Soviet Union: Soviet Union: Energy Issues

A file of correspondence and reports concerning developments in Soviet energy policies. The documents cover the implications of a slowdown in Soviet domestic energy production; the conflict between the need to satisfy domestic demand and the need to export to the West in order to earn hard currency; and the dependence of the future exploitation of Soviet resources on Western technology. Other documents in the file cover Soviet press reports and discussions with Soviet officials concerning the reform of wholesale prices of energy and minerals; oil and gas pipeline construction; the development of coal and gas deposits; and suggestions for East-West cooperation in energy, arguing that the West could provide technology in return for guaranteed fuel supplies. The file also includes British and U.S. reports on Soviet energy policies, Western energy security, Soviet dependence on Western technology, and the Soviet use of fuel sources as a means of extracting political and economic concessions from the West.