Weekly collection of energy news articles for the region

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Albania

Albania’s most important hydropower power plant, undergoes a safety makeover– (Balkans) The most important source of electricity in Albania is the Komani hydro power plant in the mountains of the Puka region. Here, pine trees and bare limestone dot the hills around Lake Koman, itself the result of past construction of a dam…

Albania hints at common energy market with Kosovo – (Dtt-Net) Albanian government says it’s working on ‘harmonizing’ energy resources with Kosovo, aimed at creating a common energy area and market between the two neighbouring countries…

EBRD Helps Upgrade Albania's HPP Komani – (Energetika) There is a lot to do given that no major maintenance work has been carried out for almost 30 years since the structure was built,ʺ EBRD explained. The lower external part of the dam is corroded by the spill…

Albania Secures USD 150 M Loan from World Bank for Power Sector Recovery – (Novinite) The Albanian government has signed an agreement with the World Bank on a loan of USD 150 M.  The loan will go to a power sector recovery project.  Ellen Goldstein, World Bank Country Director for Southeast Europe, praised the Albanian government for preventing a crisis in the energy sector “that would have severe economic, fiscal and social consequences in 2014 and beyond…

Albania, World Bank sign $150 mln electricity deal – (Reuters) Albania signed a $150 million loan deal with the World Bank on Monday to upgrade electricity distribution and transmission, which it said would enable the debt-laden sector to return to financial stability by 2018…

World Bank provides 150 mln dollars financing for power sector recovery in Albania – (Global Post) The Albanian government signed on Monday the 150 million U.S. dollars agreement with World Bank(WB) for financing the power sector recovery in the country.  According to Albanian Telegraphic Agency, the fund was approved on Sept. 29, 2014 by World Bank's Board of Executive Directors and aims to support Albania's power sector reforms…

Albania Wants Financially Sustainable Energy Sector by 2018 – (Energetika) Gjiknuri explained that a year ago when the current government took over the managing of the energy sector the latter was almost destroyed, with losses amounting to USD 270 million (EUR 216 million) per year…

Bulgaria

Bulgaria suppors the need of energy diversification – (Balkans) Bulgaria and Austria are unanimous about the need of energy diversification of Europe. This shared position was expressed by the two countries presidents - of Bulgaria Rosen Plevneliev and of Austria Heinz Fischer at a joint news conference, granted after their meeting on Thursday. President Fischer is on a two-day visit here at the invitation of his Bulgarian counterpart Plevneliev, BTA reports…

Reform in Bulgaria’s energy sector cannot be postponed anymore: President – (Focus) “Reform in the energy sector cannot be postponed anymore,“ said Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, speaking at a joint press conference with Austrian counterpart Heinz Fischer, who is paying a visit to Bulgaria, at the Coat of Arms Hall at the President’s Office of the Republic of Bulgaria, FOCUS News Agency reported…

REFILE-CEZ's Bulgarian thermal plant faces closure next year – (Reuters) Czech power utility CEZ said it would temporarily halt operations of its coal-burning plant in Bulgaria as of next year, after it failed to agree on a plan to bring it up to EU environmental rules…

CEZ Bulgaria reports 24% increase of electricity consumption – (Focus) Drastic decrease of the temperatures on the territory of West Bulgaria, which started on October 24, led to increase of the electricity consumption during the weekend by an average of 24% compared with the previous days, the press office of CEZ Bulgaria district power distribution company announced…

Bulgarian coal plant faces closure over failure to operate according to EU standards – (Euractiv) Czech power utility ČEZ said it would temporarily halt operations of its coal-burning plant in Bulgaria as of next year, after it failed to agree on a plan to bring it up to EU environmental rules.  Talks with Bulgaria's state-owned Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) over setting up a joint company to fund…

Bulgaria’s National Electric Company Reports BGN 425M Loss in end-Sept – (Novinite) Bulgaria’s state-owned National Electric Company (NEK) has reported a loss of BGN 425 M for the first nine months of 2014.  NEK’s loss has increased by 275,2% year-on-year, according to a financial report of the company, as cited by econ.bg.  At the end of June 2014, NEK reported a loss of BGN 250 M…

Bulgarian Deputy PM for EU Energy Alliance – (Energetika) According to her, so far Bulgaria had done little in terms of diversification of gas supplies. Therefore, the priority of the caretaker government was building interconnectors with neighboring countries, because…

Electricity Output in Bulgaria Down 5.5% – (Energetika) Compared to July 2014, production of unleaded motor gasoline increased by 4.1% to 153,000 tonnes, and that of transport diesel by 7.5% to 187,000 tonnes. Meanwhile, production of solid fuels decreased by 14.7%...

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia to liberalize electricity market – (dtt-net) Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) will be liberalizing fully its electricity market as of January with consumers hoping for better choices and lower prices…

Croatia 

Croatia Resurrects LNG terminal Plans – (Marine Link) Croatia has reopened a feasibility study for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the northern Adriatic which should help diversify energy supplies for central Europe, economy minister Ivan Vrdoljak said on Tuesday…

Croatia restarts preparations for LNG terminal at Krk – (Hellenic Shipping News) Croatia has reopened a feasibility study for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the northern Adriatic which should help diversify energy supplies for central Europe, economy minister Ivan Vrdoljak said…

Croatia to Receive EUR 5 Million for LNG Terminal on Krk Island from EU – (Energetika) According to Vrdoljak, Croatia is prepared to have a maximum 25 per cent shareholders stake in the LNG terminal. The studies about the project will begin in 2015. (MORE) The financial model for the LNG terminal…

Croatia to Get Kinetic Power Plant? – (Energetika) The plant that offers low-cost green energy is worth about EUR 16 million, said Dejan Stojsavljević, a representative of Save the Planet, and functions by creating in water wells. "This is not wind or solar power…

In Croatia, Green Electricity Tariffs 27 EUR/MWh above Market Price – (Energetika) “The problem is that we don’t know the future dynamics of renewables growth. Also, the cost of renewables is non-transparently being shifted to end users, which is not a good idea,” Šeatović warns…

Kosovo

Kosovo facing new energy crisis over winter – (Turkish Weekly) Kosovo faces another difficult winter for energy following the June blast in a worn-out power plant, the power supply company, KEDS, has warned.  Guri Shkodra, a spokesperson for the energy supply company, KEDS, said Kosovo is facing an energy crisis this winter as a result of June's incident in the Kosovo A power plant…

Kosovo: Unplanned Outage of One of TPP Kosova B Units – (Energetika) As Kosovo has no reserve capacities, and as the re-nominations of programs established one day before (D-1) in the interconnection network are part of the Intraday Market, which is being negotiated between Kosovo…

Macedonia

Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria sign a statement for Corridor 8 – (Albeu) Energy ministers of Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania have signed a statement today in Sofia, through which they engage that corridor 8 will be a priority of European Union policies. With this statement three Balkan states vow to implement the project…

Montenegro

Montenegro launches project on efficient use of energy – (dtt-net) Montenegrin government is preparing to launch a project on efficient use of energy in dozens of schools, social and public administration buildings across the country, worth of 13 Euro million, with some of it being paid by German government…

Montenegro Not to Search for Oil and Gas at Prevlaka Peninsula – (Energetika) In this regard, the Montenegrin government decided not to offer the sea area close to the Prevlake Peninsula for offshore oil and gas production. As we reported in the article Montenegro to Award Oil and Gas…

Romania

Romania needs electricity produced in thermal power plants – (ACT Media) Prime Minister Victor Ponta says Romania needs electricity produced in thermal power plants to reach its goal of energy independence.  Ponta said on Thursday in Hunedoara (northwest of Bucharest) that two years ago the Oltenia and Hunedoara complex energy units were on the brink of bankruptcy and the government made huge efforts to rescue these companies and keep them in the energy market…

Romania's Energy Consumption Fell 3.9% in 2013 – (Energetika) The biggest drop, 7.2%, was seen in the industry sector due to shrinking energy-intensive economic activities, Romania's National Institute of Statistics said on Monday.Energy resources and primary energy…

Renewable energy reaches 4,725 MW of installed capacity in Romania – (Romania-Insider) Renewable energy projects reached an installed capacity of 4,725 MW at the end of September, according to data centralized by power grid operator Transelectrica.  Wind parks totaled 2,805 MW in installed capacity, while solar parks, some 1,245 MW, micro hydropower plants, 574 MW, and biogas projects, only 101 MW. New projects have added some 400 MW of installed capacity in the first nine months of the year in Romania…

TÜV SÜD certifies 5.5MW PV power plant in Romania – (ACT Media) TÜV SÜD Czech and TÜV SÜD Romania said they had successfully certified a new 5.571MWp PV power plant located in Buzau, Romania.Certification encompasses all the requirements and conditions necessary for PV power plants to operate safely and under smart operation, according to TÜV SÜD…

Serbia

Serbia Needs Modern Power Plants – (Energetika) At the conference Elektrane 2014 (“Power Plants 2014”), energy experts also discussed the current events – floods – that impacted the operation of power plants and the entire power system…

Serbia seeks to import power for winter after flood damage – (The Economic Times) Serbian power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) is looking to purchase up to 516 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity after floods damaged the coal mine supplying the country's biggest power plant, an EPS official said on Monday…

Serbia to seek Russia gas payment rescheduling, flows down – (Reuters) Serbia, which owes more than $200 million for gas supplies from Russia, said on Friday it had received less gas this week and was set for talks on rescheduling its payments.  "Serbia has been receiving 3.2 million cubic metres (mcm) of gas per day instead of 4.5 mcm, which accounts for a 28 percent reduction," Energy Minister Aleksandar Antic was quoted as saying by Tanjug news agency…

In Serbia, Unit A2 of TPP Kolubara Back Online – (Energetika) Unit A1 is expected to be reconnected to the grid by 24 November.The 270-MW TPP Kolubara, which recently celebrated 58 years of operation (MORE), suffered the most serious damage in its history during May's…

Armenia   

Armenia and Russia to sign agreement to extend service life of Armenian NPP – (ARKA) Before the end of 2014 Armenia and Russia will sign an intergovernmental agreement to extend the service life of the Armenian nuclear power plant in Metsamor until 2026, deputy minister of energy and natural resources Ara Simonyan said today during a parliamentary discussion of the 2015 draft budget…

New energy unit of Armenian nuclear power plant to be exploited in 2026 – (ARMENPRESS) The government of Armenia expects to sign an interstate agreement on prolonging the service term of the 2^nd energy unit of the Armenian nuclear power plant with the Russian government by the end of the year…

Construction of third Iran-Armenia electric power line planned to be completed by 2017 – (ARKA) The construction of the third Iran-Armenia electric power line is planned to be completed by 2017, Armenian Deputy Energy and Natural Resources Minister Ara Simonyan said Tuesday while discussing the draft government budget for 2015 with the National Assembly’s committees…

Building 1000 MW capacity nuclear power plant not expedient in Armenia, expert says – (ARKA) A renewable energy expert Karen Arabyan says the Armenian government’s plan to build a new nuclear power plant with a capacity of one thousand MW is not expedient. He says construction of a facility with a capacity of 400 MW along with development of alternative energy is more practical…

Electricity tariffs not expected to be increased in Armenia next year – (ARMENPRESS) It is not expected that the electricity tariffs will be increased in Armenia in 2015.  The member of the Public Services Regulatory Commission of the Republic of Armenia…

Azerbaijan 

Alternative energy potential exceeds 12,000 MW in Azerbaijan – (Azernews) Azerbaijan is not only a country with rich natural resources, but also a nation capable of taking advantages of alternative resources, such as solar, wind, thermal energies.  The total capacity of alternative and renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan exceeds 12,000 megawatts…

Azerbaijan’s power generation increased in October – (ABC.AZ) In October 2014 Azerbaijani national energy producer Azerenerji OJSC increased power generation against September Last year power generation index exceeded by 0.9% the figure for 2012 when rise was 6.5%...

European Gas Conference stresses importance of Azerbaijan`s energy projects – (Azer Tac) Director of SOCAR`s Representative Office in the United Kingdom Rufat Afandiyev has highlighted the Southern Gas Corridor project that will transport Azerbaijani gas to the European market as he attended the European Gas Conference in London…

Azerbaijan expects rise in natural gas production from 2016 – (Reuters) Azerbaijan expects natural gas output to rise from 2016, when new wells are due to start production, with a further increase seen from 2018, thanks to greater production at its vast Shah Deniz gasfield, a source close to the government said…

EY Azerbaijan participates as strategic partner in 2nd SOCAR OGPC Forum (PHOTO) – (Trend) EY Azerbaijan participated as a strategic partner in the 2nd SOCAR OGPC Forum.  Ksenia Babushkina, Partner and Head of the Central Asian Advisory Practice at EY Kazakhstan, gave a presentation on 6 November 2014 at the 2nd SOCAR OGPC Forum, which took place at the Fairmont Hotel…

Azerbaijan to restore gas supplies to Russia in 2015 – (Trend) SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) will restore gas exports to Russia in 2015, SOCAR head Rovnag Abdullayev told reporters Nov. 5.  Earlier, SOCAR stopped supplying gas to Russia in connection with the construction of the remaining section of the highway Baku-Quba-Russian border and maintenance work on the gas transport infrastructure…

Georgia

Georgia, Armenia to build new power line – (Global Post) Armenia and Georgia will build a new 400-kw power line between the two countries in 2015, said the Armenian Ministry of Energy on Tuesday.  At a regular discussion on the draft national budget for 2015 in Armenia's National Assembly, Deputy Minister of Energy Ara Simonyan said the cost of the pilot project is estimated at 330 million euros…

Construction of Armenia-Georgia high-voltage electric main due to start in 2015 – (ARKA) Construction of 400 kVt electric main between Armenia and Georgia is planned to be started in 2015, Armenian deputy minister of energy and natural resources Ara Simonyan said at the draft budget discussions in the parliament commissions on Tuesday…

Georgia open for energy transit – (Azernews) Georgia is open for the transit of energy resources, goods and other resources, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili said.  He made the remark while speaking at the second United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries that kicked off in Vienna…

EBRD opens Georgia hydro taps – (reNews) The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has put together an $80m finance package to support construction of a 108MW hydropower plant in Dariali in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.  The bank has approved a $40m loan for developer JSC Dariali Energy with $30m of funding to come from Dutch development bank FMO and $10m from the Green Growth Fund…

EBRD arranges $80m loan for Georgian hydroelectric plant – (Global Capital) According to EBRD, this is the first limited recourse hydropower project in Georgia to be financed under an ‘A/B’ long-term loan syndication structure.  EBRD will provide a $40m ‘A’ loan while the ‘B’…

Moldova

Romania: Transelectrica explores ways to export electricity to Moldova – (Energy World Magazine) Romanian power system operator Transelectrica considers building a 500-600MW back-to-back station on its border with Moldova at Vulcanesti, in order to increase its power exports to the neighbouring country, online news service Infomarket.md reported.

Turkey

Turkey works towards better energy goals for 2015 – (World Bulletin) Turkey's Ministry of Development released a detailed program on the country's energy goals for 2015, including items on expected electricity consumption, renewable energy and nuclear targets.  The 2015 program features items on energy projections, incentives, reforms and targets in Turkey…

Why no investments are made for solar energy – (Hurriyet Daily News) As of the end of 2012, Turkey had the capacity for 57,059-megawatt electricity production. Out of this, 35,027 was from thermal power plants, 19,609 from hydroelectric power plants, 162.2 from geothermal resources and 2,260 from wind turbines…

PRICE NEGOTIATIONS TO START FOR NATURAL GAS – (Daily Sabah) Assistant Chairman of Russian Gazprom, Alexander Medvedev, will pay an official visit to Ankara today to discuss natural gas price revisions which will be valid as of Jan. 1, 2015…

‘Gazprom, Marubeni, Turkish firms eye Istanbul gas grid sale’ – (Hurriyet Daily News) Turkey will start the sale of Istanbul’s İGDAŞ gas grid this month, with Russia’s Gazprom, Japan’s Marubeni Corp and Turkey’s Enerya and Aygaz among the interested bidders, sources close to the process have said.  The İGDAŞ network serves more than 5 million customers in Turkey’s largest city and sold 5 billion cubic meters of gas last year, generating 4.6 billion Turkish Liras ($2 billion) of revenue and a 279 million lira net profit…

Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine gas deal secures EU winter supply – (BBC News) Russia has agreed to resume gas supplies to Ukraine over the winter in a deal brokered by the European Union.  The deal will also ensure gas supplies to EU countries via Ukraine are secure.  "There is now no reason for people in Europe to stay cold this winter,'' said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso…

Ukraine moves toward energy independence – (SETimes) A dispute between Ukraine and Russia over natural gas payments and supplies came to an end Thursday (October 30th) as the two countries and the EU reached an agreement in Brussels to resume the flow of Russian gas to Ukraine.  Energy experts in Ukraine are emphasising that the lengthy dispute underscored the urgency of pursuing energy independence…

Secretariat closes case against Ukraine after submission of National Renewable Action Plan – (Energy Community) The Secretariat closed today its Case ECS-07/14 against Ukraine. The Secretariat had initiated a dispute settlement procedure under Article 90 of the Treaty against Ukraine for failure to comply with Energy Community law related to renewable energy in February 2014…

Sevastopol readies for Ukraine’s cutting electricity supplies — governor – (TASS) Crimea's federal city of Sevastopol is getting prepared for Ukraine’s possible move to stop electricity supplies, Governor Sergey Menyailo said on Wednesday.  “Sevastopol is fully ready for emergency situations. All the protective measures have been taken,” Menyailo said, adding however he hopes that Ukraine’s energy company Ukrinterenergo will not take “such a thoughtless step…

Semashko: Possible stoppage of electricity supply from Ukraine will not hurt Belarus – (Belarusian News) The possible stoppage of the supply of electricity from Ukraine will not hurt Belarus, First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Vladimir Semashko told journalists on 31 October, BelTA has learned…

Ukrainians in the Battered East Scramble in Darkness as Winter Nears – (The New York Times) On one of the last warm days of autumn, Father Vladimir shed his priest’s robes and scaled a rickety wooden ladder to replace the shattered windows on the once-golden cupola of his village church.  From there he could hear a cacophony of hammering, scraping of shovels and the clattering of rubble against tin — the sounds of a village trying to pull itself back together…

Kiev Says Ready to Deliver Gas, Electricity to Donetsk, But Not Free of Charge – (Ria Novosti) Kiev is ready to deliver gas and electricity to the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR, LPR), but will seek financial compensation after regaining control over the region, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Wednesday…

Winter arrives in Ukraine as gas dispute with Russia sparks heating worries – (Euronews) Wintry weather has already come to Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. Night time temperatures are dipping below zero.  The heating is normally turned on across the country by mid-October but the move was delayed because of concerns over future gas supplies…

DPR, LPR Ready for Coal Supply Agreements with Kiev: Joint Statement – (Ria Novosti) The self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics are ready to conclude agreement with the Ukrainian government and supply coal to Kiev, DPR and LPR said in a joint statement on Monday.  "We will be ready to restore the whole set of connections with the regions of Ukraine. To conclude agreements with the cabinet of ministers, enterprises and organizations of Ukraine…

No plans to hold talks on coal supplies from east Ukraine — Ukrainian energy minister – (TASS) Kiev is not planning to negotiate on coal supplies from the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, Ukrainian Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Yuri Prodan said on Wednesday…

European 2015 Coal Falls a Second Month as Natural Gas Plunges – (Bloomberg) European coal for delivery in 2015 fell for a second month as natural gas tumbled after Russia agreed to terms for resuming gas exports to Ukraine.  European next-year coal declined 1.3 percent to $71.55 a metric ton as of 4:55 p.m. in London, .extending the monthly loss to 3.3 percent, according to broker data on Bloomberg. U.K…

Extra capacity announced for Slovak-Ukraine natural gas pipeline – (ICIS) Slovak transmission system operator Eustream has announced an open season for an additional 4.5 million cubic metres (mcm)/day of interruptible capacity on the Vojany pipeline taking gas from Slovakia into Ukraine. The extra capacity will be made available to successful bidders from 1 January 2015…

Government to continue supplying gas, power to rebel-controlled areas of Donbas – (Kyiv Post) The Ukrainian government will continue supplying gas and electricity to the rebel-controlled areas of Donbas, despite the absence of any payments, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said at a cabinet meeting on Nov. 5… 

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