September 20-27, 2014       USAID/USEA Southeast Europe Distribution System Operator (DSO) Security of Supply Study Tour to the U.S. Columbus, OH; Houston, TX; and Washington, DC 

Albania 

Report 2014- Trends, Market Opportunities and Outlook to 2025- (Fort Mill Times) Dublin- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “Albania Oil Gas Trends, Market Opportunities and Outlook to 2025” report to their offering…

Bulgaria  

Bulgaria: “We stabilized the energy sector and took long-term measures” - Stoynev- (Balkans) “We managed to stabilize the energy sector during the past year and a long-term vision for its development is outlined now”, said Bulgaria’s Minister of Economy and Energy Dragomir Stoynev in “The day begins” on BNT…

Bulgaria's caretaker cabinet will be filled with ''democrats and pro-Europeans'' and will focus on energy and the EU- (Standart) Problems in the energy sector and the European funds…

Bulgaria opposition leader meets with EU Commissioner Oettinger- (Focus) Strasbourg.  Chaiirperson of the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB) party and former prime minister, Boyko Borisov, met with Guenther Oettinger, European Commissioner for Energy, the press centre of the politiocal formation announced…

CEZ Bulgaria invests BGN 884,000 in W Bulgaria in July- (Focus) Sofia. CEZ Distribution Bulgaria AD invests BGN 884,000 in the rehabilitation and modernisation of the power distribution network in West Bulgaria in July, the press office of the company announced…

Bulgaria grid operator increase its debt by BGN 500 million- (Focus) Sofia. In 2013, outstanding obligations of the National Electric Company (NEC) reached BGN 2.7 billion, compared to BGN 2.2 billion in 2012, Trud daily writes…

Bulgaria’s National Electricity Company Reports Losses of BGN 142 M in 2013- (Publics.bg) Bulgaria’s state-owned power market incumbent – the National Electricity Company (NEC, also frequently NEK) posted financial loss before tax of BGN 142.225 million (about EUR 71.112 m), the company’s annual report for 2013, unpublished until recently, reveals…

Bulgaria’s state-owned power market incumbent posts financial loss- (Balkans) Bulgaria’s state-owned power market incumbent – the National Electricity Company (NEC, also frequently NEK) posted financial loss before tax of BGN 142.225 million (about EUR 71.112 m), the company’s annual report for 2013, unpublished until recently, reveals…

Bulgarian Energy Holding Puts Off Gazprom Loan on South Stream- (Novinite) The Bulgarian Energy holding surprisingly decided to postpone a decision whether to receive a EUR 620 M from Gazprom for the construction of the South Stream pipeline…

Bulgarian Energy Holding Postponed South Stream Loan Go-Ahead- (Publics.bg) The state-owned Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) has not approved the EUR 620 m loan it was offered by Russia’s Gazprom for the construction of South Stream in Bulgaria during a meeting held Tuesday, Capital Daily reported…

Bulgarian President called termination of all activities on South Stream energy project- (Focus) Sofia. In connection with publications that the Bulgarian Energy Holding is preparing a decision to contract with Gazprom for taking a billion loan to finance of the Bulgarian participation in the South Stream project, the Bulgarian Head of State expressed surprise and dismay at the continuation of the activities in this project by the government, despite public commitments taken on June 8, 2014 by Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski to suspend operations on the project, the Press Secretariat of the head of state announced…

Bulgaria freezes South Stream loan negotiations- (Standart) The Bulgarian Energy Holding unexpectedly put the decision whether to receive a EUR 620 million loan from Gazprom for the construction of the South Stream pipeline on hold…

Energy regulator is working on amending the Rules on Electricity Trading- (Focus) Sofia. The Bulgarian state energy watchdog is working on amending the Rules on Electricity Trading…

Energy decisions put on hold awaiting Bulgaria’s next government- (Balkans) Decisions on a new nuclear unit from Westinghouse and the construction of South Stream put on hold as the cabinet of Plamen Oresharski resigns…

Social policy through electricity price brought billions of debts for Bulgaria in one year: opposition MP- (Focus) Sofia. “Social policy done through the electricity price brought billions of additional debts in the Bulgarian energy sector only for a year,” said Delyan Dobrev, MP with the oppositional Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB) and former energy minister, speaking at parliament during the debates on the resignation of the cabinet of Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski, FOCUS News Agency reporter said…

CEZ Bulgaria: Average electricity bill in W Bulgaria for June is BGN 32- (Focus) Sofia. Average electricity bill paid in West Bulgaria for June is BGN 32 for 196 KWh consumed, CEZ Bulgaria power distribution company, which is servicing the region, says in a press release…

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia to Vote on Biggest Post-War Energy Project- (Balkan Insight) Bosnia’s Federation parliament is due to decide at a July 23 session on the future of what has been called the biggest single post-war investment in Bosnia – construction of Bloc 7 of the power plant in Tuzla…

Bosnia/Republika Srpska: Electricity price will not go up, stable production from power gen facilities in 2014- (Serbia-Energy) While the electric power industries in the regional states announce an increase in price, the electricity price in Republika Srpska will not be changed, according to the "Electric Power Industry of RS"…

Croatia 

Croatia publishes tender for on-shore oil/gas exploration- (Reuters) Croatia published an international tender for on-shore exploration for oil and gas in the Drava river basin and the east of the country, the Economy Ministry said on its website…

Croatia to hold next round of talks with Hungary’s MOL on INA on 25 July – minister- (Portfolio.hu) "The fifth round of the negotiations is set for 25 July," Vrdoljak said expressing hope that after the final verdict against former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader for taking bribe from MOL in exchange for management control in INA, the main topic of the talks would be changing the way of managing the company and the shareholders' agreement…

Croatia backs regasification unit in North Adriatic- (ANSAmed) ZAGREB, JULY 22 - One of the strategies considered in recent months to ensure energy stability in Central Europe is a regasification unit in the North Adriatic. The unit, which would provide a secure and continuous supply of natural gas and would bypass Russia, would be located on the Croatian island of Krk, near the city of Rijeka…

Roundup: LNG by 2020, South Stream not priority: Croatia official- (Global Post) ZAGREB, July 22 (Xinhua)—Croatian Economy Minister Ivan Vrdoljak said on Tuesday that a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the Croatian northern Adriatic island of Krk was on the European Commission’s list of priorities and that it should be built by 2020 at the latest…

Croatia may buy INA back from MOL- (BBJ) The Croatian government is urging talks on a secured loan to buy back shares of oil and gas company INA from Hungarian counterpart MOL, Croatian Economy Minister Ivan Vrdoljak was reported as saying today…

Greenpeace warns coal-based plant Plomin C ‘dirty business’- (Dalje) Greenpeace activists have put up a 30-metre banner saying "Coal is a dirty business" in Plomin Bay in the northern Adriatic where the Plomin C thermal power plant is to be built, Greenpeace said on Tuesday…

Croatia eyes loan to buy back INA from Hungary’s MOL- minister- (Portfolio) The Croatian government is urging talks on a secured loan to buy back shares of oil and gas company INA from Hungarian counterpart MOL, Croatian Economy Minister Ivan Vrdoljak was reported as saying today…

Macedonia

FYR Macedonia: Hungary opened a trading house in Skopje- (Balkans) Hungary opened a trading house in Skopje, (FYR) Macedonia, today, MTI, the Hungarian news agency, reported…

Hungary opens trading house in Macedonia- (BBJ) Hungary opened a trading house in Skopje, Macedonia, today, MTI, the Hungarian news agency, reported…

Montenegro

Romania and Montenegro seeking to ink energy cooperation memorandum- (ACTmedia) Minister of Foreign Affairs Titus Corlatean met last Friday, on the occasion of his official visit to Montenegro, with Montenegrin Minister of Economy Vladimir Kavaric; the two high officials agreed on the need for the speedy signing of the Energy Cooperation Memorandum, the Romanian Foreign Ministry informs…

Romania

Petrom, ExxonMobil start drilling second deepwater well in Romania- (Reuters) BUCHAREST, July 21- Romania's top oil and gas group Petrom and U.S. major ExxonMobil have begun drilling a second deepwater well in the Black Sea in the European Union state, Petrom said on Monday…

OMV identifies new oil reservoir in Romanian Black Sea- (Energy Business Review) OMV Petrom, the oil and gas producer in South-Eastern Europe…

Romania’s Transelectrica Issues 4.7 mln green certificates for renewable energy- (Romania Insider) Romanian electricity distribution company Transelectrica issued, until July 17, a total of 4.77 million green certificates for the production of energy from renewable sources between January – June 2014, according to data published on the website of local power exchange OPCOM, cited by local Capital…

Australian ADX Energy considers EUR 100 mln investments in Romania- (Romania Insider) Australian oil company ADX Energy might invest up to EUR 100 million in exploration/exploitation works in an oil perimeter in Timis, Romania, and is trying to convince its investors that Romania supports activities related to oil and gas, given that the fund raising “is not the easy part”…

Romania’s Hidroelectrica psts record high profit in H1- (Reuters) Romanian state-owned hydro power producer Hidroelectrica posted a gross profit of 509 million lei ($154.7 million) in the first half of the year, driven by cost cuts, despite falling market prices and a new tax on buildings, it said on Monday…

Romania files EUR 521 mln case against Enel in Paris Arbitration Court- (Romania Insider) Romania will open a legal case against Italian group Enel asking it to pay EUR 521 million for the 23.6 percent stake that the Romanian state holds in the former electricity distribution company Electrica Muntenia Sud, which is now controlled by Enel, Romania’s Energy Department announced…

Romania sues Enel at ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris- (ACTmedia) The Energy Shares Administration Company (SAPE), a company detached from the Romanian energy company Electrica and currently subordinated to the Department of Energy, will file a case against Enel at the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris regarding the sale by Electrica of the minority participation in its former Muntenia Sud branch, a release of the Department of Energy informs…

EIB continues to support investment to increase energy efficiency of residential buildings in Bucharest- (The Diplomat) The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing 22.47 million Euro, the first tranche of an approved EIB loan for a total amount of 136.5 million Euro, to finance the second phase of the refurbishment programme for multi-family housing in the Sector 1 municipality of the Romanian Capital of Bucharest. The project is expected to result in around 50 per cent savings in the heating energy consumption of the buildings concerned, accord…

Dobrogea delivers the largest wind park-based energy in Central and Eastern Europe- (The Diplomat) Dobrogea became the largest wind park in Central and Eastern Europe, with hundreds of 2.5 MW wind turbines being spread all over the Constanta County, in Cogealac, Fantele, Pestera, Independenta, Chirnogeni, Silistea, Targusor and Crucea localities and surrounding areas, according to data quoted by national newswire Agerpres…

Serbia 

EBRD continues Balkans support- (KHL) The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD) is to continue supporting countries in the Balkans affected by recent floods…

South Stream puts Serbia in conflict with EU- (SETimes) With the decision by Bulgaria to suspend contruction of the South Stream natural gas pipeline, there is more pressure on Serbia, which is balancing its longstanding ties with Russia against its desire to join the European Union…

Cost of South Stream in Serbia Rose Nearly 25%- (Publics.bg) The costs of planned Gazprom-led South Strea gas pipeline in Serbia has risen with as much as 24 percent since November 2013, reaching a total of EUR 2.1 bn, Bulgarian Pressa Daily reported as citing information by Russia’s Vedomosti…

‘France will pay additional EUR 1 million to Serbia’- (InSerbia) BELGRADE- The French Embassy in Belgrade voiced satisfaction over the great success of the Donors’ Conference organized to help repair the damage caused by the May floods in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, which raised a total of EUR 1.846 billion for the two countries, adding that France will pay an additional EUR 1 million in emergency financial aid to Serbia…

Putin visit to Serbia to focus on gas- (Turkish Weekly) At a time of intense diplomatic pressure on the Kremlin over Ukraine, Russia’s leader is to visit Serbia in October on a mission to shore up ties with his Balkan ally- and discuss the South Stream gas pipeline…

Armenia 

Armenia’s capital to plunge into darkness- (AzerNews) Armenia's capital Yerevan will plunge into darkness on August 1when the electricity tariffs will go up by 10 percent…

Armenia lacks funds to develop alternative energy sector- (AzerNews) The Armenian scientists' hope to replace oil and gas industry with solar energy seems doomed to failure, as the government lacks enough funds to develop promising alternative energy sector in the country…

Yerevan TPP to work smoothly for 4.5 years after capital repair- (ArmenPress) Yerevan Thermal Power Plant, which provides 25% of Armenia’s electricity, completed its capital repair ahead of time and restarted its operation…

Armenian people’s social burden to significantly increase- (Trend.az) Armenian people's social burden will significantly increase as a result of increase in the tariffs for electricity in the country, Armenia's news.am website reported citing the Irates De Facto newspaper…

EBRD and HSBC to support energy efficiency in Armenia- (Financial) On 4 July 2014 an agreement was signed between the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and HSBC Bank Armenia CJSC for a US$ 10 million loan to be directed to the industrial and residential renewable energy sectors…

Three-to-five-perceent price hike expected in Armenia- expert- (ARKA) YEREVAN, July 23. Consumer commodities in Armenia are believed to go 3% up because of the increase in electricity prices, Babken Pipoyan, chairman of the Informed and Protected Consumer NGO, saidWednesday at a news conference…

Karabakh to see power price hike from Aug. 11: Armenian suppliers to blame- (Panarmenian) Major consumers will be affected by the electricity tariff hike to enter force August 11, while the remaining subscribers will have the price increase subsidized by the government, the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Prime Minister Ara Harutyunyan said, according to ARKA…

Investment of USD 9 Million Dollars to be Made for Development of Geothermal Energy in Armenia- (ArmenPress) The development of geothermal energy in Armenia is a perspective direction, which can give a substantial solution to the energy security issue in Armenia…

Azerbaijan      

Azerbaijan, EU discuss energy resources- (AzerNews) Cooperation prospects between European Union (EU) and Azerbaijan were discussed in an event held under the EU`s regional energy co-operation program (INOGATE)…

Timeframe of completion of large energy project in Azerbaijan postponed- (Trend.az) The construction of the second combined-cycle plant at the "Shimal" power plant which is important in the energy supply of the Absheron Peninsula will be completed by mid-2015, according to Deputy Director of Energy Department of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Industry and Energy Asaf Rzayev…

Azerbaijan to increase energy efficiency- (Vestnik) The construction of the second combined-cycle plant at the "Shimal" power plant which is important in the energy supply of the Absheron Peninsula will be completed by mid-2015, according to Deputy Director of Energy Department of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Industry and Energy Asaf Rzayev, reports Trend…

Azerbaijan to cut power losses 2.5-fold- (News.az) Oxu.Az reports with reference to Novosti.az that the statement came from deputy chief of the electric energy department of the Azerbaijan's Ministry of Energy Asaf Rzayev…

SOCAR-AQS holds training course on oil and gas industry for journalists- (AzerNews) SOCAR-AQS LLC, an integrated drilling and well services management company in Azerbaijan, has held an educational training on oil and gas industry for a group of journalists working with the company…

Azerbaijani FM: Azerbaijan has proved to be a reliable strategic partner of EU in the field of energy- (APA) Baku. “While culture and cultural diversity are the best exports that Azerbaijan has, we are keen to work in other tangible and strategic dimensions…

Azeri oil exports decline 1.5 pct in H1 2014- (Reuters) BAKU, July 23- Azerbaijan’s oil exports fell 1.5 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2014 due to a decline in oil production at its main fields, where BP has a major interest, a source at the State Customs Committee said…

SOCAR to commission new production platform in Caspian Sea- (Trend.az) The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan plans to commission a new production platform on offshore "Chilov" field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea in the near future, the company reported…

Georgia 

Georgian electricity exports to Turkey to fall in August- TEIAS- (ICIS) Electricity exports from Georgia to Turkey to drop dramatically to 35MW from August, a source at the Turkish grid operator TEIAS said on Monday…

Government denies rumors of electricity fee increase- (Messenger) Georgian PM Irakli Gharibashvili said that the electricity fee will stay the same…

Georgian Energy Ministry announces tender for constructing HPPs- (Renewablesbiz) The tender has been announced at the request of French company SEFRICE, Georgian Energy Ministry told Trend…

Turkey 

Some two billion barrels of oil shipped from Ceyhan terminal- (Trend.az) Turkey's Botas International Limited (BIL) has shipped around two billion barrels of oil from the Ceyhan port since June 2, 2006 until the present…

Turkey Needs Nuclear Plants, Expert Says- (Daily Sabah) ISTANBUL – Dr. Necmeddin Yazıcı, president of the physics department at Gaziantep University in a statement regarding Turkey's nuclear energy projects said "if Akkuyu and Sinop nuclear plants were active, they would cover 30 percent of Turkey's total energy consumption…”

Turkey’s Wind Energy Capacity Increases in First Half of 2014- (Daily Sabah) ANKARA – Turkey's wind energy capacity has posted a 466 megawatt (MW) increase during the first half of the year, according to the Turkish Wind Energy Association…

SOCAR to Become Largest Company in Turkey’s Energy Sphere by 2018- (Eurasia Review) The first output of the Star refinery of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) will be received by late 2017…

Turkey: Renewable Energy Under The Electricity Market Law- (Mondaq) Under the "Law on Use of Renewable Energy Resources for Electric Energy Generation" ("Renewable Energy Law"), renewable energy resources are listed as hydraulic, wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, biogas (including landfill gas), wave, current and tidal energy, which are non-fossil energy resources…

64MW Nordex hat-trick in Turkey- (reNews) German manufacturer Nordex has received three contracts for its N117 2.4MW and N117 3MW turbines in Turkey totaling 64.2MW…

Shipments of KRG Oil to Restart in Coming Days- (Daily Sabah) ANKARA – Turkish officials announced last week that the Ceyhan oil port had reached its storage capacity and the flow of Kurdish oil to it had stopped…

US Exxon Eyes Deal With Turkish TPAO On Shale Gas- (Daily Sabah) ISTANBUL – According to data released by the authorities, during a meeting held last week, executives of the U.S.-based oil giant ExxonMobil got information about the license status of various oil fields and they proposed cooperation with the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) to join shale gas projects in Southeastern Anatolia…

Goldman in preliminary deal to buy 30 pct of Turkey’s Petlim port- (Reuters) Goldman Sachs has signed a preliminary agreement with Socar’s Turkey unit to buy a 30 percent stake in the country’s largest integrated port for $250 million, the port’s operator said in a statement…

Turkey’s Wind Energy Sector Booming- (Daily Sabah) ANKARA – Turkey has set a record by doubling its installed wind power capacity, compared to the first half of last year...

KURDISTAN’S ENERGY RESOURCES COULD BE DEFINING POINT OF TURKEY’S FOREIGN POLICY- (Diplomatic Courier) Turkey’s trade deficit is growing from its lack of oil and gas, which is largely imported (over 90 percent) from Russia and Iran…

Ukraine 

This Week in Energy: A Turning Point in Ukraine?- (OilPrice) The conflict between Russia and Ukraine was heightened this week when Malaysia Air flight 17 was shot down by a missile strike over Ukraine on Thursday about 30 miles from the Russian border, killing all 298 people on board... 

Ukraine’s gas sector coping, EU says- (UPI) BRUSSELS, July 17 --Some of the proposals offered to break the Russian grip on the Ukrainian energy sector are working, a top European official said Thursday in Brussels…

Luhansk Under Fire, Cut off From Electricity – Self Defense Forces- (RiaNovosti) MOSCOW, July 20 - Luhansk has been under fire sinceSunday morning, the city is cut off from electricity and there are interruptions in cell phone coverage, the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic’s Defense Ministry spokesman Alexei Toporov said…

UPDATE 1- Ukraine says EU Reverse gas flows lower on Gazprom opposition- (Reuters) Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuri Prodan said on Wednesday reverse gas flows from the European Union to Ukraine had fallen because of opposition from Russian gas producer Gazprom…

Ukraine builds nuclear waste storage facility in Chernobyl- (Itar Tass) KIEV, July 23. The Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday announced a tender for a project to build a central storage facility for spent nuclear fuel near the infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant…

 

This program is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of the United States Energy Association and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.