Albania

Albania Taking Steps to Liberalise Energy Market  - (Energentika) “The Albanian Parliament has approved the new Law on Electricity, which establishes a schedule for further market liberalisation. Aldditionally, steps are being made to unite neighbouring countries markets…

European Nations link energy infrastructure amid concerns over Russia – (Vatican Radio) Fifteen European nations have endorsed an action plan to link and improve their energy infrastructure in an effort to reduce the threat of Russia choking off supplies. The agreement signed in Dubrovnik, Croatia, was backed by the European Commission, the European Union's executive, amid concerns over Russia's influence over energy…

Albania Ratifies 3 Agreements with Germany in Energy Sector (Energetika) Bejtja explained the agreements, which, according to him, are intended not only to support the energy system, but also to increase the co-operation between the public sector electricity production, transmission...

Merkel assures Albania of European prospects – (Island Packet) German Chancellor Angela Merkel has assured Albania and Western Balkan countries there is no artificial delay in their EU entry prospects but says they should deepen reforms to achieve the required standards…

Albanian OSHEE: More On Time Payments, Investments in Grid Planned This Year – (Energetika) This month OSHEE received ALL 4.5 billion (1 ALL = 0.01 EUR), which is almost ALL 1.2 billion more than in June 2014, and ALL 3 billion more than in the same period in 2013….

Bulgaria

Energy Act Amendments Pass First Reading in Bulgaria’s Parliament – (Novinite) Two bills introducing changes to Bulgaria’s Energy Act passed first reading in Parliament on Tuesday…

Bulgaria energy minister: NEK suffered BGN 300 deficit out of 5% electricity price cut – (Focus) When speaking of who is ruining the National Electricity Company (NEK) and who is trying to save it, we should remember the 5% electricity price cut last year,” Bulgarian Minister of Energy Temenuzhka Petkova said speaking at parliament during the debates on the amendments to the Energy Act…

Bulgaria parliament approves establishment of Energy System Security Fund – (Focus) Bulgarian parliament approved on first reading the amendments to the Energy Act, FOCUS News Agency reporter said. The draft bill was backed by 107 MPs, 33 MPs voted “against”, while 10 MPs abstained…

Bulgaria's Renewable Energy Producers Warn Against New Planned Fees – (Novinite) Amendments to the energy sector put forward by the government of Bulgaria contravene EU directives and the so-called Juncker Investment Plan, renewable energy producers say…

Energy: EU invests €150 million in energy infrastructure – (European Commission) Today Member States agreed on the Commission's proposal to allocate €150 million to key trans-European energy infrastructure projects…

EU to Allocate Funding to Two Energy Infrastructure Projects in Bulgaria – (Novinite) EU member states approved on Tuesday the proposal of the European Commission (EC) to allocate EUR 150 M to twenty key trans-European energy infrastructure projects. ..

Europe offers grants for energy security – (UPI) More than $150 million in grants support the development of energy infrastructure projects in Central and Southeastern Europe, the European Commission said…

Wirtschaftsblatt: Bulgaria, the End of a Big Energy Dream – (Novinite) Bulgaria will have to count on two prospective gas pipeline projects to secure to fulfill its recent dream and become a key player on the energy map, Austrian daily Wirtschaftsblatt says in an article…

Energy: Central Eastern and South Eastern European countries join forces to create an integrated gas market – (European Commission) A well-connected EU energy market where energy flows freely across borders and no Member State remains isolated from the EU energy networks is a pre-condition for creating a resilient Energy Union with a forward-looking climate policy…

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Government Discusses “Heating Issues” in Sarajevo – (Energetika) In order to avoid potential problems with heating during the heating season, the government of the Sarajevo Canton adopted several measures to aid the two companies, as proposed by the ministry in charge…

Energy Minister of Republika Srpska Calms Down the Power Prices Debate – (Energetika) "Whether or not it will be increased this year depends on the attitude of the new regulatory commission which should be elected in September…

Gas-thirsty Europe out to add lines – (Arkansas Online) A well-connected EU energy market where energy flows freely across borders Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republic of Moldova will sign at a later stage…

FERK to Hold Two Public Debates – (Energetika) Another public debate will also be held on this day, regarding the request for an electricity generation licence, submitted by the company ENERGOSOL Ltd. Stolac, FERK announced on its website…

Croatia

US official says Croatia important for region's energy solution – (Dalje) Europe should focus on energy projects that will secure its future, diversification and independence and Croatia could have a role in that as part of the energy solution for the region, the Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs leading the Bureau of Energy Resources at the U.S. Department of State, Amos Hochstein, said ahead of a meeting of energy ministers in Dubrovnik on Friday…

Research and Markets: Construction in Croatia - Key Trends and Opportunities to 2019 – (Business Wire) Croatia's construction industry has suffered a dramatic decline since the global financial crisis. In real terms, the Croatian construction industry's output contracted by 6.1% in 2014…

Grabar-Kitarovic says floating LNG terminal would reduce energy prices – (Dalije) A floating terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Croatia would lower energy prices both for households and the business sector, President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said in Dubrovnik on Friday…

Questions and answers on the proposal to revise the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS) – (European Commission) The European Commission has presented a legislative proposal to revise the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) in line with the 2030 climate and energy policy framework agreed by the EU leaders in October 2014…

General Electric Enters Project Plomin C – (Energetika) General Electric, which plans to take over the power equipment business of the French company Alstom for EUR 12.4 billion, has entered the Plomin C project. It is about to become a direct supplier of equipment...

Energizing Balkan development and integration – (Dtt-Nett) Croatia has come so far since this forum began ten years ago – now a member of both NATO and the EU, today Croatia is a net exporter of regional and global security and development, from Afghanistan, to Kosovo, to West Africa…

Croatian HOPS: 100 kV Cable Connection to Be Completed Ahead of Schedule – (Energetika) The construction of the 110 kV cable connection between Pehlin and the Turnić transformer station began in late January 2015, and completion is planned in 13 months…

Kosovo

Kosovo: Outage of Unit B1 at Kosova B Power Plant – (Energetika) Due to the circumstances, KEDS is facing a considerable unplanned electricity shortage in the system with only two active units. Moreover, because of the impossibility of importing large amounts of energy…

Macedonia

Charging Electric Cars in Macedonia Free of Charge – (Energetika) The first free electric charging station has been installed at the Macedonian Phalanx multi-storey car park in Skopje, Independent.mk writes... 

National Regulators in EC are Independent; Some Issues Need to be Addressed – (Energetika) “The report allows us to take stock of the current state of regulatory independence in the Energy Community and identify the legal gaps between the current state of play and what still must be done to implement...

Montenegro

EBRD is supporting Montenegro's first commercial wind power plant – (Balkans) In a landmark project for Montenegro’s energy sector, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supporting the first commercial wind power plant in Montenegro, to be located at Krnovo, near the town of Niksic in the western part of the country…

Montenegrin Power Utility Records Power Consumption the Same as in May – (Energetika) June's average electricity bill for households was 29.7 euros, the company announced. Households in Pljevlja recorded the lowest average consumption cost of 23 euros, while the highest consumption last month…

Bulgaria and Montenegro are unanimous on the construction of regional energy market – (Focus) Bulgaria and Montenegro are unanimous in the view for construction of regional energy market, which to guarantee the energy security to the separate states and market prices for each of them…

Nearly EUR 100 Million Loan for Wind Power Plant in Montenegro – (Energetika) “This is the first large-scale investment in Montenegro’s electricity generation capacity since the 1980s. Once constructed and operational the wind farm will represent 8% of the total installed capacity and 6%...

Romania

Romania’s energy sector needs EUR 30 bln investments – (Romania Insider) Romania’s energy sector requires about EUR 30 billion investments in the next 15 years, and most of them should come from the private sector, said Catalin Pauna, World Bank economist in Romania…

Romania to get 9.5 billion Euro funds for transport, environment, energy – (The Diplomat) Romania will get close to 9.5 billion euros for investments in projects on environment, energy and transport, by means of the Operational Programme for Major Infrastructure of Romania (POIM)-2014-2020 adopted by the European Commission, the Commission Resident Office in Romania announced in a release.

Romanian insolvent energy producer posts record profit, pays off debt – (Romania Insider) State-owned power producer Hidroelectrica, which is still under insolvency, saw a record profit of EUR 162 million in the first semester of the year, up by almost half (42%) compared to the first six months of 2014…

Rompetrol Downstream has planned for 2015 investments of some 18 million dollars – (Act Media) Rompetrol Downstream has planned for 2015 investments of some 18 million dollars in order to open 11 new petrol stations, while next year's investments are estimated at over 20 million dollars, and the number of new stations at around 20, Vlad Rusnac, the company's CEO, said on…..

Romania's Day-Ahead Power Prices Rise by 13.31% in June (Energetika) The average price on the day-ahead market was 32.92 EUR/MWh, an increase of 19.45% compared to May, and an increase of 6.04% compared to June 2014…

MOU promotes stronger ties among Canadian and Romanian nuclear suppliers – (Act Media) The Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries (OCI) and the Romanian Atomic Forum Association (ROMATOM) are proud to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation in the nuclear power field, a press release informs…

Romania Successful in Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions – (Energetika) The minister pointed out that without the European Union’s policies aimed at curbing pollution, the pressure on the environment would be devastating, both with regard to ecosystems and to people’s health…

The Source of a Nation's Wealth Is Its Energy – (Huffington Post) There is a constant world struggle between the energy HAVES and the HAVE-NOTS. Between the unstable Middle East oil nations, and most of the rest of the world…

Serbia

Serbia to see surge in wind power output by 2025 – (Energy Voice) Onshore wind capacity in Serbia is expected to surge by 2025, boosted by a number of new projects in the country…

US vows to help Serbia ensure energy security – (dtt-nett) US officials vowed today Washington will help Serbia ensure energy security following the decision of Russia to abandon the South Stream gas pipeline amid pressure by the EU toward Moscow for non-respect of European energy rules…

Gas Interconnectors with Greece and Serbia are Bulgarian Priority (Energetika) The priority projects which include Bulgarian participation are the gas interconnections Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) and Bulgaria-Serbia (IBS), as well as the rehabilitation, modernization, and expansion of the Bulgaria…

Serbia’s onshore wind capacity ‘to reach 542MW by 2025′ - (Energy Live News) Serbia’s onshore wind capacity is expected to soar in the next 10 years. A new report forecasts installed wind capacity to increase from just 20MW last year to an estimated 542MW by 2025…

Serbia to Have 3 Gas Sources from 2019 Onwards; Azeri Gas Price Still a Mystery – (Energetika) Serbia could also diversify its gas imports with the Niš – Dimitrovgrad gas pipeline, thus being connected to Bulgaria. “In addition to the Greece – Bulgaria interconnection, the second most important area…

Nuland: US Supports Serbia’s Path To EU – (In News) The Serbian prime minister and the U.S. assistant secretary of state met for a working lunch to discuss the bilateral relations, Serbia’s European integration, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, and the situation in the region, particularly in BiH and Macedonia…

Europe United in the Belief That an Integrated Gas Market is Needed – (Energetika) After the high-ranking officials, who attended last Thursday’s conference of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators, among them the Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy and the Vice-President...

Armenia

ANCA Welcomes State Department’s Renewable Energy Delegation To Armenia – (Asbarez) The Armenian National Committee of America welcomed on Monday the State Department’s recent announcement of a U.S. trade delegation to Armenia, during the first week of October, to explore investment opportunities in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and conservation to achieve greater energy independence…

‘Electric Yerevan’ Protests Put Spotlight on Armenia’s Corruption – (WPR) Electric Yerevan, the name given to protests in Armenia that started last month, has mostly ended. But the grievances that catapulted anger over a utility rate hike into weeks of protests in the capital, Yerevan, and across the country remain all too relevant…

Armenia Hails International Agreement on Iran Nuclear Program  -(Massis Post) Armenia promptly welcomed on Tuesday a historic international agreement that was reached on Iran’s nuclear program, as a result of determined, constructive efforts by Iran and the international mediators, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in a special statement…

Small Electric Yerevan Spark -- A Big Challenge for the Armenian Government  -(Huffington Post) The freedom of speech and freedom of assembly are fundamental rights in a democracy. These rights are also enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia…

Armenia Fines Russian-Owned Electricity Firm  -(Radio Free Europe) The Russian owned firm that owns Armenia's electricity grid has been fined $126,000 for what state regulators in Yerevan have described as a violation of consumer rights…

EYKA: Electric Yerevan, Kamp Armen  -(The Armenian Weekly) These two recent Armenian mini-movements have gotten quite a bit of (well-deserved) attention. I suspect the movement to save Camp Armen has gotten a little less play than it deserves because we in the diaspora are not yet well-enough attuned to following developments in our occupied territories, other Armenian-inhabited parts of Turkey, and especially Bolis (once an Armenian “capital”—remember, that’s where the Western Armenian Renaissance emerged; and, as the capital of the Byzantine Empire, it was home to many Armenian emperors

Armenian expert says creation of single energy system for EEU member states is a matter of time ( ARKA) reation of a single energy system and setting unified electricity prices for member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) is a matter of time, according to Vazgen Safaryan, the chairman of the Union of Domestic Commodity Producers...

Hovik Abramyan and Dmitry Medvedev discuss issues in regard to cooperation in energy sector – (ArmPress) Armenian and Russian Prime Misters Hovik Abramian and Dmity Medvedev met in the Governement Reception House of the Russiamn Federation on July 9, 2015…

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Georgia to jointly develop alternative energy – (Azernews) Azerbaijan’s State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Energy and the Georgian Energy Ministry will establish a joint working group in the field of alternative energy, the state agency reported on July 8…

Expeditionary group for alternative energy started its marches all over Azerbaijan – (ABC.AZ) Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Expeditionary group for alternative energy formed by the State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Source (ABOEMDA) started its marches all over Azerbaijan…

Electricity bridge to be established between Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan – (Daily Sabah Energy) A new energy line will be added to the current energy corridor that runs between Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The electrical part of the corridor starts with the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and continues with the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP)…

Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia - new energy corridor – (News.AZ) zerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey launched a new energy corridor. Oxu.Az reports with reference to Turkish media that the delegations of the three countries met in Tbilisi (Georgia) to discuss a new energy corridor…

Minister: 50% of works on Southern Gas corridor completed in Azerbaijan – (News.AZ) 50% of works of the Southern Gas Corridor in Azerbaijan part have been done, said the Minister of Energy Natig Aliyev, APA reports…

US to continue co-op with Azerbaijan on SGC – (AzerNews) The U.S., a strategic partner and friend of Azerbaijan, will continue cooperating on the Southern Gas Corridor project and other projects to be implemented in the future…

President: Southern Gas Corridor good example of Azerbaijani-Italian co-op  -(Azernews) The Southern Gas Corridor is a good example of successful cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy. This statement was made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at a meeting with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarello in Rome on July 9…

Georgia

EBRD facilitates first carbon credit deal in Georgia – (Agenda.GE) A Georgian Hydro Power Plant (HPP) has slashed its energy emissions and is now "well-positioned” to generate additional financial revenues and bolster the economy, says a top European investment bank…

Enguri Hydro Power Plant concludes sale of carbon credits – (Financial) Georgia’s Enguri hydropower plant (HPP) has concluded the first sale of carbon credits. In a landmark transaction the state-owned operator Engurhesi Ltd issued and sold over 400,000 carbon credits to the Norwegian electricity company Statkraft…

Georgia and Turkmenistan Coy on Energy Speculation – (Georgia Today) Last week the central streets of Tbilisi were decorated with national flags of Turkmenistan and Georgia as the capital of Georgia hosted a high-ranking delegation from the Central Asian state…

Georgia: Russia Occupies BP Oil Pipeline – (Eurasianet) Continuing its game of redrawing borders, Russia has grabbed a 1.5-kilometer-long slice of a critical oil export pipeline in Georgia for the separatist territory of South Ossetia, leaving Tbilisi, once again, calling for the international community to come to the rescue…

Turkey

Turkey opens privatization tenders for two power plants  -(Daily News) Turkey’s Privatization Administration (ÖİB) has opened tenders for the privatization of a combined cycle and gas turbine power plant in Aliağa in the Aegean province of İzmir and a gas plant in Bursa in northwestern Turkey, the Official Gazette said on July 15…

Turkey Seeks Military Power To Defend Energy Projects – (Stratfor) There has been growing military cooperation between Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan over the past six weeks…

Exergy announces geothermal power plant successfully in operation in Turkey – (PennEnergy) EXERGY, the Italian technology leader in the design, engineering and manufacturing of Organic Rankine Cycle systems with the pioneering Radial Outflow Turbine technology, are proud to announce the operational launch of another geothermal plant in Turkey for the client AKÇA ENERJI. With the successful completion of this ORC binary installation, the AKÇA plant will be the world's first equipped with 2-pressure-level cycle on a single-disk turbine…

Vestas Secures 46 MW Wind Order In Turkey – (Clean Technica) Vestas Wind Systems announced that it has been awarded a 46 MW wind turbine order in Turkey. The wind energy giant announced the news last Friday, after being awarded a firm and unconditional order for 14 of its V126-3.3 MW turbines for the Amasya wind power project being developed in Turkey by Sehzade Enerji, which is fully owned by GNCR Holding and Eurowind Holdings…

CHP files to abolish TRT duty charged on electricity bills – (Todays Zaman) The main opposition party has submitted a draft amendment to Parliament which, if adopted, will see the charges levied on electricity bills to fund the state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) abolished…

Iran accord to ‘fuel up’ Turkey’s energy sector – (Daily News) The international deal over Iran’s nuclear program will boost Turkey’s energy sector as oil prices will drop and gas imports from Iran to Turkey might increase, according to sector representatives, who predict that Turkey may even buy more Iranian oil than it did before Tehran was hit by sanctions…

Turkey becomes major transit hub for energy – (Azernews) Energy supplies transported from Central Asia, Russia, and the Middle East to Europe via Turkey are increasing, reported the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)…

Turkey Energy Profile: Increasingly Important Transit Hub For Oil And Natural Gas – (Eurasia Review) Turkey is an increasingly important transit hub for oil and natural gas supplies as they move from Central Asia, Russia, and the Middle East to Europe and other Atlantic markets…

Vestas gets 46 MW order in Turkey – (Reuters) Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems said on Friday it had received a 46 megawatt turbine order for a wind project in Turkey…

Ukraine

United States - Ukraine Energy Security Working Group – (Yuma News Now) The United States and Ukraine held its fifth annual Energy Security Dialogue chaired by the U.S. Department of State’s Special Envoy for International Energy Affairs Amos Hochstein and Ukraine’s Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn on July 14, in Washington DC…

Nataliya Katser-Buchkovska: No more choices except reform of energy market in Ukraine – (Kyiv Post) While global trends are signaling about the expanding of the low carbon energy, Ukraine, being in the center of Europe and having a well-developed energy infrastructure, is lagging behind due to huge energy crises…

Fire Sale, Everything Must Go! Ukraine Puts 345 State Firms Up For Sale – (Sputnik) Ukrainian Economic Development Minister Aivaras Abromavicius clarified exactly how many state companies would be offered up for sale to US and European investors at the upcoming Ukrainian-American investment conference in Washington D.C on Monday, stating that 345 state-run firms would be put on offer to the highest bidder…

Kiev: Russia cuts off power supplies to Ukraine rebels – (Daily Sabah Europe) Kiev said Tuesday that Russia had cut off electricity to Ukraine's rebel-run regions in what appears to be another sign that Moscow is losing interest in plans to splinter its neighbor…

IMF Warns Proposed Legislation in Ukraine Threatens Reform – (Nasdaq) The International Monetary Fund warned Sunday that recently proposed legislation in Ukraine threatens to undermine reforms critical to the success of a $40 billion bailout package for the country…

LNG deliveries mulled for Ukrainian market – (UPI) A Texas-based company, led in part by a former Conoco Phillips veteran, said it was reviewing the prospects of shipping liquefied natural gas to Ukraine…

Bloomberg: Demchyshyn says Ukraine's energy infrastructure is doing well – (Kyiv Post) Ukraine Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn disicusses Ukraine's energy infrastructure with Bloomberg's Matt Miller and Alix Steel on "Bloomberg Markets…

Ukraine to lower natural resource royalties by half – finance minister – (RT) Ukrainian Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko announced that Kiev will be lowering its natural resource royalty taxes to spur business. The move comes following complaints from investors that the 55 percent rate introduced last year was too high…

Ukraine pledges big tax cut to spur energy investment – (Kyiv Post) Investors have complained vociferously that the nation’s goal to become energy independent is doomed by excessively high royalty tax rates of 55 percent enacted last year as a crisis measure…

Experts: Ukraine's energy efficiency reforms to target consumers, suppliers and government – (Kyiv Post) When asked what the most promising sectors for investment in Ukraine are, business says energy efficiency. Ukraine's energy market, which heavily relies on worn-out plants and outdated technologies, has little changed since Ukraine’s independence…

EU condemns Russia’s plans to ditch gas transit through Ukraine by 2019 – (RT) Russia's refusal to pump gas through Ukraine will change the balance in Europe, which will have a negative impact on the energy security of Europe, said European Commission Vice President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic…

Robert Bensh: If Ukraine wants energy independence, it first needs a coherent strategy – (Kyiv Post) The Ukrainian government is not in a rush to drop its dangerous fiscal experiments in taxation of domestic gas production…

Ukrainian tech startup's energy-saving solution – (Kyiv Post) To promote energy efficiency, Ukrainian startup Ecoisme has designed household sensors which look like wireless Internet routers…

 

 

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.