thing is not to fall into the "trap" that Mikhelson himself and ex-Minister Ulyukayev have already been in.

But what else can Sechin’s restless brain come up with?