Albania

IRENA launches first Global Renewable Energy Atlas – (Matangi) The International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA launched the world's first Global Renewable Energy Atlas on 13 January at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirate UAE… 

Italy, Albania, Greece to sign TAP gas line accord – (Business Recorder) Greece, Italy and Albania will sign on Feb. 13 in Athens an agreement that seals their support for a natural gas pipeline project to cross their territories, a spokesman for Greece's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday… 

TAP submits ESIA to Albanian Govt – (Pipelines International) Trans Adriatic Pipeline has submitted its environmental and social impact assessment report for the Albanian section of the proposed Trans-Adriatic Pipeline to the National Licensing Centre in Albania…

Bulgaria

Renewable Energy May Add 4% to Electricity Prices in Bulgaria – (Novinite) Bulgarian power distributor EVN has warned about a looming 4% increase in electricity prices which would be necessary to compensate costs arising from the purchase of renewable energy… 

Bulgaria to Introduce Seasonal Electric Power Tariffs – (Novinite) In addition to day and night prices of electric power, Bulgaria will introduce soon a seasonal tariff. The new electric power fees are included in a draft decree of the State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation, DKEVR… 

Fund For Green Power Or Price Surge – (Standart) Electricity distribution company EVN calls for the establishment of a special fund in Bulgaria, which would help the producers of green electricity, EVN deputy chairman Kalina Trifonova said… 

Amendments to Bulgaria's Energy Efficiency Act Pass First Reading – (Novinite) Bulgaria's Parliament has adopted at first reading amendments to the Energy Efficiency Act The amendments initiated by the government were passed Friday with 79 votes in favor, 3 against, and 14 abstainees, according to reports of the Focus news agency…

Bulgaria dismisses head of energy watchdog – (Europolitics) The Bulgarian government dismissed, on 30 January, the head of the State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (DKEVR) a week after the European Commission referred the country to the EU Court of Justice (see Europolitics4572)... 

Andon Rokov Appointed Acting Chair of Bulgaria's Energy Watchdog – (Novinite) Andon Rokov has been appointed acting Chair of Bulgaria's State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (DKEVR) until a replacement for resigned DKEVR head Angel Semerdzhiev is selected… 

Failed referendum leaves Bulgaria without nuclear future – (RT) A referendum on nuclear energy in Bulgaria failed due to low turnout, and the country's ruling party has confirmed it will not build a new nuclear plant. Critics warn that without nuclear energy, Bulgaria may become a third-world country in 20 years…

Bosnia

Bosnia-Herzegovina among the richest countries for energy sources – (Balkans) BiH is among the richest countries when it comes to energy sources, and its advantage is its geographical position in the heart of Europe, said the Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey Murat Mercan for Anadolija Agency, commenting on the reasons for the visit of delegations from leading countries to private companies in BiH… 

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Republic of Srpska presents potential in the energy sector to Turkey's businesspeople – (Balkans) At the meeting between the RS Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining, Željko Kovačević and a delegation of businesspeople from Turkey headed by the Deputy Minister of Energy in Turkey, Hasan Murat Mercan, the topic of discussion was the possibilities of Turkish investments in the energy sector in the RS… 

FYR Macedonia' Bosnia-Herzegovina and Bulgaria among countries who pay the most for Gazprom's natural gas – (Balkans)  Bulgaria is among the five countries in Europe that purchase natural gas from Russian giant Gazprom for the highest prices… 

Bosnia and Herzegovina: 'Hydroelectric Power Plants on the Drina' records 4 million KM of profits in 2012 – (Balkans) The Company ‘’Hydroelectric Power Plants on the Drina’’ from Višegrad made a profit of more than 4 million KM last year. The Director of this firm, Mile Lakić, noted that the power plant “Višegrad” produced 857 gigawatts of electricity. The annual plan met with 95, and the rebalanced with 99 percent…

Croatia

Upsolar Enters PV Markets in Serbia and Croatia With Plan-net Solar – (Market Watch) Upsolar, a leading international provider of solar PV modules, today announced the company will now offer its full suite of modules to customers in Serbia and Croatia through an exclusive distribution partnership with Plan-net Solar, an experienced solar services provider for customers across the Balkans… 

Biggest Wind Power Plant in Dalmatia – (Croatian Times) Spanish renewal energy corporation Acciona Energia has connected its first wind power plant to Croatia’s energy system… 

Grid-connected renewables in Croatia up to 172,981 kW in 2012 – (Cogeneration) The combined installed capacity of grid-connected power generation facilities in Croatia using renewable energy sources (RES) rose to 172,981 kilowatts (kW) at the end of 2012 from 108,320 kW at the beginning of the year, the economy ministry said on Tuesday… 

Gazprom to impact Croatian energy market – (Setimes) In a move that is expected to significantly boost Croatia's energy market, representatives in Zagreb and Russian company Gazprom agreed on Croatia's participation in the South Stream project…

Kosovo

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New round of technical talks in Kosovo dialogue – (B92) A new round of the Belgrade-Priština technical dialogue at the expert level will be held on Tuesday, tabling the issues of electricity and telecommunications…

Macedonia

EVN Macedonia gains control over small HPP from Czech concessionaire – media – (Hydro World) EVN Macedonia gained control over its seven small hydro power plants that were given under concession to Czech company Hydropol in 2002, local media reported…

Romania

Romania reverses course on shale gas – (EurActiv) The Romanian authorities reversed their decision from last April to suspend Chevron from gas exploration activities.  The decision takes place nine months after protests in southeast Romania, in particular in the town of Vama Veche, where shale gas exploration is due to take place… 

Romania seeks renewable energy experts – (Balkans) The European renewable sector employed over 568,000 people in 2010, up 75 percent in the last decade, according to estimations by Ecorys, a research and consultancy department… 

Romanian energy regulator drafts new rules for free natural gas market – (Power Engineering) Romania's energy regulator, ANRE, has drafted and published on its website the preliminary regulations for the liberalised natural gas market… 

Chevron Gets Permit to Explore Shale Gas in Romania – (Industry Week) Chevron (IW 1000/7) obtained zoning certificates in eastern Romania enabling it to explore for shale gas, despite controversy about the effect of drill fracking on the environment, local authorities said on Thursday… 

GE lands USD 30 mln contract for new wind park in Romania – (Romania Insider) General Electric will supply seven wind turbines for Energia Verde Ventuno’s Cerna Wind Park in Romania’s Tulcea region, GE announced. The deal is worth some USD 30 million and includes equipment, the seven turbines with 17.5-megawatt total capacity and service contracts… 

Romania and Poland will join the energy markets in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary – (Act Media) The representatives of the national authority for regulation, of the transport operators and system operations and those of the operators on the energy markets in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania met, at the beginning of the week, in Budapest to agree on the starting of the collaboration with a view to coupling the energy markets in the five countries, OPCOM informs, the energy stock exchange of Romania… 

Romanian wind project to use GE turbines – (Power Engineering) Energia Verde Ventuno will use seven 2.5-103 GE (NYSE: GE) wind turbines for the Cerna Wind Park, located in Romania’s Tulcea region. The project will generate enough energy to power around 7,000 Romanian households when it goes online later this year…

Serbia

Serbia's Government sets EPS as temporary backup electricity supplier – (Balkans) The Serbian government has set in yesterday's session the public company EPS as a backup supplier of electricity for end-users that are not entitled to public supply, at a cost of €70 in dinars for one megawatt-hour (MWh)… 

“Belgrade, Priština to discuss energy next week” – (B92) BELGRADE -- Belgrade team head in technical talks Dejan Pavićević has announced that telecommunications and energy will be discussed next week in Brussels…

Armenia

EBRD finances hydropower plants in Armenia – (Financial) The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supporting investment in the generation of renewable energy in Armenia with a US$ 25 million loan to International Energy Corporation (IEC) to finance the rehabilitation of the seven hydropower plants of the Sevan-Hrazdan Cascade. 

Armenia ups electricity production 8% in 2012 – (Hydro World)  Armenia boosted electricity generation 8.1% to 8.036 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) in 2012, the National Statistics Service reported.

Combined heat and power plants increased power output 42.3% to 3.374 billion kWh, while hydro-electric power plants cut electricity production 6.4% to 2.349 billion kWh…

Azerbaijan

EBRD approves first loan for energy efficiency in Azerbaijan – (abc.az) The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has endorsed the first loan on Community Energy Efficiency Program (CEEP) for a private organization in Azerbaijan… 

Electricity generation to be significantly increased in Azerbaijan in 2013 – (Trend) According to forecasts, around 25.35 billion kilowatt / hours of electricity will be generated in Azerbaijan in 2013 compared to 21.3 billion… 

Installed capacity of Baku electric network increased by 80% - (abc.az) OJSC Baku Electric Network (Bakıelektrikşəbəkə) has announced the lowering of technical losses by up to 8%. Yesterday during the opening ceremony of new substations and the administrative building of the Baku Electric Network by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev it was reported that since 2006 it was upgraded capitally the transmission and distribution system of Baku… 

Azerbaijan Plans $7 Billion Boost for Renewable Energy by 2020 – (Bloomberg) Azerbaijan plans to raise renewable energy capacity in the country, the third-largest oil producer of the former Soviet Union, to about 20 percent of total power demand by 2020, with investment estimated to reach $7 billion… 

Agency for Alternative and Renewable Energy restored in Azerbaijan to avoid conflict of interest – (abc.az) Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Reasons of restoration of the State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Energy (ABEMDA) in Azerbaijan have been published… 

Chairman of State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources appointed – (News.az) President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree to appoint Akim Badalov as chairman of the State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources… 

Georgia

Georgia’s largest power plant to trade carbon credits – (ELP) Georgia’s largest power plant, Enguri Hydro Power Plant, will be able to sell carbon credits earned thanks to an EBRD-financed energy efficiency project… 

New hydro power project draws fire from environmentalists – (Georgia today) Environmentalists are protesting a court decision that provided a green light for the construction of the Dariali Hydro power plant (HPP) on the Tergi River…

Russia

RusHydro reports 5% increase in electricity generation for FY2012 – (EBR) Russian hydroelectricity company, RusHydro reported a 5% increase in production for the year 2012, when compared to the total output in 2011… 

Gazprom posturing masks Russia’s weakness – (FT) The $7bn bill Gazprom has hit Ukraine with for buying less gas than agreed last year might look like the Russian monopoly once again throwing its weight around… 

No gas deal signed with Kiev, Russia says – (UPI) A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said the government won't confirm that it reached a natural gas deal with Ukraine… 

Baltic Dispute Over Russian Power May Delay Joint Market – (Bloomberg) The final integration of the European Union’s three Baltic states to the Nordic power exchange may be delayed past June as Estonia and Latvia disagree over whether Russia should be given import preference…

Turkey

Turkey Sees ‘Huge’ Clean-Energy Investment as Demand Bucks Trend – (Bloomberg) Turkey expects “huge” investments in renewable power in the next 10 years as growth in energy demand outpaces economic expansion, a government official said… 

Turkey eyes Thar Coal for power generation – (Pakistan Today) Turkey is seeking an energy delegation to visit Sindh to further explore investment opportunities in Thar Coal and energy sector of Sindh… 

Turkey Energy Profile: Importance As Regional Energy Transit Hub Growing – Analysis – (Eurasia Review) Turkey’s importance in the energy markets is growing, both as a regional energy transit hub and as a growing consumer… 

Turkish government encourages firms to invest more in Arbil – (Daily News) The Turkish government will continue to encourage Turkish energy companies to sign more agreements with the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government for the region’s rich oil and gas reserves despite Washington’s warnings not to take such steps risking the partition of Iraq… 

Turkey's state-run bank to lend power to municipalities – (Balkans) Local governments in Turkey will be able to produce their own electricity by transforming lighting, refinement and other systems into renewable energy with the support of İller Bank, a Turkish investment and development bank…

Ukraine

DTEK retains interest in privatization of Ukrainian power generating and supply companies – (Kyiv Post) The largest private energy holding in Ukraine – DTEK – is still ready to participate in the privatization of Ukrainian power generating and supply companies and expects that the state will present the concrete conditions for their sale, DTEK CEO Maksym Tymchenko has told Interfax-Ukraine… 

US Official: Ukraine - Future Energy Hub of Eastern Europe (world news Report) Current reforms that are taking place in Ukraine may transform the country into an important energy hub of Eastern Europe, said the State Department's Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs Carlos Pascual during his meeting with the Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov… 

AES Agrees to Sell Its Ukraine Assets – (Market Watch) The AES Corporation AES +0.09%  today announced that it has agreed to sell its two power distribution businesses in Ukraine to VS Energy International… 

Ukraine may become important energy center in Europe – (NRCU) Pascual added that owing to the implementation of agreements on the extraction of shale gas with Shell and Chevron in seven or eight years Ukraine will be able to receive an additional 25 billion cubic meters of gas per year… 

Energomarket raises Hr 800 million loan from Oschadbank – (Kyiv Post) Kyiv-based Oschadbank has opened a Hr 800 million credit line to state-run enterprise Energomarket, reads a report of the company on the government procurement portal… 

Ukraine to Become Shale Gas Superpower? – (Oil Price) Certainly not the Ukrainians, who on the sidelines amidst the champagne and caviar inked a 50-year profit sharing shale natural gas deal with Royal Dutch Shell PLC, worth up to $10 billion…

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