Rise of Western Siberia and the Soviet–West German Energy Relationship During the 1970s

Abstract

The 1960s and 1970s mark a period of intense internal Soviet debates on energy policy. Only in the late 1970s, when the rising Western European interest in Soviet energy converged with a rapid deterioration of the Soviet energy and fuel sector, did the Brezhnev leadership finally decide to take the decisive leap into Western Siberia, with oil and gas production being prioritized. This chapter analyses the long path to the Soviet Union’s decision to develop Siberian oil and gas. The author argues that although this decision was largely based on domestic economic considerations, the prospect of increased energy exports to and cooperation with Western European countries and companies played a tremendous role as well. In this context, the Federal Republic of Germany was to be become a key partner and the future pillar in the Soviet Union’s comprehensive energy plans.