Albania

Albania to Establish Task Force to Advance TAP Project – (Energetika) Mr. Tungland thanked the Minister for the support that Albania has provided thus far to the project at all stages and stressed that there is still work to do to move forward…

Albania as a counterweight to Gazprom – (DailyNews) Albania has never been much of a Balkan power player, not least in the field of energy. But with the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) now a reality, Albania has the opportunity to reverse its fortunes and become a regional gas hub…

The blueprint for the creation of the Albanian gas hub is here – (Balkans) Albania has never been much of a Balkan power player, not least in the field of energy. But with the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) now a reality, Albania has the opportunity to reverse its fortunes and become a regional gas hub…

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Government Mulls Structural Changes in the Energy Regulator – (Publics) Increasing the number of members and introducing civil representation in the regulator would guarantee the transparency and better assumption of responsibility, MP Ramadan Atalai of the parliamentary energy commission said…

Alternative energy: Confusion reigns on renewables – (Financial Times) Similar problems have cropped up in Romania and Bulgaria, which overbuilt renewable energy projects thanks to generous incentive schemes that culminated...

European Economic Stability Threatened By Renewable Energy Subsidies – (Chicago Tribune) The stability of Europe's electricity generation is at risk from the warped market structure caused by skyrocketing renewable energy subsidies that have swarmed across the continent over the last decade…

Bulgaria: TPPs with an Interest in Biomass – (Energetika) Five companies operating in Vratsa, Burgas, Veliko Tarnovo, Varna, and Ruse have commenced the replacement of installations and boilers to biomass and in a number of the cases, the process is expected to be…

Deputy Minister: Energy Crucial To Bulgaria Economic Development– (Novinite) Energy sector plays a key role for business and society and is of national importance, says Bulgarian Deputy Minister of Economy and Energy during a visit to Korea…

Ministry of Economy and Energy of the Republic of : Krasin Dimitrov : The achievement of sustainable energy system is a key element for the economic development– (4-Traders) Krasin Dimitrov : The achievement of sustainable energy system is a key element for the economic development…

Bulgaria’s Cibank Gets EBRD Loan for Sustainable Energy Investments – (Novinite) The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced it has provided a EUR 2 M loan to Bulgaria's Cibank in support of energy investments in the country…

Bulgaria's CIBANK receives EBRD support for sustainable energy investments – (Energetika) The loan comes under the Residential Energy Efficiency Credit Line (REECL) – an EBRD programme developed to support Bulgarian residents undertaking energy efficiency investments…

Development of transport and energy infrastructure is vital for the Balkans: Bulgarian economy minister – (Focus) Traditionally, the Balkan states are Europe’s door to the Middle East, which reveals vitality and business potential. Our economies have beneficial relations…

Bulgarian economy and energy minister to attend EU-Balkans international conference– (Focus) Bulgarian Minister of Economy and Energy Dragomir Stoynev is to attend an international conference at 4:00 p.m. local time on Friday in the Balkan Hotel Sofia, announced the press centre of the Ministry of Economy and Energy…

Nuclear power on the rise in Eastern Europe – (Deutsche Welle) Despite the public support for nuclear power, the plans are not without problems. Nuclear plants in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria have…

Brussels Approves Mini-Nabucco Project for Bulgaria – (Energetika) The most interesting priority project in the gas sector is the line "Bulgaria-Austria through Romania.” This is actually the route of the failed pipeline Nabucco, which had to transport natural gas from Azerbaijan…

Bulgaria has grid overcapacity after overbuilding in renewables – (Balkans) Bulgaria has overcapacity in its grid and more than meets the target of 16 per cent renewables to which it was committed by 2020 from existing wind and solar power installations…

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Aca Vučković, Energy Agency of Republic of Serbia: Total liberalization of energy markets is not necessary – (Energetika) At what stage is currently the process of electricity market liberalization in Serbia? The Serbian electricity market has been opened for all consumers except for households for a couple of years now, but due…

Bosnia Herzegovina plans the continuation of energy efficiency projects in Tuzla Canton– (Balkans) The Co-sharing Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Tuzla Canton in Bosnia Herzegovina and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was signed in Tuzla, marking the continuation of energy efficiency projects in Tuzla Canton and a more active role of communities in environment protection and climate change mitigation…

Croatia

Fugitive CEO Shows Hungary-Croatia Energy Battle – (Bloomberg) After pushing to kick foreign energy companies out of Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban is getting a taste of his own medicine from neighboring Croatia…

Government adopts national action plan for renewables – (Dalje) The government on Thursday adopted a national action plan for renewable energy sources until 2020 which shifts the focus from encouraging wind farm construction to energy production from biomass, biogas, cogeneration plants and small hydroelectric power plants, reducing the total incentive costs…

Energy: Croatia prioritizes biomass, hydroelectric energy – (ANSA) The Croatian government on Thursday approved a new renewable energy plan favoring biomass, biogas and small hydroelectric plants over wind energy, which was the previous plan lasting until the end of the year…

Croatia Changes Focus in Renewable Energy Development – (Energetika) Minister Vrdoljak said that Croatia, which joined the European Union last July, would persist in efforts to reach an EU goal of securing 20 percent of energy from renewable sources by 2020…

Conference on 100% renewable energy on islands held in Krk – (Dalje) An increasing number of Croatian Adriatic islands want to be independent in terms of energy and are turning towards renewable energy sources which, when owned by citizens, are becoming a strong lever for local sustainable development, an international conference said on the northern Adriatic island of Krk on Thursday…

Modernisation drive aims to connect east and west – (Financial Times) Soviet legacy: a power station near Moscow. New facilities in Romania and Croatia stand out, he adds, with various airport and highways planned…

T-HT gets licence for electricity supply – (StockMarketWire) T-Hrvatski Telekom - Croatia's leading telecommunications provider - has received a licence from the Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency for providing electricity supply…

Croatia's Top Telecom Operator Enters Electricity Market – (Energetika) T-HT will provide further detail on its plans in this area in due course, following the adoption of the relevant business decisions,” the statement said.  The license was approved at a session of HERA's board…

Macedonia

European Green Belt initiative furthers co-operation – (SETimes) Balkan countries are implementing joint projects as part of the European Green Belt initiative that seeks to protect the environment and help developing regions bisected by state borders…

EU candidate status for Albania, opening of accession negotiations for Macedonia– (Energetika) The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continues to sufficiently meet the political criteria, but further efforts are needed to efficiently implement EU legislation, the EU Commission found…

Western Balkan countries' progress is praised by EU– (SETimes) The European Commission progress reports for the western Balkan countries gave citizens and officials much to cheer about. The commission concluded that all of the regional countries, save for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), have made considerable progress on the road to EU integration…

Montenegro

Montenegro: Energy Consumption in September Decreases by 25%– (Energetika) “The average bill for electricity consumed by households in September is also decreased by 25% compared with the one in August and it amounts to 33.46 euro, with tax on tariff metre calculated…

Romania

GE and GDF SUEZ Energy Romania Fuel Wind Energy Growth in Romania– (ACT Media) According to the press release sent to ACTMedia by the company, GE (NYSE: GE) finalized the installation and started the testing of 20 GE 2.5-103 wind turbines for a 50-megawatt (MW) wind energy project under construction by GDF SUEZ Energy Romania in the town of Baleni, located in Romania’s southeastern Moldavian region…

GE and GDF SUEZ Energy Romania Support Wind Energy Growth in Romania – (Energetika) GE will provide the wind farm with a 10-year full-service maintenance agreement that features a condition monitoring system. There will be constant on-site support and work with local GE service and parts…

Romania: What We Know - And Don't Know -- About The VAT Reverse Charge On Electricity Supplies – (Mondaq) In practical terms, if a particular transaction is subject to the VAT reverse charge rules, the supplier issues an invoice without VAT to the buyer, while the latter will include that transaction in his VAT return and account for both the output and input VAT related thereto. This way, VAT cash settlements with business partners and the state budget are no longer an issue…

New perspectives for nuclear energy in Europe – (Europolitics) Convinced that nuclear power is an asset for a global, competitive and inclusive European energy policy, Claude Fischer, chairman of Confrontations Europe, calls on countries to pull together, to build cooperation, to demand a diverse and optimised mix based on actual strengths, and to mobilise toward a more inciting market and funding model…

Chevron suspends shale gas exploration plan in Romanian village after protest – (The Guardian) Energy company Chevron has been forced to suspend its plans to drill an exploration well for shale gas in the village of Pungesti in eastern Romania after the local community blocked the company's trucks from entering the area…

Europe Taking a Pass on Shale Revolution? – (OilPrice) U.S. supermajor Chevron last week halted work on an exploration well in the Romanian town of Pungesti after protesters rallied in opposition of hydraulic fracturing…

EC has issued a formal request to Romania for energy efficiency in buildings – (Balkans) The European Commission (EC) has issued a formal request to Romania and the Czech Republic to ensure full compliance with their obligations under EU legislation on energy efficiency in buildings (Directive 2010/31/EU)…

Romanian natural gas producer Romgaz’s initial public offering set to start this week – (Romania-Insider) The initial public offering of the Romanian state-owned gas producer Romgaz starts today (October 22) and will last until the end of the month, the company has announced…

Romanian Romgaz Starts IPO – (FriedINews) Tomorrow, Monday, the Romanian government sells a 15% stake in Romgaz via the stock exchange. In the last months, the IMF has urged Romania to accelerate the privatization policy…

Research and Markets: The Most Attractive Solar Markets in Europe Report – (4-Traders) The Most Attractive Solar Markets in Europe Report provides a comparative framework for analysing the potential and relative attractiveness of national-level solar markets in Europe and for assessing macro conditions, access to market, national energy policy, growth potential of renewable energy and infrastructure considerations…

Serbia

Electric Power Industry Of Serbia Needs To Become Joint-Stock Company – Obradovic – (inSerbia) Acting director of the Electric Power Industry of Serbia (EPS) Aleksandar Obradovic said Tuesday that it is essential for the public enterprise to become a joint-stock company as soon as possible to keep its customers and be competitive in the liberalized market which is expanding further at the beginning of next year…

Serbia: By the year 2020, 2 billion euros will be invested in the area of renewable energy sources – (Balkans) By the year 2020, 2 billion euros will be invested in the area of renewable energy sources in Serbia. Legal, economic, and technical conditions have been created earlier for more effective realization of projects, it was assessed at the conference on sustainable energy development in Southeastern Europe. Ranka Pavlovic has more…

Aca Vučković, Energy Agency of Republic of Serbia: Total liberalization of energy markets is not necessarily the solution to all the problems! – (Energetika) At what stage is currently the process of electricity market liberalization in Serbia? The Serbian electricity market has been opened for all consumers except for households for a couple of years now, but due…

“Energy Arena 2013″ Conference To Be Held In Belgrade On October 23– (inSerbia) A regional conference entitled “Energy Arena 2013″ will take place in Belgrade on Wednesday, October 23, organizers have announced.  The conference will be held under the auspices of the Serbian prime minister in view of Serbia’s presidency of the Ministerial Council of the Energy Community of South-Eastern Europe…

Exploration confirms large oil shale deposits in Serbia – (Energetika) The 400 million tonnes of oil shale, said Dragosavljević, would deliver 40 million tonnes of oil. At the current price, this amounts to about USD 25 billion…

Small Hydro Power Plant Jabukovik Put Into Operation – (inSerbia) Serbian Minister of Energy, Development and Environment Zorana Mihajlovic put into operation on Tuesday small hydro power plant Jabukovik, the seventh plant in the area of underdeveloped municipality of Crna Trava, southern Serbia…

Elektroprivreda Srbije to build solar and wind farms in Kostolac – (inSerbia) Marković said that his company had already undertaken some RES projects, notably those regarding harnessing hydro powder. In addition, EPS was planning to develop solar and wind power facilities in Kostolac…

Armenia

Eastern Partnership: Armenia, Georgia and Moldova join Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership – (Invest in EU) Armenia, Georgia and Moldova have joined the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P) in a move to significantly boost their support for energy efficiency and the reduction of harmful emissions. During a pledging conference held on Monday 21 October at the European Investment Bank (EIB) in Luxembourg, the international donor community raised an additional €60 million to enable expansion of the activities of the E5P Fund…

Armenian President approves energy security concept – (ArmenPress) The president of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan signed the decree ojn the energy security concept…

EC approves €30 million for energy efficiency and environmental projects in Armenia, Georgia and Moldova -(Public Radio of Armenia) Armenia, Georgia and Moldova have joined the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P) in a move to significantly boost their support for energy efficiency and the reduction of harmful emissions…

EBRD - European Bank for Reconstruction and Develo : EBRD provides US$ 12.5 million local currency financing package to ACBA Credit Agricole Bank in Armenia -(4 Trader) EBRD continues to support MSME lending and to promote energy efficiency finance in Armenia…

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan outlines energy sector priorities for five years – (Azernews) Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during his inaugural speech set the priorities in the country's energy sector for the next five years, the head of Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR, Rovnag Abdullayev, told journalists on October 21…

Grid operator calls for construction of new power plants in Azerbaijan –(abc.az)The main retail supplier of electricity in Azerbaijan - JSC Bakıelektrikşəbəkə (Baku Electric Network) has called for the construction of new power plants. BEN’s chairman Baba Rzayev says that for 10 years the country has built 14 new power plants with total capacity of 2,800 MW…

ADB anticipates significant growth for Azerbaijani energy carriers by 2035 – (Trend) According to a prognosis of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) the demand for energy carriers in Azerbaijan will increase by 76.27 per cent to 20.8 million tons in oil equivalent…

Charge in energy system of Azerbaijan reached 97% - (abc.az) National energy operator Azerenerji OJSC has reported of growth of power charge.  Azerenerji’s vice president Marlen Askerov says that due to good organized system of accounting the charge from the population has increased up to 97% of the cost of electricity supplied to consumers…

Azerbaijan’s technical committee on energy efficiency to work on creation of state standards – (Trend) The main purpose of the initiative of Azerbaijani State Committee for Standardization, Metrology and Patent on creation of the Technical committee on alternative…

SOCAR starts drilling new well offshore – (Azernews) Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR has started drilling a new well in the shallow part of the Gunashli field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, SOCAR said on October 22…

Azerbaijan to significantly increase power system capacity – (Trend) By 2015, the capacity of Azerbaijan's energy system may reach or even exceed 7,000 megawatts, a source in the energy market told Trend….

Azerbaijan’s power generation at hydropower plants grew up to 8.2% of total power generation -(abc.az) The State Statistics Committee reports that the hydropower plant crisis in Azerbaijan which started in 2012 does not weaken in 2013 as well…

Azerbaijan dramatically increased power export for September – (abc.az) Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Azerbaijan increased the export of electric power for Sept by 30.7% versus August when it decreased 15.62-fold…

Georgia

Georgian Energy Scheme Faces Stiff Opposition – (Institute for War and Peace Reporting) Mountain villagers whose farms would be flooded by proposed scheme say they aren't going anywhere…

Kura Energy Company to built 16 HPPs in Georgia – (Trend) Georgian Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze and Director General of Kura Energy Anzor Kvaratskhelia signed on Wednesday a memorandum of understanding to build 16 new hydropower plants…

Bank of Georgia (BGEO) - Alternative Energy - Deals and Alliances Profile – (SBWire) Bank of Georgia is a Georgian universal bank, providing a full range of commercial and investment banking, asset management, insurance, leasing and card processing services to its corporate and retail clients…

"Georgian Hydro Power" company to construct two hydro power plants in Georgia – (Trend) A memorandum on construction of two hydro power plants in the country's west was executed between the Georgian government and the "Georgian Hydro Plant…

Georgian discussions continue over feasibility of Khudoni HPP construction – (Trend) A discussion over the feasibility of building the Khudoni HPP will be held in Georgia on Tuesday. It will be attended by residents of Svaneti, representatives of non-governmental organisations, industry professionals and academics. Officials of the Ministries of Energy, Environment, Economics and Finance of Georgia are invited to the meeting…

Georgia joins ESP energy programme– (Azernews) Georgia, Moldova and Armenia joined Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P) energy programme, the European Commission reported…

Moldova

Armenia, Georgia and Moldova joined eastern partnership on energy – (ARKA) Armenia, Georgia and Moldova joined the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P), the European Commission reported….

Armenia, Georgia and Moldova join Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership– (EU Neighbourhood Info Centre) Armenia, Georgia and Moldova have joined the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P), which merges contributions from the EU and donor countries including Ukraine, as well as Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the USA…

CIS to take stock of interstate programs on standardization in energy efficiency – (BelTA) – CIS experts will meet in Grodno to discuss the implementation of the interstate programs on standardization in energy efficiency, BelTA learnt from the press service of the State Committee for Standardization of Belarus…

Additional support for energy efficiency and environment in Armenia, Moldova and Georgia European Commission -(Press Release Database) Pledging Conference for the expansion of the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P), Luxembourg…

Russia

Russia Putting a Strong Arm on Neighbors – (New York Times) It was not enough for Dmitri O. Rogozin, a deputy prime minister of Russia, to warn darkly that it would be “a grave mistake” for Moldova to seek closer ties with Europe…

Russian city Orsk to gain 25MW solar power plant – (PVTech) Russia’s largest private power supply company, Integrated Energy Systems Holding (IES), is to build a 25MW solar power plant, according to local reports…

Russia looks to China for energy exports – (Euronews) Russia’s energy companies continue to pivot away from Europe and towards Asia for future sales.  On a visit to Beijing, the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a number of deals that are set to fund costly production and pipeline projects…

Russia Threatened by Shift in Global Energy Markets – (Oil Price) A shiny new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal is set to open in the Polish port of Swinoujscie next year.  Three-thousand kilometers to the east, Chinese President Xi Jinping leap-frogged across Central Asia in September signing billions of dollars of energy deals with producing countries such as Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan -- as well as with the crucial transit country Kyrgyzstan…

Electricity import: Russia’s $500 million funding offer gets cold shoulder – (Tribune) The participating countries of Casa-1000 Megawatt (MW) power import project have given cold-shoulder to Russia’s offer of providing $500 million to implement the project, reportedly under pressure from Washington…

Turkey

Turkey wants Azerbaijan to repay the energy debt – (APA) Iran intends to continue cooperation with Azerbaijan in the field of electric power. The energy exchange between the two countries is carried out in order to improve the supply of electricity in the neighboring regions, vice-president of Azerenerji OJSC Marlen Asgarov said…

Azerbaijan can realize power export to Turkey – (Azernews) Realisation of the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey Power Bridge Project will ensure the stability of Georgia's power system, a source in the energy market told Trend news agency.  It will be necessary to carry out the reconstruction of transmission lines stretching to Azerbaijan's border with Georgia with a view to provide the export of electricity. In turn, the Georgian side should complete the construction work over its territory…

Turkey’s 1st nuke plant may be completed by 2023 – (Daily News) The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant’s four units to be completed by 2023, one of the senior executives has said, although some sources said many bureaucratic hurdles hamper the $20 billion project…

Turkey's Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant’s four units to be completed by 2023 – (Balkans) The positive environmental impact analysis of Turkey's Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant may be taken at the beginning of 2014, then the plant’s four units completed by 2023, said that plant’s Vice President Rauf Kasumov, yesterday to Anadolu Agency…

Turkey’s nuke hopes warrant homegrown atomic education – (Daily News) Around 200 Turkish students have studied nuclear power technology in Russia until now, however Turkey is in need of devising its own nuclear education ¬curriculum to be able to establish its future plants by itself, said Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant Vice President Rauf Kasumov yesterday…

Turkey eyes more Iran gas, ‘can’t cut off oil’ – (Daily News) Turkey is importing 10 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas a year from Iran but would buy more if it were available, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said yesterday in a briefing during the World Energy Congress in South Korea…

Ukraine

Ukraine & Turkey: The European Energy Coup – (OilPrice) Though Norway in June overtook Russia in total exports of natural gas to Europe, the balance of Russian gas to Europe comes through Ukraine, which itself is dependent upon Russia for 60% of its current gas consumption… 

Engility Wins $13.5M Clean Energy Contract to Support USAID Initiatives in Ukraine – (Benzinga) Engility Holdings (NYSE: EGL [FREE Stock Trend Analysis]), today announced that it its wholly-owned subsidiary, IRG, has been awarded a $13.5 million task order by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to support clean energy initiatives in Ukraine…

Ukraine: energy deals may weaken Gazprom's grip – (Beyond) Ukraine's underinvested energy market has long been dominated by local business groups. But officials in recent years kicked off a massive effort to lure in the…

Rybak: Ukraine satisfied with cooperation with US energy companies – (Kyiv Post) Since 1995, the Kyiv Post has been the world's window on Ukraine. Please support the newspaper’s quality, independent journalism with a digital subscription. Subscribers receive unlimited access to all stories, archives and PDFs from the Kyiv Post's staff writers and news services…

Financial Times: Ukraine: energy deals may weaken Gazprom’s grip – (Kyiv Post) The Kremlin, and Russian gas giant Gazprom, must be watching events in Ukraine with a bit of concern…

Government increases nation's energy security – (Forum) The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) related to the development of new large mineral deposits in the Black Sea, the Information-analytical Bulletin of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine informs…

Government reforms energy sector in line with Third EU Energy Package – (Forum) International organizations, including the Energy Community, the European Commission and the World Bank support the government's plan to reform Ukraine's energy market…

Gas: Ukraine looks west to curb reliance on Russia – (Financial Times) Russia continues to dominate natural gas supply in Ukraine and across the central and eastern Europe markets that were closed to outsiders in the days of the communist bloc…

Ukraine considers resumption of direct supplies of Turkmen gas – (Trend) Ukraine continues studying the issue of resumption of Turkmen gas supplies, Ukrainian media outlets reported with the reference to the statement of Ukrainian…

Ukraine close to shale gas deal – (Financial Times) Ukraine’s government is weeks away from signing a shale gas production-sharing agreement with Chevron, of the US, and bringing in Italy’s Eni and France’s…

Ukrainian gas transportation system ensures reliable transit of Russian gas to the EU – (Forum) There is sufficient natural gas in the underground storage of Naftogaz Ukraine to ensure that the Ukraine’s gas transportation system (GTS) can pump it to the EU countries for supplying consumers during the autumn-winter period, the Information-analytical Bulletin of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine informs…

 

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.