Albania

 

Verbund and EVN open 53MW Ashta hydropower plant – (International Water Power) Energji Ashta, a company owned by Verbund and EVN, has officially opened the largest hydromatrix hydropower plant in Albania…

 

Albanian government calls CEZ Distribution to meet contractual obligations  – (Hydro World) Albanian finance minister Ridvan Bode has called the country's single energy distribution company CEZ Distribution to fulfill the contractual obligations of its privatisation contract signed in 2009, local TV Top Channel reported…

 

 

Bulgaria

 

Bulgarian biomass energy association to challenge watchdog’s decision in Brussels – (Focus) Sofia. “The installed capacity for energy production from biomass is 6.5 megawatts. This is a market niche, which supposes an investment of EUR 500 million – BGN 600 million,” said Andrey Bachvarov, Chairperson of the Association of biomass energy producers in Bulgaria, in a commentary for Bulgaria on Air TV…

 

Bulgaria wants gas grid link with Turkey in Nabucco – (The Sofia Globe) Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov offered the Nabucco consortium to include the future gas grid link with Turkey in the Nabucco infrastructure, provided the consortium’s participants agreed to pay for the connector…

 

Bulgaria's Power Grid Operator Seeks Cheaper Electricity from 2 TPPs – (Novinite) Bulgaria's National Electric Company (NEK) will start renegotiating the provisions of the long-term contracts with thermal power plants AES Galabovo and Contur Global Maritsa Iztok-3 to achieve lower prices of the electricity produced by the two US-owned TPPs…

 

Bulgarian Renewable Energy Producers to Alert EC over Grid Access Fee – (Novinite) Bulgarian renewable energy producers have threatened to notify the European Commission that the recently introduced grid access fee constitutes unregulated state aid to power distributors…

 

Bulgaria's Energy Grid Ready for Winter Mode – (Novinite) Bulgaria's energy system is ready to start working in a winter mode stated Bulgarian Energy Holding CEO Mihail Andonov…

 

Bulgaria mulls launching new procedure on gas and oil exploration in the Black Sea – (Focus) Sofia. Bulgarian government is to discuss the idea of launching a new procedure for natural gas and oil exploration in the Black Sea. At today’s sitting the Council of Ministers will examine the opening of a public tender for issuing an exploration permit for Bloc 1-22 Teres…

 

 

Bosnia

 

EBRD honours companies with best energy projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina – (The Information daily) The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is honouring innovative local companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to promote energy solutions…

 

Bosnia 450 MW coal-fired project draws 12 bids – (Reuters) Bosnian utility EPBiH has received non-binding bids from 12 international firms and consortia to help build a 450 megawatt coal-fired unit at its Tuzla power plant, it said on Thursday.

 

Serbia’s EPS Seeks Seasonal Power Import From Bosnia’s ERS – (Bollmberg Business Week) Elektroprivreda Srbije, Serbia’s state-run power monopoly, is close to arranging the import of 574 gigawatt-hours from Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske in neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina…

 

EBRD Recognizes Best Energy Saving Projects in the Balkans – (IISD reporting Services) 5 October 2012: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has recognized local companies that have substantially cut their energy costs and enhanced their production in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Slovakia…

 

 

Croatia

 

Croatia to choose partner for Plomin plant in Q1 '13 – (Reuters) Croatia will choose by next April its strategic partner in the construction of a 500-megawatt thermal power plant in the northern Adriatic, Deputy Prime Minister Radimir Cacic said on Wednesday…

 

 

Kosovo

 

http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n289450 -- Energy investments capacities in Kosovo may go without tender – (Focus) With proven lignite deposits of over 12 billion tons Kosovo is among the richest countries in the world, nevertheless it still suffers severe shortages and instability of power supply. To overwhelm this discrepancy the government of Hashim Thaci seeks to improve the legislative base for boosting the foreign investments in the energy and mineral sectors, Reporter-Kosovo informs exclusively for FOCUS News Agency…

 

http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/142826/kosovo-to-decommission-biggest-regional-air-polluter.html -- Kosovo to Decommission Biggest Regional Air Polluter – (Turkish Weekly) The Kosovo government pledged to shut down one of the country's two thermal power plants, which is the biggest air polluter in the region and build a new one, but some experts are concerned the country may not meet the 2017 deadline….

 

 

Macedonia

 

Regional energy outlook depends on autumn rainfall – (Setimes) Stubborn dry conditions in Southeast Europe pose a threat to energy supplies this winter, officials said, as low reservoirs at hydroelectric plants could lead to increased imports of power – and new price increases…

 

Macedonia woos Indian investors for power projects – (Busienss Standards) Invites tenders for 650-Mw hydro power projects with an investment of 700 mn euros.  Republic of Macedonia, a fast-growing emerging economy in the southeastern part of Europe, is exploring opportunities to attract investments from India for power projects, and in sectors including real estate, agriculture, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, IT and automotive, according to Zoran Stavreski, vice prime minister and minister of finance…

 

 

 

 

Montenegro
Montenegro: EPCG to cut KAP's electricity supply on 30 September – (Balkans) On 30 September, Elektroprivreda (EPCG) will stop supplying electricity to the Aluminium Plant Podgorica (KAP), the power company announced…

 

 

Romania

 

GDF Suez to Complete Romanian Wind Farm by Early December – (Bloomberg) GDF Suez SA (GSZ) will complete the construction of a 75 million-euro ($96 million) wind farm in Romania at the end of November or early December, said Eric Stab, who heads GDF Suez Energy Romania…

 

Romania could start gas extraction from Black Sea at end of decade – (Romania-Insider) Romania should start extracting gas from the Black Sea towards the end of this decade, and OMV Petrom’s exploitation of reserves in the Black Sea could grant the country energy independence, said Mariana Gheorghe, OMV Petrom CEO, during a TV show on Sunday (October 7 )…

 

Adrian Borotea (CEZ): Romania needs to change its electricity resource pool – (Act Media) Romania needs to change its electricity resource pool or otherwise it runs the risk of seeing itself compelled right in the near future to import electricity amid the energy policy promoted by the European Union (EU), CEZ Romania director Adrian Borotea told a seminar on renewable energy…

 

EDPR dives into solar energy with 39MW Suntech module order – (Recharge News) Portugal’s EDP Renováveis (EDPR) has ordered up 39MW of solar modules from China’s Suntech, as Europe’s second largest wind farm operator pushes into the PV sector sooner than expected…

 

Suntech to Supply 39MW of PV Panels for Romanian Solar Projects – (Solar Novus Today) Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. the world's largest producer of solar panels, and EDP Renovaveis have signed a contract for Suntech to supply 39 megawatts (MW) of polycrystalline solar panels…

 

 

Serbia

 

Revitalisation of Serbia's HPP Bajina Basta to be finished in 2013 – (Balkans) Serbia's Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic said that the Electric Power Industry of Serbia will not be privatised and that it is crucial that Serbia keeps control of its package of shares in the energy sector…

 

Serbia’s EPS Seeks Seasonal Power Import From Bosnia’s ERS – (Bloomberg) Elektroprivreda Srbije, Serbia’s state-run power monopoly, is close to arranging the import of 574 gigawatt-hours from Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske in neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina…

 

Serbia and Italy discuss joint projects and improvment of cooperation in infrastructure and renewable energy fields – (Balkans) Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti had talks in Rome, discussing the joint projects of the two countries and possibilities of improving the cooperation, especially in the fields of infrastructure and renewable energy sources…

 

 

 

EBRD honours companies with best energy projects in Serbia – (Equities) Release date- 02102012 - In its drive to promote energy savings and renewable energy solutions in Serbia, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is honouring companies that have substantially cut their energy costs, enhanced their production and become more competitive…

 

Serbia and Bulgaria to Build Gas Pipeline, Diversify Supply – (Bloomberg Business Week) Serbia and Bulgaria will build natural gas pipeline, linking networks and improving energy security for both countries that now have single supply routes…

 

 

Azerbaijan

 

SOCAR applies for sanction to supply electricity from alternative sources for a network of Azerbaijan – (ABC.AZ) Baku, Fineko/abc.az. The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) becomes a national provider of electricity from renewable sources…

 

Azerbaijan’s power generation drops by 16.7% in September – (ABC.AZ) Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Azerbaijani national energy producer Azerenerji OJSC reduced power generation in September 2012 by 16.7% versus August…

 

Baku Electric Network to cease power supply of subscribers from 11 am 15 October – (ABC.AZ) Baku, Fineko/abc.az. The main retail supplier of electricity in Azerbaijan, Bakielektriksebeke (Baku Electric Network; BEN) has resumed its drastic methods in respect to customers with arrears on power bills…

 

Azerbaijani Gas Supply to Turkey Resumed – (Turkish Weekly) Azerbaijani gas supply to Turkey, suspended because of an explosion on the South Caucasus gas pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum) is resumed, IHA agency quotes Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz as saying on Wednesday…

 

 

Georgia

 

Georgian TBC Bank, EBRD Sign Credit Agreement – (Turkish Weekly) Georgian TBC Bank and the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have completed work on a credit agreement to the amount of $10 million for the Caucasus Energy Security Programme…

 

International Conference – “Promotion of use of renewable energy sources and introduction of energy-efficient technologies in Georgia” – (The Messenger)  On September 25 the Greens Movement of Georgia /Friends of the Earth – Georgia organized International Conference – “Promotion of use of renewable energy sources and introduction of energy-efficient technologies in Georgia”…

 

 

Russia

 

Azarov: Russia promises Ukraine gas for $160 if it joins Customs Union  - (KyivPost) If Ukraine joins the Customs Union, it will see the price it pays for Russian gas fall to $160 per 1,000 cubic meters, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said in conversation with officials on Tuesday in Odesa…

 

Russia's EuroSibEnergo puts IPO plans on hold – (Reuters) Russian electricity firm EuroSibEnergo, owned by tycoon Oleg Deripaska, will put off plans for an initial public offering (IPO) in 2013 to focus on a deal with hydroelectric power giant RusHydro, its head said on Wednesday…

 

Russian bidder for Czech nuclear tender rules out Areva link – (Reuters) The Russian bidder for the contract to enlarge Czech CEZ's Temelin nuclear power plant on Wednesday ruled out linking its bid with French company Areva, which was disqualified from the tender last week…

 

Izvestia: Russia declares an energy war to Belarus – (Chapter97) In the Ministry of Energy of Russia they claim that Minsk refuses to fulfill the agreements on petrol supplies.

 

US Shale’s Seismic Shaking of Gazprom (and Putin) – (Energy Tribune) First Putin rubbished it. Then he tried to ignore it. Now the seismic tremors of the US shale gas boom are really being felt in Moscow…

 

 

Turkey

 

Syria halts power purchase from Turkey, says Turkish energy minister – (Press TV) Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz says Syria has stopped buying electricity from Turkey, amid tensions between the two neighboring countries…

 

Compliance with EU Regulations and the BOTAS Liberalization Process – (Turkish Weekly) Turkey's demand for energy will increase in the next 15-20years,according to the International Energy Agency’s latest country analysis briefs…

 

Turkey OKs 4 applications by private companies to import Russian gas – (Platts) Applications by four companies seeking to import Russian gas into Turkey via the 6 billion cu m/year Transbalkan I pipeline have been approved and import licenses will be issued within the next couple of weeks, a spokesman for Turkey's energy regulator EPDK told Platts Wednesday…

 

EU Advisor: Turkmenistan, Turkey Better be Excluded From Gas Related Sanctions on Iran – (Turkish Weekly) If the sanctions on Iran's gas are imposed, it can also affect Turkmenistan indirectly, EU economic advisor Mehrdad Emadi told Trend, speaking of the latest news on EU preparing a package for imposing gas sanctions on imports of Iran's gas…

 

Turkey says Syrian power supply halted by network damage – (Reuters) Turkey said on Thursday it had stopped supplying Syria with electricity, but officials said the decision was due to problems with its neighbor's network and not a political decision to cut it off…

 

UAE to partner for construction of second Turkish NPS – (Trends) If South Korea wins the construction tender for Turkey's second nuclear power station "Sinop," the UAE could become the project's second...

 

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Ukraine

 

Ukraine: Renewable Energy Projects In Ukraine – (Schonherr) The promotion of the renewable energy sector has brought the first results. Renewable sourced electricity facilities with a total capacity of 96 MW have been put into operation for the period September 2010 to September 2011…

 

Belarus to import 7.4bn kWh of electricity from Russia, Ukraine in 2012 – (Belarusian Telegraph Agency) MINSK, 9 October (BelTA) – Belarus plans to import 7.4bn kWh of electricity from Russia and Ukraine in 2012, First Deputy Director General of Belenergo Alexander Sivak told reporters on 9 October, BelTA has learnt…

 

Ukraine’s DTEK Plans to Sell Coal to China as the Economy Slows – (Bloomberg Business Week) DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private coal and power producer, hopes to expand coal sales to China as the world’s second-largest economy slows and demand declines…

 

Poland Offers Import Capacity for 220 Megawatts of Ukraine Power – (Bloomberg) Poland’s power grid manager PSE Operator SA offered 220 megawatts of capacity to import electricity via a link with Ukraine in November, the company said on its website…

 

Ukrainian energy company questions debt repayment guarantees to Russia – (RAPSI) A representative of the United Energy Systems of Ukraine (UESU) has doubts over the existence of letters from 1996 by the then Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko which gave government guarantees for UESU liabilities to the Russian Defense Ministry…

 

Construction digital: Ukraine gets green go-ahead – (KyivPost) The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has announced that it is providing €5.7 million to help finance the development, design, construction and operation of a new solar power plant in Ukraine…

 

EBRD Invests in Ukraine’s Solar Energy for First Time – (Bloomberg Business Week) The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development arranged a 5.7 million-euro ($7.39) financial package for a solar energy plant in central Ukraine, its first solar project in the country…

 

Shale gas as an alternative – (Vestnikkavkaza) Shale gas is a separate part of non-traditional gas. There is also sand gas, rock gas, and methane from coal. For example, I think for Ukraine it is more profitable to develop production of methane from coal…

 

Gas contract with Russia pushing Ukraine towards search for alternative energy sources, says Klitschko – (InterFax) Leader of the UDAR Party Vitali Klitschko has said that Ukraine should search for alternative energy sources and introduce energy saving technologies instead of focusing only on gas talks with Russia…

 

 

 

 

 

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.