Albania

Albania will increase energy generation fourfold – (bsanna) TIRANA, November 8. (ATA). Albania is a small country on the map, it is the most mountainous and rocky terrain in Europe, but if your take a closer look, the water resources are abundant, several times higher compared to its surface area…

Albania's PM: TAP project of the century – (Balkans) Trans Adriatic Pipeline is one of the major economic projects that Albania has ever known. Prime Minister Sali Berisha assured that the government he heads will do its utmost to support the TAP project. The head of the government also stressed the opportunities that our country boasts for gas storage and the country's geographical position to become a energy hub for the region…

ČEZ weighs exit from Albania – (The Prague Post) Energy giant ČEZ is tipped to abandon its troubled operations in Albania within months as the utility reels from multimillion-dollar losses there and strained relations with the country's government…

CEZ Might Sell Its Albanian Electricity Distribution Branch – (Publics.bg) Czech electricity company CEZ AS (BAACEZ.PR) Wednesday said it aims to make a final decision by the end of this year whether it will build a gas-fired power plant in Hungary and sell its troubled Albanian electricity distribution unit…

Bulgaria

Prof. Atanas Tasev: Bulgaria has no serious arguments in negotiations with Gazprom to reduce gas prices – (Focus) “Bulgaria has no serious arguments in negotiations with Gazprom to reduce gas prices. Imported quantities are not large…

Bulgarian PM Binds Trip to Russia with Gas Prices – (Novinite) The forthcoming negotiations on gas prices for Bulgaria will determine the response of Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, to the invitation from Russian President, Vladimir Putin, to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the South Stream gas pipeline…

Minister Delyan Dobrev: Bulgaria will benefit from the South Stream gas pipeline not only after, but also during its construction – (Focus) On Thursday, the final investment decision regarding the South Stream project will be signed by Bulgaria. This information became clear after the meeting held between Minister Delyan Dobrev and President Rosen Plevneliev…

Gas, Heating Rates in Bulgaria to Drop in January 2013 – (Novinite) Angel Semerdzhiev, head of Bulgaria's State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (DKEVR), has assured that heating rates will drop from January 2013 by a yet unspecified percentage…

Bulgarian energy minister authorized to allow BEH to make South Stream final investment decision – (Focus) At the Bulgarian government’s meeting on Wednesday Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism Delyan Dobrev has been authorized to allow the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) to make a final investment decision about South Stream gas pipeline, FOCUS News Agency reported…

Bulgarian energy minister: Too early to forecast electricity price hike for next year – (Focus) “It is too early to forecast electricity price hike for next year,” Bulgarian Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism Delyan Dobrev said speaking with journalists, asked to comment on the prognoses of the energy watchdog for at least 3% increase of the price of electricity in 2013, FOCUS News Agency reporter informs…

Bosnia

Bosnia: Owner of Ugljevik 3 TPP has no obligation of supplying electricity to customers in Republika Srpska – (Balkans) “Only a limited number of representatives from both parties will be familiar with the provisions of this Agreement and / or project,” according to a secret “Project Ugljevik 3 Development Agreement” between “Comsar Energy Group Limited” owned by Cyprus Russian businessman Sardarov Rashid and Electrical Power Industry of RS…

Bosnia: HPPs to be built taken environmental system into consideration – (Balkans) "As long as we have a choice in building energy plants, it is up to us to chose the best one'', Tarik Kupusovic, director of Institute for Hydrotechnics stated at the regular Sunday session of Association of Independent Intellectuals ''Circle 99''…

NGP, Bosnian Serbs May Build Hydro Plants Worth $1.65 Billion – (Bloomberg Business Week) New Generation Power, a U.S. energy developer, signed an agreement today with the Bosnian Serb government on building four hydro plants on the Drina river in central Balkans…

EBRD: Bosnia to make more EU progress (Balkans) Economic growth has been weak but some progress has been made on policies. Only minimal growth has been recorded over the past year. Following the finalisation of the state and entity budgets, progress was made towards re-engaging with the IMF, culminating in the signing of a new programme…

Croatia

Croatia’s HEP nears deal after hurricane (Euro Week) Investor meetings to market a debut bond for Hrvatska Elektroprivreda, the Croatian national electricity company, were disrupted this week by the storm in the US, but the process was recovering from Wednesday, bankers said…

Macedonia

Macedonia must apply green economy policies – (Balkans) FYR Macedonia is one of the countries where the impact of climate changes will be felt the most. In order to maintain a sustainable development, it needs to focus its policies on green economy. The Word Bank has conducted an analysis, which is expected to provide guidelines for preparing policies and an action plan…

Montenegro

Montenegro's Synergy starts building 1.27 mln euro hydro plant – (Hydro World) Montenegrin company Synergy has launched the construction of the small hydro power plant (SHPP) Vrelo, an investment of 1.27 million euro ($1.63 million), local media reported. The power plant, located in the municipality of Bijelo Polje, will have an installed capacity of 612.3 kilowatts and its average electricity output is projected at 2.37 gigawatts hours, the RTCG (www.rtcg.me) broadcaster reported over the weekend…

Montenegro discusses electricity supply, investment and the restarting of the processing factory in the KAP with German HGL – (Balkans) Electricity supply, investment and the restarting of the processing factory in the KAP aluminium plant Podgorica were the main topics of the meeting between representatives of the Ministry of Economy and the German company HGL…

Romania

EIB-Backed Fund Buys Stake in EP Global Romanian Wind Farm – (Bloomberg Business Week) The Marguerite Fund, the European Investment Bank-backed investor that’s seeking 1.5 billion euros ($1.9 billion), bought 50 percent of a Romanian wind farm from EP Global Energy Ltd., a developer based in Cyprus…

Gehrlicher Solar to Construct Ground-Mounted 9 MW Solar Park for Ra Ra Parc in Romania – (Azocleantech) Technical acceptance of the initial construction phase of 800 kWp was already completed in mid-October. The system generating 8.75 MWp of total power will be completed and connected to the grid by November 15…

Romania Jan-Sept energy production down 2 pct y/y – (Reuters) Romania's energy production fell 2 percent on the year in January-September, while imports fell 3.4 percent, data from the National Statistics Board showed on Thursday…

EIB Lends 27 Million Euros to Romanian Bucharest Municipality – (Bloomberg) The European Investment Bank is lending 27 million euros ($34 million) to Romania’s Bucharest municipality for the thermal rehabilitation of residential buildings, the bank said in an e-mailed statement today…

Serbia

Serbia expects 50% share in future JV with RWE and other strategic partners – (Balkans) The top priorities for the Ministry of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection are related to the improvement of energy efficiency, energy infrastructure construction and change in the way of managing public enterprises within this sector, says Prof. Zorana Mihailovic, Minister of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection and adds: It’s high time to put things in order in Serbian energy sector…

EBRD: Serbia improves in renewable energy sources and and financing micro, small and mid-sized companies – (Balkans) Serbia has improved two grades for the reforms realized in the fields of renewable energy sources and financing micro, small and mid-sized companies, reads the report on transition of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development…

Serbia asks Chinese to approve USD 1.8bn loan  -(B92) BELGRADE -- Mlađan Dinkić says the government asked China to approve a USD 1.8bn loan to Serbia, that would finance energy and transport infrastructure project…

Armenia

Armenia replants trees burnt in wartime blockade – (dw.de) War and an energy crisis in the early 1990s compelled Armenians to cut down thousands of trees for firewood. The Armenia Tree Project is working to reforest Armenia, but illegal logging poses a major obstacle…

Armenia-Iran project to produce South Caucasus’ most powerful HPP – (Armenia Now) The Republic of Armenia and the Islamic Republic of Iran are planning to build the most powerful hydro power plant in the South Caucasus. The Meghri Hydro Electric Power Station is a joint project between the Armenian government and an Iranian company…

Armenia's nuclear plans rouse fears abroad – (dw.de) Armenia depends on an aging nuclear plant in an earthquake zone, a situation that has raised eyebrows in Brussels. Yerevan aims to close the facility by 2016, but wants to replace it with a new reactor in the same spot…

Iran plays key role in meeting Armenia energy needs: minister – (Steel Guru) Tehran Times cited Armen Movsisian energy minister of Armenia as saying that Iran plays a key role in meeting energy needs of his country.  Addressing a press conference in Yerevan on the sidelines of Iran and Armenia joint economic committee meeting, the official said that the two sides agreed on new plans to boost bilateral trade…

Azerbaijan

Azeri oil fund to help finance TANAP gas pipeline – (Reuters) Azerbaijan's $33-billion state oil fund is to help finance the $8 billion Trans-Anatolian natural gas pipeline project (TANAP) to take Azeri gas to Turkey and to markets in Europe, the head of the fund said on Tuesday…

KfW names consultant to develop feasibility study on alternative energy in Azerbaijan – (Trend) Tge German KfW has identified a consultant to prepare a feasibility study to develop renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan, the KfW Baku…

U.S. to help open Maritime and Energy Law Faculty in Baku State University – (abc.az) Baku, Fineko/abc.az. USAID/Azerbaijan Mission Director Michael Greene and Baku State University’s rector Abel Maharramov have signed today the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between USAID and the BSU…

Azerbaijan interested in alternative energy development – (Trend) WB Baku Office told Trend today that Rivera will look at the potential of developing alternative and renewable energy in Azerbaijan, as well as…

Azerbaijan to use alternative sources of energy for heating system – (abc.az) Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Azerbaijan is to use alternative and renewable energy sources for heating purposes. Azeristiliktehcizat Consumer Service Department’s head Rafiq Aliyev informs that currently these are plans for the future…

Azerbaijan to double its oil production by 2020 – (Trend) Gas production in Azerbaijan will reach 54 billion cubic meters by 2020, Deputy Minister of Industry and Energy Natig Abbasov said during the meeting with a delegation of German researchers and scientists, the Ministry of Industry said on Thursday…

Georgia

USAID starts energy project in Georgia – (Trend) The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) starts a new project entitled Energy Infrastructure Development in Georgia. The project's launch was held in Kutaisi (West Georgia) today…

Georgia fails to please Azerbaijan, Russia and West – (PanArmenian) According to Azerbaijani media, the new Georgian minister of economy Giorgi Kvirikashvili did not exclude that the agreements signed with the Russian Inter RAO UES and Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company (SOCAR) may be reviewed. He believes it’s not right for an investor to invest funds in a country and seek profit in five years. “Investors should not violate the rights of the consumers through regulatory commissions,” he says…

Workers of Paravan hydropower in South Georgia go on strike – (Hydro World) The workers, who are constructing the Paravan hydroelectric plant, went on strike on Saturday.

They are demanding wage raise and offsetting of two months' debts…

Russia

Russia Anticipates Boom in Oil Extracted From Shale – (The New York Times) For decades, a little-known Cold War technological race played out in the oil fields of the United States and Russia: a race not into space, but deep underground…

Russian-Bulgarian energy relations near melting point – (EurActiv) The verbatim transcript of a Bulgarian cabinet meeting held on 7 November shows that Bulgaria will pay Gazprom a heavy fine if it doesn’t sign a final investment decision to build the South Stream gas pipeline on its territory by 15 November…

Rosneft plans to set up energy bank – (RT) Russia’s oil champion will kick start its own Rosneft Bank to support and promote the country’s energy industry. The bank will be the second energy-oriented lender in the country, joining one of the top market players, Gazprombank…

E.U. Weary of Power of Russian Gas – (The New York Times) When Russian troops left Eastern Europe after the end of the Cold War more than 20 years ago, Moscow’s influence over the region did not end. It found a new source of power to exert leverage over these newly independent countries…

Turkey

Group wins power grid for $546 mln – (Hurriyet Daily News) Cengiz-Kolin-Limak joint venture places the largest bid for Turkey’s Mediterranean power grid with 1.67 million subscribers. The offer falls short from the $1.165 billion bid in a failed privatization two years ago…

Canadian Solar supplies modules for Turkey's largest commercial PV project – (Renewable Energy Focus) The 540 kW solar power plant at Izmir Airport, installed by Gehrlicher Merk Solar, is the first PV project under the new Turkish 500 kW law…

Drilling in north raises environmental concerns – (Cyprus Mail) CURRENT RESIDENTS of occupied Singrasi village in Famagusta have voiced concern about black puddles of water collecting in the area where Turkey’s state-run energy company TPAO has started drilling for oil…

GE to Supply 43 Wind Turbines in Turkey to Fina Enerji Projects – (Bloomberg) General Electric Co. (GE), the biggest maker of electrical generation equipment, will supply 43 turbines to Fina Enerji Holding AS for wind projects in Turkey.  The wind parks will total 97 megawatts in capacity and power 27,000 Turkish homes when built, according to a statement today from Fairfield, Connecticut-based GE…

Canadian Solar Supplies Modules for Turkey's Largest Commercial PV Project: 540 kW Solar Power Plant at Izmir Airport Installed by Gehrlicher Merk Solar – (Utility Products) Canadian Solar Inc. (the "Company" or "Canadian Solar") (NASDAQ: CSIQ), one of the world's largest solar companies, provided its CS6P-P solar modules for the first project under the new Turkish solar energy legislation, YEK (Law on the utilization of renewable energy resources for the purpose of generating electricity), for solar power plants under 500 kW…

Ukraine

Ukrenergo To Auction 5.5 GW Of Electricity Export Capacity In 2013 – (Elp) Ukrenergo national power company (Kyiv) will auction access to power transmission lines with a total capacity of 5.53 gigawatts for exporting electricity in 2013, reads a statement made by Ukrenergo…

Ukraine ups electricity output 2.6% in 10 months – (KyivPost) Ukraine's integrated power grids raised electricity generation by 2.6% year-over-year in January-October 2012, to 161.9 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), an Energy and Coal Ministry source told Interfax-Ukraine…

Ukraine mulling PSCs with energy giants  -(NZ Week) Ukraine is planning to sign production-sharing contracts (PSCs) for gas exploration with three multinational conglomerate, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Eduard Stavitsky said Tuesday…

Ukrainian lawmaker defends his law on 'local content' for renewable energy plants – (KyivPost) Pro-presidential Party of Regions lawmaker Mykola Romaniuk says his amendments to the law on electricity, specifically the so-called “local content” requirement, should stimulate the development of the renewable energy sector in Ukraine…

Ukraine to be given one million dollar for energy efficiency – (forUm) Minister of economic development and trade of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed with the World Bank a letter of agreement on implementation of the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) grant for preparation of the joint investment project with the World Bank in the field of modernization of heating systems, the press service of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine reports…

Ukraine Paid $1.04 Billion for Oct. Gas Imports, Interfax Says – (Bloomberg) NAK Naftogaz Ukrainy, Ukraine’s state managed energy company, paid OAO Gazprom $1.04 billion for natural gas deliveries last month, Interfax-Ukraine newswire reported, citing Energy Minister Yuriy Boyko…

Ukraine has vast unconventional gas reserves: IEA official – (NZ Week) Ukraine had huge unconventional gas reserves, which could make the East European country energy self-sufficient, an International Energy Agency (IEA) official said Wednesday…

Ukraine starts gas shipments to Europe – (UPI) Ukraine's state-owned natural gas company secured a deal with Germany's RWE that could weaken Gazprom's grip on the regional energy sector, an executive said…

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.