Weekly collection of energy news articles for the region.  Click on the links for access to original publications.

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 June 22-23: USAID / USEA Black Sea Transmission Planning Project (BSTP) Optimal Power Flow (OPF) Training Workshop – Budapest, Hungary

June 24, 2015: USAID / USEA Black Sea Transmission Planning Project (BSTP) Working Group Meeting – Budapest, Hungary 

June 25, 2015: USAID / USEA Southeast Europe Cooperation Initiative (SECI) Transmission System Planning Project Working Group Meeting – Budapest, Hungary 

Albania: USD 16 Million for Upgrading Power Grid – (Energetika) “The time investment ranges from 6 to 8 months. Investments include about 91 new cabins and 130 kilometres of medium voltage cable,” the Director of the Albanian Distribution System Operator (OSHEE)…

Opinion: Southeast Europe can lead the way in clean energy – (Financial Times) At the end of 2014, Silicon Valley’s Progress Software Corporation acquired the Bulgarian software start-up Telerik for $262.5m, a huge amount for the EU’s poorest country. Two months later, Bulgaria’s large Varna coal power plant owned by the Czech energy company CEZ closed because it could not comply with EU environmental standards and remain competitive…

Albania delays bidding for onshore blocks – (Energy Voice) Albania has delayed bidding for companies to explore for oil and gas on five onshore blocks for a further month.  The country has also delayed bidding for a further two blocks indefinitely.  Energy Minister Damian Gjiknuri ordered the bidding date be postponed for another month to allow companies more time…

Albania has the potential to produce about 2 million tons of oil a year – (Balkans) Albania has the potential to produce about 2 million tons of oil a year after allocating new oil blocks by concession, Dritan Spahiu, an official with the Ministry of Energy, said on Wednesday…

Which southeastern european countries will join the Turkish Stream – (Balkans) The Turkish Stream gas pipeline will help increase Europe's energy security, Boris Abramov, Russia's trade representative to the U.K. said on Tuesday.  Speaking at the 2nd Russian Energy Forum, sponsored by Turkey's Anadolu Agency, Abramov stated that Russia signed a deal in December 2014 with Turkey's state-owned natural gas company, BOTAS on constructing a pipeline with a capacity of 63 billion cubic meters…

Bulgaria

Bulgaria Delays Full Electricity Market Liberalisation at Least by July, 2016 – (IENE) Bulgarian households and small businesses will have the right to choose their electricity supplier freely as of July, 2016, at the earliest, Ivan Ivanov, chairperson of the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) said last week…

Bulgaria’s Energy Watchdog to Discuss Proposals for Power Price Hikes as of July – (Novinite) Bulgaria’s Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (KEVR) will discuss Wednesday a proposal for an increase in electricity prices for household consumers by an average of 2% as of July…

Electricity price increase in Bulgaria as of July 1: CEZ clients - 1.6%, EVN – 1.4%, ENERGO-PRO – a little over 3% – (Focus) “Electricity tariff for CEZ clients will rise by about 1.6% as of July 1, EVN clients will see an increase by about 1.4%, while those of ENERGO-PRO will have a price hike of a little over 3%,” said Ivan Ivanov, Chairperson of the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC), speaking Wednesday for bTV…

New Electricity Prices Will Increase Loss of Bulgaria’s National Power Co to BGN 400 M – CEO – (Novinite) Bulgaria’s state-owned power utility will close the year at a loss of BGN 350-400 M if the new electricity prices enter into force as of July 1, according to Petar Iliev, CEO of the National Electric Company (NEK)…

Development of SEE Gas Infrastructure Needs Solidarity within EU – (IENE) Solidarity within the EU is key to developing energy infrastructure in Southeastern Europe, said Deputy Energy Minister Anton Pavlov at an EU Energy Council meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, where he presented Bulgaria's position…

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia gets energy efficiency boost – (Energy Live News) A London-based bank is providing funds to support energy efficiency in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).  The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending €6 million (£3.87m) to Partner Microcredit Foundation, part of which will be used for energy-saving measures.  The company will loan funds to micro and small businesses for housing and agricultural products following the destructive impact of the floods in May 2014…

Croatia

Croatian power exchange deal to boost Balkan electricity links – (Reuters) Croatia's power exchange CROPEX has signed a deal with European energy exchange Nord Pool Spot to set up a day-ahead market by year end, a move that will give the European Union's newest member access to broader electricity markets…

Air Pollution Costing SEE Countries at Least 17% of GDP – (Energetika) The climate agreement which failed in Copenhagen is now going to be negotiated in Paris. The final text for the new agreement is being negotiated this week at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany...

Kosovo

Kosovo PM: Economic Growth to be Achieved with Mining and Energy – (Energetika) According to Mustafa, the government aims to achieve economic growth through increased competitiveness of the economy of Kosovo and the regional market, the European and world markets, and through unlocking the...

Germany to finance Kosovo energy efficiency projects – (dtt-net) A total of 7.5 million Euro in form of grants and loans will be given to Kosovan authorities by Germany for implementation of some 30 projects of energy efficiency in public buildings…

Macedonia

2015 Electricity Forum: There is no alternative to electricity market coupling – (Energy Community) This year’s Electricity Forum focused on the next key steps for regional electricity market integration and wholesale market opening – the realization of coordinated electricity auctions across all countries in the 8th region, the development of power exchanges and market-based electricity balancing in the Energy Community Contracting Parties…

Romania

Romania to export electricity to Turkey through submarine cable – (ACT Media) Romania is keen to press ahead with electricity interconnection projects in the Black Sea, such as a submarine power cable between Romania and Turkey. The venture is part of Romania’s national projects included in the 2007-2020 Energy Strategy updated for 2011-2020. The costs of the project are estimated at EUR 600 million…

Romania’s biggest problem stays energy inefficiency, says official – (Business Review) The biggest problem for Romania is still energy inefficiency, given that the quantified losses in coal energy units reach up to about EUR 4 billion annually, said on Tuesday Iulian Iancu, chairman of the Committee for Industries and Services of the Chamber of Deputies…

Energy companies invest over EUR 22 bln in Romania – (Romania-Insider) Foreign investors in the energy sector have invested over EUR 22 billion in Romania starting 2002, according to the Foreign Investors Council (FIC).  “The amount has contributed to the stability of a sector which was previously underfinanced,” reads the FIC press release…

Romania gets EUR 360 million from energy companies – (Romania-Insider) Romania’s Energy Ministry needs to receive dividends of EUR 360 million from the companies where it has shares, for 2014.  The amount increased by 8.47% compared to 2013…

Gas consumption goes down in Romania despite more consumers – (Romania-Insider) Natural gas consumption in Romania decreased between 2009 and 2014, but the number of consumers increased to 3.4 million, 3.2 million of whom were household consumers…

New timetable of gas price liberalization – (Business Review) Romanian Government and the European Commission (EC) agreed recently on a new liberalization graphic for the gas price paid by the population for the period July 1, 2015– July 1, 2018…

Serbia

Serbia's TE-KO Kostolac 5-Mo Electricity Output at 2.69 Mln MWh – (IENE) Serbian coal miner and thermal power producer TE-KO Kostolac said its electricity output reached 2.69 million megawatt-hours (MWh) over the five months through May…

Serbian Government to Decide on Electricity Price Increase Today – (Energetika) Vujović, speaking to RTS television, as reported by Blic, believes the government will make a decision about the hike in the electricity price. Afterwards, the Energy Minister, Aleksandar Antić, will notify the...

Serbian Leader Wants to Reduce Russian Gas Dependency – (Big News Network) Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic tells VOA that his country is ready to accept U.S. calls to reduce dependency on Russian gas.  During an interview at VOA in Washington Thursday, Vucic said Serbia wants to add alternative energy sources and pipelines that would bring gas to the country through Hungary and Croatia…

Chepurin: Serbia Not Renouncing Energy Projects With Russia – (inNews) The readiness of the Serbian government for alternative options concerning fuel supply does not mean that Belgrade is renouncing energy projects with Russia, Russian Ambassador in Belgrade Alexander Chepurin stated on Tuesday…

Serbia open to all gas pipeline projects: Energy Minister – (Shangahai Daily) Serbia plans to diversify its supply of natural gas, and it is currently open to all projects in order to achieve a better price and to have a reliable supply, said Serbian Energy Minister Aleksandar Antic on Tuesday…

Serbian Energy Min Says Gas Link with Bulgaria May Go Live in 2019 – (IENE) Serbian energy minister Aleksandar Antic said on Tuesday he expects the construction of a gas interconnection with Bulgaria could be completed by 2018 so that the gas could start flowing in 2019, Belgrade-based media reported on Tuesday…

Armenia

World Bank Backs Probe into Geothermal Resources in Armenia – (Asbarez) The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved on Monday an $8.55 million grant for the Geothermal Exploratory Drilling Project (GEDP) for Armenia, the World Bank said in a press release…

World Bank Supports Exploration of Geothermal Resources in Armenia – (Financial) The World Bank Board of Executive Directors on June 8 approved a US$8.55 million grant for the Geothermal Exploratory Drilling Project (GEDP) for Armenia. The new project is to confirm whether the geothermal resource at the Karkar field is suitable for power generation and, if confirmed, to involve the private sector in the development of a geothermal power plant…

World Bank To Fund Geothermal Energy Exploration In Armenia – (Azatutyun) The World Bank has allocated $8.5 million to finance exploratory drillings that could lead to the construction of a first-ever geothermal power plant in Armenia…

Economist: After joining Eurasian Union Armenia may appear in energy blockade – (News.AM) The only way for Armenia to confront the existing challenges is to have independent energy policy, economist Ashot Yeghiazaryan said during the debates on electricity price…

U.S. Firm Completes Takeover Of Vorodan Power Plants in Armenia – (Massispost) The New York-based group ContourGlobal became the first Western firm to buy a major asset in the Armenian energy sector currently dominated by big Russian corporations. In a $250 million deal the U.S. energy company completed on Monday the repeatedly postponed purchase of Armenia’s largest hydroelectric complex…

Plans to Hike Energy Prices Spark Protests in Yerevan – (The Armenian Weekly) A wave of protests has hit the streets of Yerevan after an announcement of a possible upcoming hike in electricity prices for a third time in the past two years…

Another Year, Another Electric Shock for Armenia – (IWPR) Russian-owned power company seems unable to balance its books without hefty annual price rises.  Plans for an electricity price rise of over 40 per cent, the third increase three years running in Armenia, have caused outrage at the way the power company – a national monopoly under Russian ownership – is being run…

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan may revise energy tariffs – (News.Az) The Azerbaijan electricity market regulators are currently considering the market model revision in order to improve generators' efficiency, which could have a positive impact on Azerenerji's electricity tariffs, Fitch Ratings reported…

Demand for electricity in Azerbaijan falls for second month at a run – (ABC.AZ) Demand for electricity in Azerbaijan has been falling for the second month running, and Azerbaijan’s national energy producer OJSC Azerenerji kept reducing its generation in May.  Azerenerji Press Service with reference to the Company’s Central Dispatching Office reports that in May it was generated 1.6 bn kWh of electricity (still the lowest level for 2015) against 1.9 bn kWh in April, 2.1 bn kWh in March, 1.9 bn kWh in February and 2.3 bn kWh in January (the best monthly index since 2010)…

Russia, Azerbaijan to create group on energy cooperation – (News.Az) Russia and Azerbaijan will create a high level working group to engage in development of bilateral energy cooperation.  Oxu.Az reports citing RIA Novosti that the statement came from Russian presidential aide Yuriy Ushakov…

Azerbaijan can use Algerian ports for gas transport to Europe – (Hellenic Shipping News) Algeria has two big ports that transport liquefied and Azerbaijan can use them to transit its gas to Europe.  This remark was made by Azerbaijani ambassador to Algeria Mahir Aliyev.  He told Trend that the energy sector is one of the promising areas of cooperation between the two countries…

Azerbaijan relies on EU to push Southern Gas Corridor – (Azernews) Azerbaijan highly relies on the support of the European Union in the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project.  This statement was remarked by Elshad Nasirov, the vice president of Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR, at the 22nd international Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition and Conference in Baku on June 3…

Azerbaijan to adopt new requirements and rules of gas supply – (ABC.AZ) The Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources, Energy & Ecology has discussed the amendments to the Law on Gas Supply.  The amendments, submitted by representative of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) Vugar Eyvazov and SOCAR sub-company Azeriqaz’s chairman Akbar Hajiyev, envisage the application of new requirements and regulations in the field of gas supply…

Georgia

Turkish cabinet approves energy lines with Georgia – (Caspian News) The Turkish cabinet approved a Memorandum of Understanding for an electricity interconnection between Georgia and Turkey, Turkey’s official gazette reported on Tuesday, Caspian Energy News (www.caspianenergy.net) reports with reference to Anadolu Agency…

G4G held media study tour on Hydropower – (The Messenger Online) The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Governing for Growth (G4G) in Georgia project with the Ministry of Energy of Georgia organized a media study tour on May 30 – 31…

Moldova

The First Communities – Beneficiaries of the Energy and Biomass Project 2 Financed by the European Union Have Been Selected – (AEE) 19 schools, kindergartens, and other public institutions from the southern region of Moldova and ATU Gagauz-Yeri will be connected to modern technologies for energy generation from renewable sources. These are the first communities benefiting from the EU Energy and Biomass Project 2, which have passed the final selection phase, out of 34 application files submitted for the tender…

Turkey

Turkey's TEIAS increases ENTSO-E cross-border capacity – (ICIS) The Turkish grid operator TEIAS has increased the interconnection capacity with Bulgaria and Greece by 100MW, a source at the operator told ICIS on Wednesday.  The net transfer capacity between the Bulgarian and Greek systems to Turkey will increase from 550MW to 650MW, while the export capacity in reverse direction will rise from 400MW to 500MW…

Turkish Stream good for 'Europe's energy security' – (Anadolu Agency) The Turkish Stream gas pipeline will help increase Europe's energy security, Boris Abramov, Russia's trade representative to the U.K. said on Tuesday.  Speaking at the 2nd Russian Energy Forum, sponsored by Turkey's Anadolu Agency, Abramov stated that Russia signed a deal in December 2014 with Turkey's state-owned natural gas company, BOTAS on constructing a pipeline with a capacity of 63 billion cubic meters…

Turkey's energy prices continued to rise – (Balkans) Turkey's energy prices continued to rise in May, in line with oil prices, the central bank said on Thursday, while annual food price inflation eased after a long period of increases.In its monthly statement on inflation, a day after data showed annual consumer price inflation rising above 8 percent for the first time this year, the bank said core goods inflation remained on an upward trend in line with forex effects…

If you use electricity illegally, do it, but do not waste it: Turkey's distribution company – (Daily Sabah) Dicle Electricity Distribution Corporation (DEDAŞ) CEO Murat Karagüzel, called on electricity users in the region not to waste the energy it provides since the total amount of electricity generated by two major damns in the area – the Keban and Karakaya dams – do not even cover the lost or wasted amount, he said…

Turkish day-ahead power prices up on outages, election uncertainty – (Platts) Turkish day-ahead power contracts gained in the week to Tuesday as coal-fired power plant outages and a weakening lira supported prices, while warm weather is set to persist into mid-June, sources said…

Turkish Election Could Jeopardize Erdogan’s Energy Deals, Alter Relationship With EU And Russia – (International Business Times) Turkey’s national elections on Sunday could put an end to the 13-year rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party, or AKP,  which has ruled without coalition partners. Elections results could force AKP to accept a coalition partner to govern the country…

Turkey holds key role to deliver gas to Europe – (Video News) Turkey has a key role due to its position at the center of routes of natural gas delivery through pipelines to international energy markets, an expert said Tuesday.  In London at the 2nd Russian Energy Forum: Finance and Investment, organized by Eurasian Dynamics and sponsored by Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, Kate Mallinson, a political risk expert at the London-based international business intelligence firm GPW, spoke about Turkey’s energy role in the region…

Turkish Energy Ministry Agrees Gas Price Discount with Russia – (Sputnik) The Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources confirmed Wednesday that the country's Botas and Russia's Gazprom energy companies have agreed on a discount for gas supplies…

Turkey says Gazprom could start Turkish Stream construction this month – (Hurriyet Daily News) Russia’s Gazprom is likely to start the construction of a planned gas pipeline to Turkey by the end of this month, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız told Reuters, adding that Ankara is considering becoming an equity partner in the project…

Russia’s Gazprom presses on with Turkey pipeline despite questions – (Daily Times) Russia’s Gazprom plans to start building a pipeline to Turkey this month to get gas to Europe without going through Ukraine, company sources said, although it has no firm agreement with Ankara and faces opposition from the European Union…

Turkey’s energy policies set good example: US Comm. – (Video News) Turkey has demonstrated, with its policies, a wonderful example of being very strong and energy independent, said Colette Honorable, Commissioner of the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.  “The development of Turkey’s energy policy with its own energy resources is very important.” Honorable told Anadolu Agency on Friday…

Turkey proves its strength in energy policy – (Caspian Energy News) The member of the American Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Collette Honorable noted that Turkey has proven its strength in the energy policy, Caspian Energy News (www.caspianenergy.net) reports with reference to Anadolu Agency…

Ukraine

Ukraine exports 1.147 bln kWh of electricity in Jan-April, imports 1.382 mln kWh – (Interfax-Ukraine) Ukraine reduced electricity exports by 60% or 1.723 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in January-April 2015 year-over-year, to 1.147 billion, a source in the Energy and Coal Industry Ministry has told Interfax-Ukraine…

‘Urgent changes needed in Ukraine’s energy sector’ – (Energy Live News) Urgent changes are needed in the energy sector in Ukraine.  That’s according to Sir Suma Chakrabarti, President of the European Bank for Research and Development (EBRD), who was speaking at the Ukrainian-Canadian Congress in Toronto…

Milestone Law amending Feed-In Tariff in Ukraine – (JDSupra) On June 4, 2015, the Ukrainian parliament adopted Draft Law on Introduction of Changes to Certain Laws of Ukraine with respect to Securing Competitive Conditions for Production of Electricity from Alternative Energy Sources, No. 2010-d of 19.05.2015 (the “Law”). The Law, which contains various changes to the current feed-in tariff regime in Ukraine.  The quality of service has been raised, the capacity of the network has increased by 40 percent in the region, and the data transmission speed has been doubled…

Poroshenko plans to disclose information on formation of utilities tariffs – (Interfax-Ukraine) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said he plans to initiate legislative changes which would disclose information on the formation of utilities tariffs to Ukrainian citizens…

Energoatom notes difficulties in denunciation of agreement with Russia on building third and fourth units of Khmelnytsky nuclear power plant – (Kyiv Post) Energoatom President Yuriy Nedashkovsky has pointed out difficulties in the denunciation of the agreement between Ukraine and Russia on the construction of the third and fourth power units at Khmelnytsky nuclear power plant…

Ukraine power cuts trap hundreds of miners – (Video News) Around 1,000 miners have been stranded underground in eastern Ukraine due to power cuts caused by clashes between government troops and pro-Russian separatists, rebels have claimed.  Self-proclaimed Donetsk’s People’s Republic military spokesman Eduard Basurin said Wednesday there had been a power outage at Zasyadko coal mine in the Kievsky district of Donetsk…

All Miners Rescued From East Ukraine Coal Mine After Power Outage – (Sputnik News) The emergency services of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said that all miners trapped underground in the Skochinsky coal mine in eastern Ukraine have been rescued…

Ukraine Seeks New Russia Gas Deal as Military Tensions Rise – (Bloomberg) Ukraine needs to negotiate a new natural-gas deal with Russia just as the conflict between the two countries risks escalating again.  A gas-price agreement with Russian exporter OAO Gazprom expires at the end of the month and Ukraine requires fuel to replenish stockpiles before the winter…

A Nuclear Power Plant In Political Crosshairs In Crimea – (Nuclear Street) While Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 remains a matter of international dispute, the United Nation’s nuclear power watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has declared that the nuclear power plant on the peninsula is Ukrainian…

DNC Energy announces 25-MW biomass project in Ukraine – (SeeNews) Ukrainian renewables firm DNC Energy said Monday it has secured “major funding” through a bond programme to build a 25-MW biomass power plant in the Kyiv region…

Gazprom reaffirms plans to bypass Ukraine in 2019 – (EurActiv) Russia's Gazprom has reaffirmed its plans to cut off gas transits through Ukraine to western Europe in 2019 and urged the European Union to speed up a decision on Russian gas delivery routes to ensure it receives supplies after that time…

Ukrainian Energy Ministry announces preliminary agreement to extend gas 'winter package' – (Kyiv Post) The Ukrainian-Russian-EU working group for trilateral gas consultations reached certain agreements in Brussels last week to extend the winter package, Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn said…

Energy ministry supports reduction of gas royalties to 35% – (Interfax-Ukraine) The Energy and Coal Industry Ministry of Ukraine supports the reduction of royalties for gas extraction from the current rate of 55% (from deep wells) to 35%, Energy and Coal Industry Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn said at a press conference in Kyiv on Monday…

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