Columbia | SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy

Beyond the humanitarian concerns that exist, Venezuela has become a supply risk for oil markets. Luisa Palacios explores the increasing risks posed by the troubles in this OPEC nation’s oil patch and the unprecedented economic, social and political crisis. The report notes that while the decline in production has yet to translate into a significant fall in oil exports, the most severe threats to the oil market from Venezuela are likely yet to come.

Tatiana Mitrova provides detailed evidence of cooperation between Russia and China in the context of their political and commercial relationship. 

Bob Hallmann puts forward a series of recommendations to improve communications and overall situational awareness between the private and public sectors to facilitate effective response to fuel emergencies. The report concludes that the current voluntary system of information sharing is inadequate to the needs of the public sector and recommends creating mandatory requirements at various levels to address fuel crises.

Co-authors Benjamin Leard, Joshua Linn, and Virginia McConnell examine the effect low gasoline prices are having on this policy lever. 

Richard Nephew reports on six months' implementation of the nuclear deal, particularly with respect to sanctions relief. He concludes that sanctions relief has been stalled as much by concerns over residual sanctions as domestic regulatory factors and low oil prices globally.

This study contains a number of scenario studies to assess the share of Russian natural gas in the European natural gas mix going forward. The authors conclude that remarkable little changes in the European natural gas mix in the scenarios under study, and that absent very drastic policy interventions Russian natural gas will continue to play a prominent role in the EU.

This report reviews the solar PV R&D programs in four countries (the United States, Japan, Germany and South Korea) and proposes a new program -- Solar Together -- to improve national solar R&D programs and speed commercialization of their research results.

By the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) reckoning, some 5.5 million barrels of oil — 6% of world demand — get burned daily as bunker fuel on the high seas. Those bunkers are the world’s last big sink for high sulfur residual fuel oil (HSFO), the "bottom of the barrel,” as air-emission rules for ships have to date remained relatively loose. Tighter sulfur regulations may soon change that, with far-reaching impacts for the shipping industry, energy markets and air emissions from ships.

The removal of economic sanctions against a country is not merely a legal event, it is also an important strategic event, intended to facilitate policy and to ensure that the country that was sanctioned avoids doing the behavior in the past that led to sanctions. To help inform public debate on this complex topic the Center on Global Energy conducted research into the case of Myanmar. In this paper, former Treasury Department (OFAC) official Peter Kucik examines the case of Myanmar, its reintegration into the global economy and global financial sector, and lessons learned.