Specific features of the energy sector in Russia’s eastern regions and their influence on shaping the Eastern direction in the new geopolitical landscape

Abstract

The paper presents an analysis of regional features of energy systems in the eastern regions of Russia. The analysis aims to identify their effect on the development of the territorial and production structure of the energy sector, energy consumption, the transportation infrastructure, the export of energy resources to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, and the efficiency of energy supply to consumers in the off-grid and hard-to-reach territories. Several categories of features are distinguished for the regional energy systems in the eastern regions of Russia. These are socio-economic, infrastructural, sectoral, environmental, and climatic. All these features are interrelated and require consideration when building the energy development scenarios, in particular those with a focus on the transition to low-carbon technologies.