Resource dependence and measurement technology: international and domestic influences on energy sector development in Armenia and Georgia

Abstract

The effective measurement of natural gas consumption has become a central component of energy sector development in resource-dependent post-Soviet states such as Armenia and Georgia. Yet, while policy assessments have often emphasized the significance of technology upgrades in increasing the efficiency of gas distribution in Central Eurasia, it is necessary to consider other types of exogenous political and economic influences upon sourcing and adoption of measuring devices by national industries and their resultant impact upon energy sector performance. This study presents empirical data collected in northern Armenia and Tbilisi, Georgia, as well as from secondary sources, in order to examine the effect of both domestic and international factors upon the technology-performance relationship in the natural gas industries, and compares their relative implications for energy sector development in both countries since independence.

Mr Light and people's everyday energy struggles in Central Asia and the Caucasus: an introduction

“…11 Furthermore, the physical infrastructure that connected the various republics was no longer overseen centrally, each country now making independent decisions on how to use the energy network and resources on their territory. Since 1991 the domestic energy infrastructure in many former Soviet republics has been in a state of decline rather than further development (although Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan have made improvements, as well as Armenia and Georgia as explained in Strakes (2014) in this issue). The infrastructure has not been maintained or replaced, and is in some places on the verge of collapse, particularly in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (International Crisis Group 2011).…”