Bulgaria

Bulgaria cuts tariffs for new solar installations – (Reuters) Bulgaria approved further cuts to guaranteed rates for new solar power installations, after already halving the tariffs in June due to lower costs, the State Energy and Water Regulatory Commission said on Tuesday…

Bulgarian Parliament to Monitor Energy Regulator – (Novinite) The Bulgarian Parliament voted Wednesday to create a committee to monitor the activity of the state energy and water regulating agency…

Bulgaria awards Westinghouse feasibility study for developing new nuclear reactor – (Business) Bulgaria has awarded Westinghouse Electric Co. a contract to study the feasibility of installing an additional reactor at the only nuclear plant in the Balkan country, which relies on Russia for its energy supplies…

Black Sea Natural Gas to Make Bulgaria Energy Independent – (Novinite) The likely discovery of large quantities of natural gas in Block 1-21 Khan Asparuh in Bulgaria's Black Sea continental shelf and exclusive economic zone will lead to the country's gas supply independence…

Bulgaria Signs Black Sea Exploration Contract With Total – (Bloomberg) Europe’s third-biggest oil company, signed a five-year contract with Bulgaria to explore for natural gas and oil in the deep waters of the Black Sea off the Bulgarian coast…

Bulgaria state energy holding co considers global bond issue – (Reuters) Bulgaria's state energy holding company BEH plans to tap international markets with a bond issue to raise up to $300 million at the beginning of next year to refinance existing debt, its Chief Executive Mikhail Andonov said on Monday…

Bulgaria State Energy Holding to Tap International Markets – (Novinite) Bulgaria's state energy holding company, which groups the country's top energy assets, has confirmed plans to tap international markets at the beginning of next year to repay its debt…

Bosnia

Turkish firms eye Bosnian energy – (Hurriyet Daily) Leading Turkish energy sector companies are planning to make investments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is rich in renewable energy potential and water resources…

Bosnia's BH Gas seeks 20 pct wholesale gas price rise – (Reuters) Bosnia's top gas distributor BH Gas wants to increase regulated wholesale natural gas prices by 20.12 percent because of a stronger U.S. dollar and the growing cost of Russian supplies, the company said on Thursday…

Gas price in Balkans cheaper than Europe – (Daily News)The natural gas prices in Balkan countries, including Turkey, is cheaper that the European average with even Bosnians, consumers of the most expensive gas in the region, pay less than EU’s 0.64 euros per cubic meter…

Bosnian state energy company exports electricity through Rudnap Group – (Balkans) Net profit of Electric Industry of Bosnia and Herzegovina achieved in 2011 was almost four times lower than anticipated: instead of 6.5 million KM, as company director Elvedin Grabovica claimed, it turned out to be only 1.4 million KM!..

Croatia

Croatia's Agrokor powers up 55 mln kuna (7.4 mln euro) biogas CHP plant – (Cogeneration) Croatian privately-held concern Agrokor said it inaugurated on Wednesday a biogas-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant worth 55 million kuna ($9.2 million/7.4 million euro)…

Macedonia

FYR Macedonia will invest nearly 1.2 billion euros in the energy sector in the next 5 years – (Balkans) In the next five years, FYR Macedonia will invest nearly 1.2 billion euros in the energy sector. This is the amount needed to overhaul existing and to build new energy facilities, to establish energy cooperation with countries in the region and to fully implement the measures, activities and tasks included in the programme for the realisation of the Energy Development Strategy…

Improving energy efficiency for housing in FYR Macedonia's city Kumanovo – (Balkans) The USAID project Improving Energy Efficiency for the Low-Income Housing Sector is helping residents of low-income housing in Kumanovo to lower their energy consumption and costs, as well as to strengthen their homeowners associations…

 Drought-Stricken Macedonia Saves Water for Electricity – (Ooska News) Macedonia’s state-owned electric company, Elektrani na Makedonija (ELEM), is conserving the water in the country’s reservoirs in anticipation of a dry autumn…

Montenegro

Italian-Montenegro energy deal report: electricity, DSO, RES and exports to EU power market – (Balkans) Unfortunately the Italian government has not yet been so transparent as to lay out a comprehensive plan regarding how it intends to import electricity from the Western Balkans and which generation facilities are involved, so the information so far has dripped out bit by bit in relation to specific agreements signed and projects launched, says report on Italian Balkans energy plans…

Romania

S&P downgrades Romania's gas transmission operator Transgaz rating – (Balkans) The rating agency S&P downgraded the gas transmission operator Transgaz by one not notch to BB with negative outlook as regulatory uncertainty and high dividend payments pose a higher financial risk in the near to medium term for the state-owned enterprise…

Martifer Solar completed a 1.5MW plant for Eurowind Energy – (Engineer Live) Martifer Solar, an affiliate of Martifer SGPS SA, acting as EPC Contractor, concluded the construction of a 1.5MW photovoltaic plant in Pufesti, in the Vrancea County, Romania for Eurowind Energy A/S, a Danish company…

Martifer Solar completes its first PV plant in Romania – (PVTech) Martifer Solar, part of Portugal-based Martifer SGPS SA, has announced that it has completed the construction of a 1.5MW PV plant for in Pufesti, Vrancea County, Romania for Danish company Eurowind Energy…

Installed windpower capacity in Romania up 112.6 pct in 2011, it might double this year – (ActMedia) Installed windpower capacity in Romania surged by 112.6 percent in 2011, compared to 2010, with estimates revealing that the installed capacity doubled in 2011, according to the 2012 Report entitled Wind Energy and Other Renewable Energy Sources in Romania, launched on Wednesday by TPA Horwath and the law firm Schoenherr & Associates…

Romania to tax energy producers gaining from price deregulation – (Reuters) Romania's leftist government plans to impose an additional tax from 2013 on electricity and gas producers that stand to gain from the approaching deregulation of energy prices, deputy Finance Minister Liviu Voinea was quoted as saying…

E&Y: Romania’s energy market faces tough times, answers may lie outside Europe – (Romania-Insider) Romania is still the 13th most attractive country in the world for renewable energy investments, according to a recent report from consultancy firm Ernst &  Young…

Romania Eyes Energy Tax – (Tax-News) Romanian Finance Minister Liviu Voinea has indicated that the government is planning a new tax on energy producers…

Italian utility Enel connects the Moldova Noua wind farm in Romania to the grid – (Balkans) The renewable green arm of Italian utility Enel has connected the Moldova Noua wind farm in the Banat region of Romania to the grid, making the 48MW farm located south-west of the country fully operational…

Enel’s Wind Farm Now Fully Operational – (Smart Meters) Enel Green Power’s (EGP) new Moldova Noua wind farm in the Banat region of Romania is now connected to the grid and fully operational…

Enel Green Power commissions 48MW wind farm in Romania – (Recharge) Italian renewables giant Enel Green Power (EGP) has fully grid-connected its 48MW Moldova Noua wind farm in the Banat region of Romania…

 

Serbia

Serbia institutes energy public tenders – (UPI) The new Serbian government said this week it hopes to stimulate the country's renewable energy sector by instituting public tenders for energy permits…

Serbia starts early work for South Stream – (UPI) An engineering survey for part of the South Stream natural gas pipeline has started in Serbian territory, Russian energy company Gazprom announced…

GGF and Serbia’s Banca Intesa sign EUR 7 million energy efficiency loan agreement – (Balkans) Loan agreement translates into more energy-efficient homes, resulting in projected primary energy savings of 20% (reducing energy consumption by 20,000 MWh and CO2 emissions by approx. 6,500 tons annually)…

Energy permits for renewable energy sources in Serbia will be granted through public tenders – (Balkans) Serbia's Minister of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection Zorana Mihajlovic yesterday announced that energy permits for renewable energy sources in Serbia will from now on be granted through public tenders…

Armenia

Metsamor, Powder Keg Waiting To Happen – (History of Truth) Interview with Rafiga Gurbanzade, a student in Criminology, Law & Society at the University of California-Irvine and a member of the Pax Turcica Institute…

Metsamor - The Fukushima of the Caucasus? – (Turkish Weekly) Last year’s catastrophic earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Japan and the subsequent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown highlighted the importance of a diligent assessment of nuclear power plants (NPP) to endure ground shakings or possible displacements…

Jahangiryan Family Mini-Hydro Plant Decimates Tezh River – (Hetq) Summertime visitors to Meghradzor, a hamlet in Kotayk Marz, will be hard-pressed to take a cool dip in the local Tezh River…

Armenia applies benefits for Iran-Armenia electricity connection – (Trhran Times) The Armenian government submitted a special draft law for certain benefits for the electricity line connecting Iran with Armenia has been under the construction. The project will be exempted from Armenian taxes…

Commodity circulation between Armenia and Russia is growing – (BSANNA) The Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will meet the Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian Federation on August 8…

Iran deals 1774 Mw power with neighbours on Sunday – (Trend) Iran imported 225 Mw electricity from Armenia and exported 1134 Mw to Iraq, as Iran's two major power dealers on Aug.26. According to the ...

Azerbaijan

SOCAR Turkey Energy: Azerbaijani Gas Supplies to Turkey are Cheapest and Stable – (Turkish Weekly) The cheapest and stable gas supplies to Turkey come from Azerbaijan, SOCAR Turkey Energy head and board member of the Petkim petrochemical complex Kenan Yavuz said in an interview with the Turkish edition of Para Dergisi today…

State company on alternative energy can block profile projects in Azerbaijan not agreed with it – (ABC.AZ) The state company on alternative and renewable energy sources, being formed on the basis of the state agency of the same name (ABEMDA) under the Ministry of Industry & Energy of Azerbaijan, has extensive administrative resources…

The gas pipeline deal signed between Turkey and Azerbaijan last June is set to include Turkmen gas – (Balkans) Hurriyet - The gas pipeline deal signed between Turkey and Azerbaijan last June is set to include Turkmen gas, according to Turkey’s Minister of Energy, Taner Yildiz, visiting the central Asian republic of Turkmenistan…

Azerbaijan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, EU hold talks on gas supply – (Trend) Turkmenistan hosts the meeting of head of energy ministries of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and the European Commissioner for Energy Gunther Oettinger…

Georgia

Problems in energy sector discussed in Georgia – (Trend) Over the past seven years, electricity consumption has almost doubled in Georgia, Georgian Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili said at a meeting with the country's Energy Minister Vakhtang Balavadze…

Georgian PM views construction of two hydroelectric power stations on Russian border – (Trend) Georgian Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili and Governor of Mtskheta-Mtianeti Chocheli Caesar visited a number of sites in the Kazbegi region…

Russia

Russian energy consumption up 2.3% in Aug – (Cogeneration) Energy consumption in Russia rose 2.3% year-on-year to 76.6 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) in August, OJSC UES Systems Operator (SO UES) said in a statement…

Power generation by RAO ES of East up 8% in July – (Cogeneration ) RAO Energy System of East generated 1.793bn kWh in July 2012, up 7.8% compared to the same period of last year, which is significant growth given that Russia's aggregate power generation increased only 0.3%...

Digging Deep to Power Moscow – (The Moscow Times) BOGORODSKOYE, Moscow Region — Trucks will move almost as much earth for a project here as was excavated to build the Suez Canal…

 Russia's Mosenergo H1 net profit down to 5.1 bln rbls – (Reuters) Russian electricity provider Mosenergo said on Friday its first-half net profit stood at 5.1 billion roubles ($156.6 million), down 32 percent from the same year-earlier period…

Russian Novatek inks long-term gas supply contracts with E.ON, Fortum – (Platts) Russia's biggest independent gas producer Novatek Tuesday said it had signed long-term contracts with Germany's E.ON and Finland's Fortum to supply natural gas to their power stations in Russia…

Russian energy company Gazprom terminated a natural gas project at the Barents Sea – (Focus) Russian energy company Gazprom terminated a natural gas project in the Barents Sea that was the subject of attacks by the global environmental organisation Greenpeace, that opposes drills in the Arctic…

Energy Ministry to soon decide on reduction of energy tariff for BAZ – (Cogeneration) The Russian Energy Ministry is now considering the possibility of effecting a reduction of the long-term electrical power tariff for Bogoslovsk Aluminum Plant (BAZ), Energy Minister Alexander Novak told the press in Yekaterinburg on Wednesday…

APEC summit to focus on energy and education – (Radio Australia) Russia's Far east region will be getting more world attention than usual as the APEC Leaders summit gets underway in Vladivostock…

EU launches anti-trust case against Gazprom – (Daily News) The European Commission said yesterday it has opened an anti-trust probe against Russian energy giant Gazprom on suspicion it was hindering competition in central and eastern European gas markets…

Turkey

Akkuyu NPP construction in Turkey might cost Russian budget about $2,9 billion in 2013-15 – (Russian Beyond the Headlines) - Russian State Nuclear Energy Company (Rosatom) is asking for another 93 billion rubles from the Russian budget to construct the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Turkey in 2013-2015, according to materials for the government budgetary planning committee, which have been made available to Interfax…

Turkey says wants TANAP to carry Turkmen gas – (Dawn) Turkmenistan could potentially join Azerbaijan in supplying gas into the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) through Turkey to the EU border, Turkey’s energy minister said, helping Europe become less reliant on Russian gas…

Turkey, Turkmenistan discuss projects in energy sector – (Trend) Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov received Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz in Ashgabat on Monday. They exchanged views on cooperation, including in the energy sector, an official Turkmen source said…

Exxon Seeks Turkish Shale-Gas Exploration License, Hurriyet Says – (Bloomberg) Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) is in talks with Turkiye Petrolleri AO, Turkey’s state oil and gas company, known as TPAO, to explore for shale gas in southeast Turkey, Hurriyet reported, citing unidentified Energy Ministry officials…

Energy Minister: Turkey Starts Shale Gas Exploration Operations – (Turkish Weekly) Exploration operations have started in the vicinity of Diyarbakir to discover shale gas deposits, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yildiz said today, Anadolu agency reported today…

Iran, Turkey Discuss Boosting Energy Deals – (Fars News) Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qassemi voiced pleasure in his talks with Turkey's Development Minister Cevdet Yilmaz on increasing energy deals between the two neighboring nations, saying that the negotiations would continue in Ankara in future.

Shell assessing Black Sea oil exploration with Turkey's TPAO – (Reuters) Royal Dutch Shell is assessing oil exploration and production opportunities in the Black Sea with Turkish state-owned oil firm TPAO, Shell Chief Executive Peter Voser said on Tuesday…

Zorlu To Bid For Turkish Coal Mine Development, Power Plant – (ZOREN), a Turkish electricity producer, is bidding in a government auction to develop a coal mine and build a coal-fired power plant with at least 450 megawatts capacity, the company said in a stock- exchange filing. The auction deadline is today…

Turkey is in Talks to Build Second Nuclear Power Plant – (Turkish Weekly) Turkey is negotiating with Japan, Canada, China and South Korea to build a second nuclear power plant, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yildiz said, the newspaper Sabah reported…

Ukraine

Ukraine transfers six thermal power plants from gas to coal – (Platts) Ukraine has completed converting six thermal power plants to allow them to use coal instead of natural gas for power and heat production, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Wednesday…

Economy of Ukraine – ( Business recorder) Despite the fact that Ukraine's history reaches back to the beginning of civilisation in Europe, many of the Ukrainian national institutions have been existing since only 1991…

Power Cut Off at Ukrainian Water Utility  -(OOSKA NEWS) Power supply to the water utility in the central Ukrainian city of Cherkasy was cut off this month due to the company’s $620,000 USD debt to the electricity provider…

Bad weather causes blackouts in 138 towns and villages in Ukraine – ( KYyiv Post) A total of 138 towns and villages in four regions of Ukraine were left without electricity as a result of bad weather (heavy rains) on the night of 24th/25th August of 2012, the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry's press service reported on Saturday…

Azarov: Gas booster station at Yuliyivske field to help Ukraine become energy independent – (KyivPost) Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov commissioned the second line of the gas booster station at the Yuliyivske oil and gas condensate field during a working visit to Kharkiv region…

Ukraine: working towards energy efficiency in historical city centre – (Euro East) SPIN-Energy efficiency & urban development planning (SPINE), an EU-funded CIUDAD project has recently started its regranting activities in Ukraine…

Guest post: Ukraine offers EU “closer collaboration” in energy – (beyondbrics) Europe’s top priority is getting the economy back on track, and ensuring low-cost and stable energy supplies is an essential component…

Cabinet supported Ukraine’s participation in Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environmental Partnership – (Forum) The Cabinet supported the participation of Ukraine in the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environmental Partnership…

Ukraine substitutes gas with oil in power sector – (Press TV) Ukraine transfers five thermal power plants from gas to coal to reduce its dependence on increasingly expensive Russian gas. High fuel prices have put the country's economy on the brink of survival…

Ukraine To Store 21 Billion Cubic Meters Of Gas, Interfax Says – (Bloomberg) Ukraine will have 21 billion cubic meters of natural gas in underground storage facilities by the start of the heating season, about the same level as last year, Interfax-Ukraine newswire reported, citing Energy and Coal Minister Yuriy Boyko…

Ukraine Puts Shelf Gas Field into Operation – (RIANOVOSTI) Ukraine’s state-run company Chornomornaftogaz on Wednesday started commercial operation of the Odessa natural gas deposit on the Black Sea shelf…

Ukrainian President: Energy Independence - Our Strategic Goal – (The Sacramento Bee) During the 21st year of Ukraine's independence the country has made a number of steps aimed at increasing its energy independence…

Ukraine launches two new gas fields – (kyiv Post) Chornomornaftogaz has commenced commercial production at the Odesa natural gas field on the Black Sea shelf…

Parliamentary committee approves bill on construction of new reactors at Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant – (Kyiv Post) The Verkhovna Rada committee on the fuel and energy complex has approved a bill on the construction of the third and fourth reactors at Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant (NPP)…

Ukraine's DTEK boosts energy exports, coal output – (Reuters) Ukraine's largest private power and coal producer DTEK said on Tuesday it had doubled its energy exports in the first half of the year to 4.3 billion kilowatt-hours…