Weekly collection of energy news articles for the region

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USAID/USEA ETAG Upcoming Events

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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

Albania gets the 2015 Presidency of the Energy Community – (albeu) Minister of Energy and Industry of Albania, Damian Gjiknuri, attended the 12th session of the Ministerial Council of the member countries of the Energy Community which took place Kiev…

Albanian minister: Southern Gas Corridor to change Europe’s energy map – (Trend) The southern Gas Corridor is a very important project that will change the region’s and Europe’s energy map, Albanian Trade and Energy Minister Damian Gjiknuri said at the 20th anniversary of the Contract of the Century and the Southern Gas Corridor groundbreaking ceremony in Baku on September 20…

Regulators pinpoint risk for market integration arising from unharmonized application of legislation at interconnections between Energy Community and EU – (Energy Community) At the ECRB meeting on 17 September, Energy Community energy regulators made a strong plea for ensuring equal treatment of gas and electricity interconnectors between Contracting Parties (CPs) and EU Member States (MSs) with those within the EU or Energy Community (EnC)…

Albania Working Towards Greater Energy Efficiency – (Energetika) “Energy efficiency is today considered as one of the unexploited alternative sources of energy. Saving energy means a more efficient use, so that for the same input we have more output,” said Gjiknuri. He stressed…

Kosovo and Albania on Road to Common Energy Market – (Energetika) “We will start implementing the Energy Agreement, and I think that this is a significant achievement because it will practically start the interstate cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia in the field of the energy…

Bulgaria

Clashes continue over Bulgaria's electricity balancing market – (ICIS) The Bulgarian electricity balancing market has once again been caught in a cross-fire between renewable producers, traders, state-owned utility NEK and grid operator ESO, because of alleged price irregularities and a lack of transparency…

No settlements without electricity over pouring rains in Bulgaria: CEZ – (Focus) The CEZ Distribution Bulgaria announced that there are no settlements without power supply as result of the rains on the territory served by the company. The company has mobilized all its emergency teams of the expected long-term deterioration of the weather and in order to fast response and removal of damages. The CEZ teams are ready to respond all signals…

Bulgarian Kozloduy NPP has New CEO – (Energetika) BEH cited a decision to reduce the strength of Kozloduy NPP's Board of Directors to be behind Genov's dismissal. Angelov was Kozloduy NPP's CEO in 2007–2009, added Novinite…

Former CEO of Kozloduy NPP: Bulgaria Needs Energy Strategy by 2050 – (Novinite) Yordan Yordanov, former CEO of Bulgaria’s Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, has underscored the need to adopt a national strategy for the development of the energy sector in the period 2030-2050…

Bulgaria’s Kozloduy NPP Doubled Profits in 8 Months – Former CEO – (Novinite) Ivan Genov, former CEO of Bulgaria’s Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, has insisted that he leaves the N-plant in very good condition.  Genov was removed from office through a decision of the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) on Thursday…

Increasing the price of electricity in Bulgaria is inevitable: expert (ROUNDUP) – (Focus) “Increasing the price of electricity is inevitable because of the accumulated deficit in the National Electricity Company (NEC),” Ruslan Stefanov, Director of the Economic Program at the Center for the Study of Democracy said for Radio FOCUS on Friday…

Bulgaria Energy Watchdog Proposes 9.8% Rise in Power Prices – (Novinite) Bulgaria’s energy regulator on Friday proposed to raise power prices for households by 9.79% on average as of October 1 to help cut the financial deficit in the energy sector.  The increase aims to boost the revenues of cash-strapped National Electricity Company (NEK) by BGN 199.3 M and stimulate the liberalization of the electricity market, the regulator, DKEVR, said in a statement…

Power Price Hike to Inject BGN 200 M into State-Owned Eclectic Co – (Novinite) A power price hike will help inject slightly over BGN 200 M into the National Electric Company (NEK), while its losses are expected to reach BGN 1 B over the next year, according to Bulgaria’s caretaker Minister of Economy and Energy.  Vasil Shtonov, as cited by investor.bg, explained that the planned increase in electricity prices as of October 1 was part of the strategy of Bulgaria’s caretaker government for the stabilization of the energy sector…

If electricity price in Bulgaria is hiked with 10%, bread price to increases, too: producer – (Focus) “If electricity price in Bulgaria is hiked with 10%, then the price of bread will increase, too – by 1% or 2 %. At the moment, no one can make a concrete prognoses,” said Dimitar Bakalov, bread producer from the district of Blagoevgrad, speaking for Radio FOCUS – Pirin…

Workers at TPP-Sliven to stage protest Wednesday – (Focus) Employees at Thermal Power Plant – Sliven will stage a protest Wednesday. TPP-Sliven employees will suspend the working process at 12.00 p.m. and will gather outside the building of TPP-Sliven to defend their demands. The reason for the protest is cited irregular and rare payment of purchased electric power by the National Electricity Company (NEC) and reduced purchase price of electric power by over 12%...

Economy and energy minister: Bulgaria will have a gas crisis this fall – (Standart) Whether we will have a gas crisis or not is difficult to predict, but there is a good chance that we could, said caretaker Minister of Economy and Energy Vasil Shtonov to reporters upon opening the forum "Gas - infrastructure, markets and services…

Bulgaria and Azerbaijan have signed two agreements on joint gas projects – (Balkans) Bulgaria and Azerbaijan have signed two agreements on joint gas projects, that could see Bulgaria receiving gas from offshore Azerbaijani fields by 2017. The deals were signed a groundbreaking ceremony for the Southern Corridor gas project near Baku, which will provide Bulgaria and other Eastern European countries with an alternative to Russian gas supplies…

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Energy Community members diverge on market reforms – (Argus) Serbia is leading the way with reforms to open up its electricity market, while Bosnia-Herzegovina is falling behind the other members of southeast European energy association the Energy Community, according to an Energy Community report…

Bosnia's EPBiH extends final bid deadline in HPP Vranduk tender – (SEE News) Bosnian power utility Elektroprivreda BiH [SAJ:JPESR] said on Thursday it has extended until November 11 the deadline for the filing of final bids in the tender for the construction of the 20 megawatt (MW) Vranduk hydro power plant…

Bosnia's Federation gets $26.2 mln intl financing for energy efficiency, poverty – (SEE News) The government of Bosnia's Muslim-Croat Federation said on Tuesday it has obtained two loans from international lenders of total $26.2 million (20.4 million euro) for energy efficiency projects and poverty reduction…

Croatia  

A New Geopolitics of EU Energy Security– (Carnegie Europe) Events in Ukraine have propelled energy security back to the top of the EU’s foreign policy agenda. Russia’s actions have spurred sharper consideration of the need for energy diversification, with Moscow closing gas supplies to Ukraine and debates sharpening over the South Stream pipeline. Instability in the Middle East and North Africa compounds the challenge of finding reliable sources of alternative supplies…

Energie2 New Trader in Croatian Electricity Market– (Energetika) In the Croatian electricity market are also companies 220V, Axpo Trgovina, Danske Commodities, Elektro plus, EL-EN SOLUTIONS, ENERGY DELIVERY SOLUTION, GEN-I Zagreb, HEP-Operator distribucijskog sustava, HEP-Op…

Croatia determined to save INA – (BBJ) The Croatian government will try to protect INA, a subsidiary of Hungary's MOL oil company, Croatia's economy minister Ivan Vrdoljak told journalists this weekend, Croatian news agency HINA reported…

Croatian HEP to Award Grants for Energy-Efficient or Renewable Products – (Energetika) HEP raised funds for the project with the sale of HEP Opskrbe ZelEn electricity in 2013/2014.   “All funds from sales of green electricity are collected in a special fund and will be used specifically for energy…

IFC supports 34.2MW Rudine wind farm in Croatia – (CTBR) The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is arranging up to €42.5m in financing for the 34.2MW Rudine wind farm in Croatia.  The World Bank affiliate will provide €18.9m to RP Global for the construction of the wind farm near the coastal town of Slano, about 32km north west of Dubrovnik…

Croatia Adopts Energy Efficiency Law – (Energetika) The reason for the adoption of the law on energy efficiency is harmonisation with the EU directives, the Economy Ministry said in a statement.  “This regulates the handling of the public sector in contracting energy…

After Nuclear Plant – Joint LNG Terminal? – (Energetika) In the meeting, Ivan Vrdoljak and Vojko Volk discussed economic cooperation between their respective countries, with a focus on energy. In their view, the project with the best prospects for cooperation is...

Kosovo

Secretariat's Implementation Report 2014: Independence of Energy Regulators at Stake, Third Package Implementation Deadline Approaching – (Energy Community) The Implementation Report published today assesses the progress achieved by the Energy Community Contracting Parties in implementing the Energy Community acquis communitaire in the period from September 2013 to August 2014. This year’s report for the first time focuses on the performance of national regulatory authorities…

Kosovo and Albania on Road to Common Energy Market – (Energetika) “We will start implementing the Energy Agreement, and I think that this is a significant achievement because it will practically start the interstate cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia in the field of the…

Asthon Welcomes Belgrade-Pristina Energy Agreement – (inSerbia) The EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Policy Catherine Ashton has welcomed the agreement reached earlier this week between Serbia’s and Kosovo’s power transmission companies with EU mediation.  “Through this agreement between the Transmission System Operators energy relations between Pristina and Belgrade will be normalised, and KOSTT can play its role of managing the high-voltage networks in Kosovo,” Ashton said in a press release late Friday…

EU welcomes normalisation of energy ties between Kosovo, Serbia – (KUNA) EU High Representative Catherine Ashton Saturday welcomed this week's signing of an agreement by the Power Transmission Companies KOSTT of Kosovo and EMS of Serbia.  "Through this agreement between the Transmission System Operators energy relations between Pristina and Belgrade will be normalised, and KOSTT can play its role of managing the high-voltage networks in Kosovo," Ashtonآ’s spokesman Michel Mann said in a statement…

Kosovo Electricity Production Decreased – (Energetika) In the second quarter of 2014, Kosovo imported 111.2 GWh of electricity, while in the same period last year it imported 2.1 GWh. The country exported 161.6 GWh of electricity, which is a lot less than 393.1 GWh…

Kosovo Still Wants to Become Part of European Energy Market – (Energetika) Once again Fadil Ismajli stressed that Kosovo remains committed to becoming part of a Pan-European energy market, and will do its best to contribute to this market. Noteworthy contributions include its human…

Macedonia 

A competitive energy market necessitates effective cooperation between national energy regulatory authorities and competition authorities – (Energy Community) “National regulatory authorities (NRAs) and national competition authorities (NCAs) need to cooperate effectively in order to ensure a competitive energy market framework and abolish barriers to competition”. This was the key message of the second joint meeting of the Energy Community Regulatory Board and the Energy Community Competition Network, which took place on 18 September in Athens…

Macedonia Luring Foreign Investors by Lower Taxes and Cheaper Electricity – (Energetika) By doing so the country managed to lure foreign investors into the country.  Gruevski believes it is difficult to find a better place for investments than Macedonia, website Biznis.ba reported…

Montenegro

TANAP-TAP construction opens up new energy perspective for Montenegro- PM – (Balkans) Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Đukanović delivered a speech at today's ceremony in Baku marking the beginning of the construction of the Southern Gas Corridor. The ceremony, opened by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, was also attended by representatives of governments of Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania and Italy…

Montenegro to Secure Gas Supplies via Southern Gas Corridor – (Energetika) Djukanović will participate in the ceremony marking the “Contract Period” and the commencement of work on the Southern Gas Corridor, which construction and connection with a branch of the Adriatic-Ionian pipeline…

Southern Gas Corridor project is very important for West Balkan countries – Montenegro PM – (Trend) The Southern Gas Corridor project is very important from the point of view of both the Contract of the Century and other contracts, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milo Dukanovic said Sept.20 in Baku at a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Contract of the Century and the laying of Southern Gas Corridor…

Montenegro to Access Azerbaijani Gas via TAP – (Energetika) As Energetika.NET already reported (HERE) Djukanović visited Azerbaijan in order to secure two key investments – building a tourist resort in Kumbor and connecting Montenegro to the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline project…

Montenegro-Azerbaijan cooperation to be enriched by new projects – (Balkans) Montenegrin Prime Minister's visit to Baku and his meetings with top Azerbaijan’s officials give a powerful impetus to further interstate cooperation, today's meeting between Prime Minister Đukanović and Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Oktay Assad concluded…

Slovenian Petrol with Biggest Electricity Trading Share in Montenegro – (Energetika) Among other traders are Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske (ERS) (4.36%), EFT (3.37%), Alpiq (3.27%), Croatian Hrvatska Elektroprivreda (HEP) (1.25%), Danske Commodities (1.18%), Ezpada (0.67%), Slovenian Holding…

Romania

Romanian electricity stocks power up– (Romania-Insider) Shares of the largest local listed companies in the electricity sector have gained about 12% since the beginning of September, which makes them the best performers of the “blue-chip” stocks on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) this month…

Climate finance on the rocks? – (EurActiv) Climate finance is still going strong globally, but serious efforts are needed, including at the regulatory level, to sustain the momentum ahead of the UN Climate Summit.  Europe, and in particular solar and wind projects on the continent, are drawing the most interest from global institutional investors…

E&Y: Romania falls one position to 32nd in the ranking of countries investing in renewable energy – (ACT Media) Romania fell one position to 32nd in the ranking of the countries that made investments in renewable energy, with assets exceeding 6 billion euros being invested, shows the quarterly report Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) released by Ernst&Young on Monday…

RUSSIA’S TENSIONS WITH UKRAINE COULD AFFECT ENERGY IN BALKANS – ANALYSIS – (Eurasia Review) The recent decision by Russia to cut gas exports to Poland reignited concerns about gas supply and prices in southeastern Europe, as well as about tension between Moscow and the West.  According to Polish state energy group PGNIG, gas volumes have been slashed by up to 24 percent. The country has been exporting gas to Ukraine to make up for Russian shortfalls there…

Romanian Govt. asked to postpone gas price liberalization for large consumers – (Romania-Insider) Energy supplier E.ON has asked the Romanian government to also postpone gas price liberalization for industrial consumers, scheduled for January 1, 2015, after the price of gas for households was also maintained flat, according to the company’s general manager, Frank Hajdinjak…

Romanian Minister: IMF and EC agree to postpone gas price liberalization – (Romania-Insider) The International Monetary Fund IMF, the European Commission EC and the World Bank have agreed with the postponement of the gas market liberalization for households in Romania, according to the Minister Delegate for Energy, Razvan Nicolescu. The international financial institutions have also agreed with the terms proposed by the Romanian side, added the minister, reports local Agerpres

IMF, EC, WB agreed on the postponement of gas market liberalization– (ACT Media) The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Commission and the World Bank (WB) have agreed on the postponement of gas market liberalisation for households and on the deadlines proposed by the Romanian side, Minister-delegate for Energy Razvan Nicolescu told Agerpres on Saturday…

World Bank: Romania plays an important role in reucing greenhouse gas emissions – (ACT Media) Romania plays an important role in what regards the process of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, especially in southeastern Europe, said, on Thursday, Jian Xie, an expert on environment with the World Bank, during a specialist conference.'The World Bank wants to help countries to establish their own policy of countering the effects of greenhouse gas emissions…

Gas interconnection project with Romania expected to be completed by the end of the year: CEO – (Focus) “The project for the gas connection with Romania is expected to be completed by the end of the year,” CEO of Bulgartransgaz Kiril Temelkov said at the open sitting of the State Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (SEWRC), a reporter of FOCUS News Agency announced…

Serbia

Serbia Could Face Energy Crisis this Winter – (Energetika) “I'm talking about an energy crisis because Serbia lacks coal, electricity, gas, and fuel oil. We could have gotten coal from the time of the flood onwards, but we did not do so. Each ton of coal at a dump mean…

Srbijagas Ready to Start South Stream Construction in October – (Energetika) “There are no problems regarding South Stream, therefore we expect to start works on the pipeline by the end of October,” Bajatović said, adding that Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, and Austria will build South Stream…

Bajatovic: There Will Be Enough Gas, Price Will Not Change For Now – (inSerbia) During a morning show broadcast by the Belgrade-Based Television Pink, Bajatovic said that even some potential additional costs would not affect the price of gas and that Serbia will have enough heating supplies as far as gas goes…

Armenia

Rosneft not responding to Armenia's Energy Ministry on Nairit – (News.AM) Rosneft has not been responding to Armenia's Energy Ministry inquiry on Nairit chemical plant for about a month Minister Yervand Zakharyan said.  The latest agreement with Rosneft was reached in August, and the Russian oil company had to inform about their intentions regarding investments in Nairit…

Armenia deputy energy minister addresses IAEA meeting– (News.AM) The 58th Regular Session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference is convened from Monday to Friday in the Austrian capital city of Vienna.  An Armenia delegation led by Areg Galstyan, Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, also is attending the event. Galstyan addressed the General Conference on Tuesday…

Ameriabank’s lending to Armenia’s alternative energy sector totals AMD 17 billion in Jan-June 2014– (ARKA) Ameriabank’s lending to Armenia’s alternative energy sector totaled AMD 17 billion in the first half of this year, Gagik Sahakyan, the Ameriabank director in charge of relations with corporate clients, told journalists on Wednesday…

Armenia PM discusses prospects for energy sector development– (News.AM) Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan moderated an analytical discussion devoted to Armenia’s energy sector.  The event brought together the heads of the relevant departments and World Bank (WB) representatives…

Rosneft not responding to Armenia's Energy Ministry on Nairit – (News.AM) Rosneft has not been responding to Armenia's Energy Ministry inquiry on Nairit chemical plant for about a month Minister Yervand Zakharyan said.  The latest agreement with Rosneft was reached in August, and the Russian oil company had to inform about their intentions regarding investments in Nairit…

Azerbaijan  

Azerbaijan invests heavily in renewable energy– (Azernews) Over 100 million manats ($127 million) has been invested from the public fund in the development of alternative and renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan.  This was stated by the Head of the State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Energy, Akim Badalov, during a regular business forum organized by Caspian European Club on September 23…

Baku hosts business forum of State Agency on Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources of Azerbaijan and Caspian European Club– (Trend) Prospects of development of alternative energy in Azerbaijan, major trends and innovative solutions in the field of use of the renewable energy were discussed at the joint business-forum held in Baku on September 23 and organized by the State Agency on Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Caspian European Club…

Azerbaijan’s alternative energy agency prepares to export services – (ABC.AZ) The State Agency for Renewable & Alternative Energy Sources of Azerbaijan (ABOEMDA) is developing projects aimed at increasing generating capacity.  Agency’s chair Akim Badalov stated at a meeting of the Caspian-European Club (CEIBC) that the process of forming ABOEMDA has almost completed, and now the Agency is at a stage of beginning to implement projects and not only in Azerbaijan…

EU energy security in the spotlight at TEAS Labour Conference event – (Azer Tac) The role of Azerbaijan in ensuring the future of EU energy security has been highlighted at the annual Labour Party Conference during a breakfast briefing at the Midland Hotel in Manchester for Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPCs), organised by The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS)…

Azerbaijan starts creation of generation capacities in renewable energy on 300 MW – (Trend)  The State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Energy of Azerbaijan plans to launch a project on creation of new generating capacities in renewable energy with a total capacity of 300 megawatts since 2015, the head of the state agency Akim Badalov told…

Azerbaijan's polypropylene plant to be commissioned in 2016– (Azernews) Azerbaijan's polypropylene plant will be commissioned in the third-fourth quarter of 2016, Head of the Azerkimya Production Association of Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR Mukhtar Babayev told Trend Agency…

Southern Gas Corridor project solemnly launched in Azerbaijan – (Azernews) Energy-rich Azerbaijan once again approved its leading role in ensuring Europe's energy security--one of the country's most ambitious projects--Southern Gas Corridor was launched.  The groundbreaking ceremony of foundation of the project to deliver the Azerbaijani gas via neighboring Georgia and Turkey to Europe was laid in Baku on September 20, on the 20th anniversary of signing of the 'Contract of the Century', a project of developing the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli block of fields signed in 1994…

The Southern Gas Corridor will be a strategic energy avenue for 21st century, Jose Manuel Barroso– (Azer Tac) “The Southern Gas Corridor is more than a pipeline. It will be a strategic energy avenue for the 21st century, a true geostrategic project,” Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission said in his video message at the groundbreaking ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Contract of the Century and the Southern Gas Corridor…

Kerry letter addresses partnership with Azerbaijan, energy efforts – (Cistrian Finance) A letter from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was read to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Contract of the Century, the groundbreaking of the Southern Gas Corridor and to address the partnership with the U.S. with support of Azerbaijan’s developing energy resources…

Azerbaijan and Turkey ties bolstered by energy and political solidarity – (Financial Times) High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. When Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Baku in early September, shortly after his election as president, he was welcomed with open arms…

Azerbaijan to construct new solar power stations in 7 regions – (APA) A new wind power station will be launched in Yeni Yashma, Azerbaijan, said the Director of State Agency on Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources of Azerbaijan Akim Badalov.  According to him, the construction of this station has already been completed and State Commission tests it…

Georgia

Georgia to buildtwo hydropower plants– (Azernews) Georgia will construct two hydropower plants on the rivers of Didkhevi and Stori in the eastern region of Kakheti.  Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has signed a decree, under which the companies that won the tender announced earlier, will carry out a feasibility study for the construction project, construction, ownership and operation of the hydroelectric power plants…

Tender for hydroelectric power station construction announced in Georgia – (Trend) The Georgian Energy Ministry has announced a tender to prepare the feasibility study of the project of construction, ownership and operation of a hydroelectric…

Georgian PM Addresses UN Climate Summit – (Civil) Georgia, which aims to be a “hydropower giant”, will strive to become a carbon neutral by 2050, PM Irakli Garibashvili told the UN climate summit in New York on September 23.  He said a new global climate deal, due to be agreed in Paris in 2015 and to enter into force from 2020, should “help the most vulnerable countries in adapting to climate change and contribute to achieving climate-resilient sustainable development…

Georgian PM about Southern Gas Corridor project – (News.AZ) He spoke at the event dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the “Contract of the Century” and groundbreaking ceremony of the Southern Gas Corridor.  He noted that Azerbaijan is one of nearest friends and partners of Georgia: “We have implemented projects such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipelines. TANAP project will be implemented, Europe’s energy map…

Georgian PM: “We support Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline project for export of Kazakhtan's and Turkmenistan's reserves” – (APA) I feel pride in the start of the second stage of Shahdeniz field, said the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili at the 20th anniversary of the “Contract of the Century” and groundbreaking ceremony of the Southern Gas Corridor…

Georgia grateful to Azerbaijan for energy cooperation – (Trend) Georgia is grateful to Azerbaijan for the cooperation and the benefits this this project brings to the South Caucasus region, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said, Sept.20, during a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Contract of the Century and groundbreaking of the Southern Gas Corridor…

Moldova

Romania delays gas exports to Moldova – (Balkans) Almost a month after a new pipeline connecting Moldova to the Romanian gas network was launched, gas exports to Moldova have not yet started. Flows through the pipeline, intended to reduce Moldovan dependence on Russia, has been delayed because of problems reaching an agreement with Moldovan gas monopoly Moldovagaz, whose largest shareholder is Russia's Gazprom…

Moldova Struggles to Escape Russian Gas – (Eurasianet) While the cease-fire between Ukraine and pro-Russian and Russian fighters holds steady, another fight is poised to begin over Russian gas for Ukraine. And, this time, it’s a fight that, by default, involves Ukraine’s small, pro-Western neighbor, Moldova, too…

Gas supplies from Romania to Moldova delayed until October – (ITAR TASS) Natural gas supply from Romania to Moldova by the Yassy-Ungeny pipeline built with EU assistance has been postponed until October, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca said on Monday…

Gas pipeline to boost economy and energy security in Moldova – (Turkish Weekly) A newly inaugurated gas pipeline connecting the Romanian city of Iasi and the Moldovan border town of Ungheni will have a significant impact on the former Soviet republic's economy, but further investments are required for the line to get to its full operational capacity, analysts told SETimes…

Turkey

TURKEY TRIES TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY FROM PISTACHIOS– (Daily Sabah) Turkey plans to produce power from pistachios. And it certainly has enough of them.The country, the world's third-largest producer of pistachios, will gather biogas from the nuts, which are related to cashews, to produce electricity. Production will begin initially in Gaziantep, a southeastern city of more than a million people that is one of the most important agricultural centers in the country. Among Gaziantep's features are numerous pistachio orchards…

Turkey working to produce electricity from pistachios– (Business Recorder) Turkey, the world's third-largest producer of pistachios, will gather biogas from the nuts, which are related cashews, to produce electricity.  Production will begin initially in Gaziantep, a southeastern city of more than a million people that is one of the most important agricultural centers in the country, Anadolu Agency reports…

TURKEY ‘COULD SAVE BILLIONS’ WITH ENERGY EFFICIENCY– (Daily Sabah) Turkey could save more than half of its spending on energy by adopting energy-efficiency policies, an expert has said. Rıza Köroğlu, director f Istanbul-based Total Energy Efficiency, told the Anadolu Agency (AA) that if Turkey reached the level of Germany - the world's leading energy efficient nation - the country could save $39 billion (TL 87.15 billion) on its $65 billion annual energy spend…

Turkey’s wind power production increases– (Hurriyet) Official data shows Turkey’s wind power capacity saw a one-third increase to 2,581 megawatts over the past year, suggesting the country’s efforts to diversify its energy resources have started to pay off.  The country’s wind power capacity also soared by 926 megawatts in the first eight months of this year, marking a 35 percent increase from the same period last year, according to data from the Energy Ministry…

Turkey’s wind power capacity saw a one-third increase– (Balkans) Official data shows Turkey’s wind power capacity saw a one-third increase to 2,581 megawatts over the past year, suggesting the country’s efforts to diversify its energy resources have started to pay off.  The country’s wind power capacity also soared by 926 megawatts in the first eight months of this year, marking a 35 percent increase from the same period last year, according to data from the Energy Ministry…

What will Turkey do if Russia turns off gas? – (Almonitor) As the European Union toughens sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis, uneasiness is growing over the possibility of Russia retaliating by cutting natural gas supplies.  With winter approaching, European countries reliant on Russian gas have been taking precautions against the “freezing scenario.” Stress tests have been used to predict the effects of gas cuts of durations of one, three, six and nine months. According to a study by Cologne University’s Institute of Energy Economics, Turkey, Finland and Poland would be hurt the most if Russia turns off the gas taps…

Countries must diversify energy resources to avoid dependency: Turkish experts – (Global Post) Challenges lie ahead for the global energy sector if the international community doesn't make efforts to diversify its energy resources, experts said at an international conference in Istanbul on Wednesday…

Turkey-Azerbaijan pipeline to impact on energy markets – (Euronews) Turkey and Azerbaijan have begun to work on an oil pipeline project which, it is claimed, will have a big impact on global energy markets. Construction has begun on the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), which is the first phase of the Southern Gas Corridor. The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolia Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) via Georgia and eventually reach Europe…

Azerbaijan's investment in Turkey to increase after TANAP construction – (Azernews) The total investment of Azerbaijan in Turkey will reach $20 billion after the construction of the Trans-Anatolian (TANAP) gas pipeline. The news was announced by SOCAR Vice-President of Economic Issues Suleyman Gasimov on September 24 at a regional conference titled "Economic growth and industrialization: the possibility of Azerbaijan and Turkey's experience…

Ground broken for pipeline project to carry Azeri gas to Turkey – (Balkans) The ground has been broken for the first phase of the pipeline project designed to carry Azeri gas to Turkish and European consumers. The natural gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz field will reach Italy via a 3500-kilometer pipeline passing through Georgia, Turkey and Greece, providing an alternative to Russian gas…

Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine Reach Preliminary Agreement on Interim Gas Price – (Bloomberg) Russia and Ukraine reached a preliminary natural-gas agreement, potentially ending a dispute that was set to disrupts flows during the coming winter…

Ukraine to complete revision of Khmelnitsky NPP power units’ completion project– (ITAR TASS) Ukraine is studying “all possible options” for completing the Khmelnitsky power plant power units’ construction that had previously been planned in partnership with Russia, Energoatom president Yuri Nedashkovsky said on Wednesday morning…

Ukraine cuts electricity supplies to Belarus, Crimea due to imbalance in energy system – (Kyiv Post) Ukraine has reduced exports of electricity to Belarus by 50 percent and limited supplies to Crimea due to an imbalance in the electrical power system, Energy and Coal Industry Minister Yuriy Prodan said at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on Tuesday, Sept. 23…

HUNGARY TO EXPORT ELECTRICITY TO UKRAINE – (Hungary Today) Export of electricity can start this week from Hungary to Ukraine. According to the report of economic newspaper ‘Világgazdaság’, ministers of the two sides are negotiating the deal which could mean a new chapter in the economic relations of the two countries. Previously import of electricity was forbidden by Ukrainian law, and it was Hungary which bought electricity from the neighboring country of Ukraine. Now it seems the situation is turning around…

Ukraine sees 3.6 persent fall in electricity generation in January-August– (Kyiv Post) Ukraine's integrated power grids decreased electricity output by 3.6 percent or by 4.631 billion kilowatt-hours year-over-year in January-August 2014, to 122.493 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), an Energy and Coal Industry Ministry source told Interfax-Ukraine…

Ukraine ready to implement an alternative energy programme – (Caspian Energy News) Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers Ostap Semerak said that "the Government in recent months took a number of important decisions that would enable Ukrainians to meet this winter."? Caspian Energy News (www.caspianenergy.net) reports with reference to the Department of Information and Communication of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministries of Ukraine…

Ukraine gives green light for upgraded nuclear fuel supplies from Westinghouse – (ITAR TASS) Ukraine has approved supplies of upgraded nuclear fuel from the US company Westinghouse for its nuclear power plants (NPP) and expects the first delivery by the end of the year, a senior official with the national nuclear service said on Wednesday.  Mikhail Gashev, the first deputy chairman of the State Inspection of Nuclear Regulations, said that on September 17 he signed three fundamental documents regarding supplies of upgraded nuclear fuel TBC-WR…

Poroshenko Dismisses National Energy Regulation Commission Chief – (Ria Novosti) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has removed National Commission for State Energy Regulation chairman Serhiy Titenko from office, the president's website said Wednesday…

Ukraine force domestic shortages to import Russian coal – Traders – (Coal Guru) Physical coal traders said that Ukrainian coal market participants have been sourcing low-calorific coal from Russia because of domestic shortages.  Ukraine is traditionally a major coal supplier to Turkey but has become a coal importer since several major coal mines, supplying the country’s thermal coal power plants, were bombed during its geopolitical conflict with Russia…

12th Energy Community Ministerial Council: Ministers assess gas stress test results, set direction of future reforms – (Energy Community) Convening for the first time under the Ukrainian Presidency, the Energy Community Ministerial Council took place today in Kyiv, Ukraine. The meeting focused on reforming the Energy Community, especially in the light of the challenges to energy security in Europe. The meeting was opened with a ceremonial speech by the Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk…

Russia May Get Cold Shoulder From Europe in Looming Gas Wars – (Newsweek) In the cornfields of Donbass, Ukraine, the war between the Ukrainian army and Moscow-backed rebels has sputtered to an uneasy stalemate. But as winter approaches, a new battlefront in Moscow’s proxy struggle with the West is opening up—and though it will not be as bloody, it could be no less politically dramatic than the recent shooting war…

Yatsenyuk to Berzins: energy supplies the most pressing problem in Ukraine – (The Baltic Course) The main political problem in Ukraine at the moment is energy supplies, and it needs to be solved before the arrival of winter, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said during a meeting with President Andris Berzins in the New York yesterday, informs LETA…

Ukraine running out of gas amid standoff with Russia – (Press TV) It's only September here in Ukraine. And you can see people are walking around with large winter jackets. The weather is getting colder and colder, and in the winter tempters approach freezing. George Zachman, an expert on energy and electricity says gas in Ukraine underground storage facilities will only last them until 2015…

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