No Smoke without Fire
Conflicts Over Oil and Gas Production at Sakhalin II
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
An international consortium under the leadership of Shell was trying to exploit the world’s largest integrated gas and oil reserve near Sakhalin Island. Non-governmental organisations around the world mobilised to stop international financial institutions from providing credit for Sakhalin II. They said the project violated basic environmental requirements. The environmentalists suddenly found support in Russia’s government. It revoked the Sakhalin Energy consortium’s environmental licence. But this could be a Pyrrhic victory. There is no indication that the consortium – now controlled by Gazprom – will give greater attention to protecting the environment than international investors.
(Osteuropa 4-5/2008, pp. 131–150)