The myth of liberalization: the 2013 changes in the Russian LNG export regime

Many energy experts were quick to label the 2013 amendments to two Russian statutes governing exports of liquefied natural gas as liberalization. Although the LNG Export Amendments effectively ended Gazprom’s monopoly on LNG export, they failed to truly liberalize the LNG sector. This article analyzes the text of the amendments, as well as their legislative history and the applicable legal and policy framework. The article takes the position that the degree of the Russian government’s involvement and control, and not the mere number of actors allowed to participate in an oil and gas-related activity, should serve as the main criteria for determining the liberalization effect of a particular legislation. The article ultimately concludes that the LNG Export Amendments were enacted to serve the companies that the Russian government controls via ownership and/or personal connections. Therefore, the LNG Export Amendments failed to meet this liberalization criterion, leaving the Russian LNG export sector under heavy government control.