Pipeline a win for Russia

last updated 8 January 2015

Turkmenbasy, Turkmenistan

Much to the dismay of U.S. officials, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan have agreed to build a new gas pipeline around the Caspian shore. The pipeline will take Turkmen gas through Kazakhstan to the Russian delivery grid, allowing Russia to sell the gas to Europe. American officials pushed hard for an alternate pipeline route that would bypass Russia by going underneath the Caspian Sea. They said they were disappointed that the Central Asians had given Russia control over so much natural gas. If the pipeline is built, “that would not be good for Europe,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman. “It would fly in the face of what is needed, which is the diversity of suppliers.”