REN-2025 and BRICS+ Energy Platform: What's Changing for Markets, Technology, and Pricing?

The catalyst was Vladimir Putin's speech at the plenary session of the "Russian Energy Week," where he outlined the shift of global energy resource flows towards the Global South, confirmed Russia's 10% share in global oil production, and designated nuclear power as a strategic pillar for the future balance. This was elaborated on in an overview of the plenary session, which Rossiyskaya Gazeta published. At the same forum, the president linked the EU's rejection of Russian energy resources to declining industrial activity in Europe and the redirection of Russian logistics to the Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America, as reported by RTVI in a report from REN-2025.

What is the Main Signal from REN-2025 for BRICS+ Countries?

The main signal is the accelerated assembly of a multipolar energy infrastructure: independent supply chains, sovereign technologies, and national pricing indicators based on BRICS and EAEU platforms.

The initiative framework is also outlined in a political-economic context: a course towards multipolarity, priority of free access to resources, and growth in electricity demand from AI and data centers. These contours of the process were described by Presidential Advisor Anton Kobyakov at a REN briefing. The practical part – forming sovereign indicators through exchange mechanisms and cross-border trade within the EAEU and BRICS – became the subject of a separate panel, as reported by the oil and gas industry Agency of Information.

How are Key Players Reacting, and Where Does Russia See Pillars of Support?

Support pillars include coordination within OPEC+ and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), expanding ties with Africa and the Middle East, as well as nuclear projects for Global South countries. Vice Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated this approach at REN-2025, linking market stability to OPEC+ discipline and deepening technological cooperation within the EAEU. For long-cycle generation, the focus is on exporting nuclear expertise and constructing nuclear power plants in Egypt, Bangladesh, and Turkey, as confirmed by the president in his plenary address.

As Putin emphasized, European companies' withdrawal from the Russian market has accelerated import substitution and the export of Russian energy machine building, as RTVI reported from the REN platform:

"Yesterday they bought in Europe, and today they are buying more and more from us – and this process will continue to develop. What did they do? They bought a ticket and didn't travel out of spite to the conductor..."

Why is Nuclear Power Becoming a Pillar of the BRICS+ Energy Platform?

Because Russia is the only country that maintains a full cycle of expertise in nuclear energy and controls a critical mass of block construction for external markets. At the forum, it was stated that there are 110 Russian-designed power units worldwide, and cooperation with Global South countries within BRICS is deepening, as the president highlighted in his plenary report.

An additional technological leverage is small nuclear power plants, which only Russia is currently building in practical terms. Rosatom holds about 90% of the global market for nuclear power plant construction, as declared from the REN-2025 platform.

Domestically, this is combined with a "green" generation profile and a significant increase in nuclear capacity. 87% of electricity is generated with minimal carbon footprint; over the next approximately 15 years, the commissioning of over 29 GW is planned, including small nuclear power plants, as summarized by Rossiyskaya Gazeta in its review of the plenary session.

What's Happening with Oil, Gas, and Coal: Where are the Flows Going?

The key shift is the reorientation of exports from the EU to the Global South, while maintaining production volumes: around 10% of global production and 510 million tons of oil by year-end, with voluntary restrictions within OPEC+, according to the results of REN-2025.

The gas agenda is moving in two directions: domestic gasification has approached 75%, and export vectors are being redirected to the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Latin America. This balance was indicated in the summary of the speech at the forum.

The coal market is expected to see long-term significance, relying on Asian demand. For companies, this means contract horizons of ten years and logistical investments in eastern corridors.

India, as one of the anchor buyers in BRICS+, is unlikely to abandon Russian supplies due to price advantages. While volumes can be verbally replaced, they cannot be at the Russian price, emphasized independent expert Vladimir Demidov, as reported by IA Regnum following an interview.

How are Pricing and Settlement Rules Changing?

The focus is shifting to sovereign indicators and cross-border exchange infrastructure of the EAEU/BRICS. Regulators are developing a quality data gradation, and participants are preparing memorandums with the Iran Energy Exchange. In practice, Surgutneftegas has fully transitioned to exchange sales of oil products, SIBUR is promoting styrene trading, and RusHydro purchases up to 90% of its coal through the exchange, as detailed by the Oil and Gas Information Agency based on materials from the REN-2025 panel.

On the payment side, businesses are adapting to settlements in national currencies and simultaneously testing solutions for the future BRICS payment system, a conclusion reached in expert commentaries on the sidelines of REN, as reported by URA.RU in an analytical review.

Investment nervousness from the external environment reinforces the trend of de-dollarization of savings. Gold has updated its historical high above $4250 per ounce, which market participants link to the US-China trade escalation and expectations of easing by the Federal Reserve, as recorded in a COMEX trading review.

What are the Tactical Risks and Opportunities for Business in the Next 6–18 Months?

The short answer is to consolidate channels in the Global South, fix settlement rules, and hedge against price and regulatory risks.

• Monetizing OPEC+ stability: Basic oil scenarios benefit from deal discipline – this is an opportunity for extending long-term contracts with flexible formulas, as stated by Vice Prime Minister Novak at meetings with OPEC and the EAEU.
• Settlements: Accelerate the conversion of contracts to national currencies and prepare operational regulations for the BRICS payment infrastructure (industry cases and regulatory signals were compiled in URA.RU's analytics).
• Pricing: Connect to EAEU/BRICS exchange instruments for transparent indicators and physical delivery contracts (confirmed company practices – in the ANGI review following the REN-2025 panel.
• India and Asia: Maintain discounted barrels and logistical flexibility – price arguments for India's NPC (Non-Power Consumption) remain decisive, as emphasized by a sector expert in an interview with Regnum.
• Energy Transition, New Style: Plan for electricity demand growth from AI and data centers (demand estimates and reliance on nuclear as a clean base – in materials from the REN plenary session, summarized by Rossiyskaya Gazeta).
• Hedging: Account for the "golden" indicator of nervousness – the current record high gold prices increase the cost of risk-free assets and amplify carry volatility in commodity baskets, as noted in a trading review.

Conclusion. REN-2025 has established that the BRICS+ energy sector is ceasing to be a "reaction to sanctions" and is becoming an independent architecture, from nuclear projects and new gas routes to sovereign indicators and payment circuits. For companies, this is not a declaration but an operational agenda for the coming quarters: consolidate markets in the Global South, integrate into regional exchange mechanisms, and design CAPEX for "electrification of demand" with a nuclear base and local technologies.