Albania

CEZ as : CEZ Sales Head Unloads Majority of Own Shares in Company  -(4 Trader) The commercial director at Czech 70% state-owned power company CEZ AS (BAACEZ.PR) sold a majority of his shares in the company last week, shortly after another senior executive sold a large chunk of his shares in the company last month…

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Court Orders Belene NPP Reports of HSBC Declassified – (Novinite) Bulgaria's Administrative Court Sofia City (ACSC) has ordered the government, the Ministry of Economy and Energy (MIET) and the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) to declassify all analyses and evaluations of HSBC bank, the Bulgarian government consultant on the Belene Nuclear Power Plant project…

CEZ Bulgaria manager: Reconstruction of power substations not to affect electricity price – (Focus) “CEZ’s investment project for the construction of a 110 kV cable line and the reconstruction of the Sredets and Hipodruma power substations has no direct effect on the electricity price,” Petr Dokladal, Regional Manager of CEZ for Bulgaria, said speaking at a press conference, FOCUS News Agency reporter informed…

LukErg Renew to Buy More Wind Farms in Bulgaria – (Novinite) LUKErg Renew, a joint venture between Italy's ERG SpA (ERG) and Russia's OAO Lukoil, has received permission from the Commission on Protection of Competition (KZK), to buy four Bulgarian companies running wind farms in the northeastern village of Hrabrovo, Varna district…

Bulgarian court orders disclosure of Belene nuclear plant study  -(Sofia Globe) Sofia’s administrative court ruled to make public, subject to freedom of information request, all the information regarding the feasibility study carried out by consultants HSBC on the Belene nuclear plant project, Bulgarian party National Movement for Stability and Progress (NMSP) said…

CEZ Bulgaria invests BGN 600,000 in cables replacement in Sofia: manager – (Focus) “CEZ Bulgaria invests BGN 600,000 in the replacement of 32km of cables in the Studentski Grad substation,” said Petr Dokladal – Regional Manager of CEZ for Bulgaria, speaking with journalists, FOCUS News Agency reporter informed…

CEZ Bulgaria launches project for reconstruction of Sredets power substation – (Focus) CEZ Distribution Bulgaria started the realisation of a project for reconstruction of Sredets power substation in the Bulgarian capital city Sofia, the press office of the company announced…

CEO of Bulgaria's Kozloduy NPP to Turn Loss into Profit by end-2013  - (Novinite) Bulgaria's Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) has run up losses of BGN 5.8 M in the first half of 2013, unlike 2012, when the NPP registered a profit…

BGN 130mln needed for electricity grid in Bulgaria’s capital in next 10 years: CEZ – (Focus) “Some BGN 130 million investments in the construction of a reliable electricity distribution network in the Bulgarian capital city Sofia will be needed in the next ten years,” said Petr Dokladal – Regional Manager of CEZ for Bulgaria, speaking with journalists…

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Telemach in dispute with power utility over cables – (Telecompaper) More than 100,000 triple-play customers in Bosnia could lose their services because of a dispute between the largest cable operator, Telemach, and power utility Elektroprivreda BiH (EPBiH), reports daily Daily Avaz…

Croatia

Croatia is planning to construct its own LNG terminal in the northern Adriatic  -(Balkans) New Energy research report from Business Monitor International "Croatia Oil & Gas Report Q3 2013" states that INA privatisation may be on the backburner, even though the government's coffers would benefit from the proceeds…

Kosovo

Siemens turbines set for Kosovo's first wind farm – (Wind Power) Kosovo could become a wind energy producer in the near future as a 45MW wind project in the village of Zatric is on track to enter the construction phase with Siemens turbines next year…

Macedonia

1.67million euro project aimed at strengthening FYR Macedonia's Energy Sector launched – (Balkans) To improve the conditions in (FYR) Macedonia's energy sector and to attract more investments is the objective of the IPA project, which will be implemented in the next couple of years by (FYR) Macedonia's Ministry of Economy in cooperation with European experts…

Montenegro

Leader of the pack – (The Economist) IT IS easy to imagine Milo Djukanovic, the prime minister of Montenegro, whistling “Leader of the pack” on his way to work. The undisputed survivor of Balkan politics, he has led his country in one job or another since 1989, making him perhaps Europe’s most successful statesman…

Romania

EBRD contemplates funding a 108MW wind farm in the Dobrogea region of Romania – (Balkans) The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is considering providing a EUR 68 million loan to Germany’s STEAG, the electricity provider, which plans to build a 108MW wind farm in the Dobrogea region of Romania…

China Sunergy signs two solar module supply agreements in Romania  -(EBR) China Sunergy, a solar cell and module manufacturer, has signed two solar module supply agreements with Spanish engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company Bester Generacion in Romania…

Romania cuts renewable energy subsidies: remedies under the Energy Charter Treaty – (Linex) The Romanian Government recently published an ordinance drastically reducing its support for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources…

CEZ Quarterly Profit Drops 16% on Falling Electricity Prices – (Business Week) CEZ AS, the Czech Republic’s largest electricity company, said second-quarter earnings fell 16 percent as power prices dropped and production declined…

Europeans backing away slowly from green-energy commitments – (Hot Air) The eurozone might finally be technically out of the woods of their latest economic recession, but Europe is still very much riddled with deep-seated debt and employment problems that aren’t going away anytime soon and there’s still plenty of budget-cutting that needs to be done…

Chevron bringing fracking to Eastern Europe – (SFGate) Chevron is betting it can win over Eastern Europeans with the idea of energy independence even after dry wells and government delays led Exxon Mobil and Talisman Energy to scrap efforts to tap natural gas deposits in Polish shale…

Petrom could be interested in shale gas after 2021 – (Act Media) Shale gas is part of this century and Petrom will examine entering this market after 2021, the oil company's CEO Mariana Gheorghe said on this Tuesday…

Serbia

Alstom Grid secures contract for power plant in Serbia – (EBR) Electric equipment supplier Alstom Grid Turkey has secured a contract valued at about EUR35m with power generation firm Public Enterprise- Electric Power Industry of Serbia (PE EPS) to supply a generator step-up transformer for Tent-B Nikola Tesla Power Plant 1 in Serbia…

PV Intelligence Brief 6 – 19 August 2013 – (PV Insider) German PV specialist Sunways has successfully averted the opening of insolvency proceedings. Following an out of court settlement with the applicant bank, the Konstanz local court issued a relevant order to terminate the preliminary insolvency proceedings against the assets of Sunways AG and Sunways Production…

Serbia plans to conclude contracts for new energy facilities next year – (Balkans) Serbia's Minister of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection Zorana Mihajlovic announced that the task of this ministry for the next year will be to conclude pre-contracts and contracts for new energy facilities and to complete the reform of public companies…

Turkish companies eye stake in Serbia's Telekom – (Reuters) Turkish companies Sabanci Holding and Dogus Holding have expressed interest in buying a stake in Telekom Srbija, Serbian Trade and Telecommunications Minister Rasim Ljajic said in a statement on Monday…

Securum to sue Serbian government for €160m over 1GW solar  -(New Energy World) Securum Equity Partners has said it will file a lawsuit of €160m against the Republic of Serbia due to the Government’s refusal to provide the firm with land for the construction of what it says would be the largest solar park in the world…

Serbian Maga Soalr Power Project Cancelled, Malta- based Company threatens lawsuit – (Malta Independent)  A 1 GW solar photovoltaic project, which would have seen 100 10-MW solar power plants built in Serbia, has been cancelled by its developer, Securum Equity Partners International Ltd, which is based in Malta…

Serbia approves higher retail gas prices from September – (Reuters) Serbian energy regulator AERS approved average increases in gas retail prices of 4.4 percent for households and 5.7 percent for all consumers including businesses from September…

Armenia

Armenia exports energy more than imported – (ArmenPress) The export of the electric energy from the Republic of Armenia in the first half of 2013 has exceeded the import volumes by about then times…

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan plans to sign deals on Shah Deniz gas sales – (Azernews) A number of agreements are expected to be signed in the near future on purchase and sale of Azerbaijani gas to be produced within the Shah Deniz 2 development project, which will reach its peak production in 2022..

Azerbaijan’s power generation at hydropower plants rises up to 7.85% - (abc.az) Baku, Fineko/abc.az. The State Statistics Committee reports that the hydropower plant crisis in Azerbaijan started in 2012 keeps on weakening in 2013 – it returns to its standard levels…

Azerbaijan exports nearly 500 million kW/h of electricity in Jan.-July – (Trend) In January-July 2013, Azerbaijan exported 491.21 million kilowatt / hours of electricity compared to 417.88 million kilowatt / hours in January-July 2012…

UNESCO aids renewable energy development in Azerbaijan – (Azernews) UNESCO is involved in the development of solar and wind energy in Azerbaijan, according to the Presidium of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS)…

UNESCO has got into development of solar and wind energy in Azerbaijan – (abc.az) UNESCO was nearly the first of all other UN institutions to get involved into development of solar and wind energy in Azerbaijan…

Azerbaijan and Russia: Prospects for energy cooperation – (Turkish Weekly) Signing of a number of documents between SOCAR (The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) and the Russian oil company Rosneft is a confirmation of the balanced petroleum policy pursued by Azerbaijan…

Georgia

SOCAR Georgia Gas concludes gas network construction in Adzharia – (Azernews) SOCAR Georgia Gas has held an opening ceremony to mark the finalization of construction of a gas pipeline in the Adzhariya Autonomous Republic, Georgia.,AzerTag state news agency reported.The event was attended by Georgian Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze and employees of the company….

Georgia increases gas import from Azerbaijan by almost 18 per cent – (Trend) Georgia imported about 693,960 tons of natural gas from Azerbaijan which amounted to $119,010,000 million in first six months of 2013, the GruzStat…

Moldova

Contract for construction of Iasi-Ungheni gas pipeline – (Act Media) The contract for the construction of a gas pipeline that will connect Romania and the Republic of Moldova, between Iasi - Ungheni, was signed on Thursday, according to a press release from the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration…

Russia

Russia's Gazprom H1 gas exports to Europe up 9.6% on year to 78.9 Bcm – (Platts) Russian state-owned gas company Gazprom's exports to Europe in January-June rose 9.6% year-on-year to 78.865 billion cubic meters, the company said late Wednesday in its first-half financial statement prepared under Russian accounting standards…

Russia's Lavrov: EU energy market reforms hindering closer ties – (UPI) Russia and the European Union can achieve closer energy ties but the EU's gas market reforms remain a roadblock, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says…

Turkey

Turkey plays big in Kurdistan's energy game – (Reuters) Turkey has quietly built up a large presence in Kurdistan's oil and gas industry, teaming up with U.S. major Exxon Mobil, as Ankara bets on Iraq's semi-autonomous republic to help wean it off costly Russian and Iranian energy imports…

Privatization of power plants to ‘earn $13 billion’ – (Daily News) Turkey has earned $13 billion from the privatization of electricity distribution grids, Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said yesterday, adding that the same amount was expected to be gained from the privatizations of electricity generation plants…

Energy becomes new love of large Turkish corporations – (Turkish Weekly) The state has been speeding away from the energy sector, in which it has been transferring its assets to the private sector through privatizations…

Delek Energy is considering building a pipeline to Turkey – (Balkans) Delek Energy, a stakeholder company in the offshore projects, is considering building a pipeline to Turkey, and is considering options to export gas to Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority…

TANAP offers $8 billion in investment – (Daily News) At least $8 billion in investment will be made in Turkey during the construction of a pipeline that will carry Azeri gas through Turkey, offering a number of opportunities for local companies to benefit, Socar Turkey’s president has told daily Hürriyet…

Iraq-Turkey Oil Flow Resumes – (Energy Tribune) Crude oil flows resumed through a pipeline running from Iraq’s Kirkuk oil fields to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan in Turkey, two Iraqi oil officials said on Sunday…

Turkey to reacquire $13 bln from power plant's privatization – (World Bulletin) Turkish Minister of Energy Taner Yildiz said on Monday that Turkey would reacquire  $13 billion income from the privatization of electricity power plants…

Landfill gas plant under development in Turkey – (BioMass) Close to the provincial capital Malatya, East Anatolian, the foundation was laid several weeks ago for a new landfill gas power plant…

Turkey aiming for huge new infrastructure developments – (World Finance) espite the protests over building on the Gezi Park in Istanbul, Turkey’s government is pressing ahead with a massive round of infrastructure spending that will transform parts of the country…

Ukraine

UkrEnergo completes construction of new transmission line in Ukraine – (EBR) NEC UkrEnergo has completed the construction of a new high voltage 72.9km long power transmission line and expansion of a 330kV substation in Bar, Ukraine…

New Transmission Line Launched In Western Ukraine as Part of World Bank-Supported Power Transmission Network Upgrade – (The World Bank) Construction of a new high voltage 72.9-km-long power transmission line and expansion of a 330-kilovolt substation in Bar have been completed in South-western Ukraine…

Ukraine electricity output increase so far this year - Ministry source – (Steel Guru) An Energy and Coal Industry Ministry source said that Ukraine's integrated power grids decreased electricity output by 3.4% or 3.911 billion KWh YoY in January to July, to 112.093 billion KWh…

Vestas secures 21 MW wind power order in Ukraine – (Penn Energy) Vestas secures order for 21 MW from Vindkraft Ukraina LLC for their wind power plants Beregovaya and Stavki in the Kherson region. Vindkraft and Vestas have already commissioned the 9 MW Novorossiske wind power plant in 2011/12…

US interested in helping Ukraine to diversify sources of energy, says ambassador – (Kyiv Post) The United States are interested in helping Ukraine to diversify sources of energy supply thanks to the development of internal extraction of fossil fuel, including unconventional gas and the increase in the role of renewable energy in the balance of energy, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt has said in an interview with Radio Liberty…

Ukraine Snubs Russian Gas for European Imports – (Money News) Ukrainian state energy firm Naftogaz has reduced Russian gas imports by 30 percent this year and will cut them further in 2014 by doubling imports from Europe, Ukraine's Energy Minister Eduard Stavytsky told Reuters in an interview…

U.S. Producers to Assist Ukraine in Quest for Energy Independence – ( AG Web) Ukraine is on the receiving end of a leg up from two U.S. energy producers who hope to assist that nation increases its energy independence…

Ukraine cuts gas imports by 35% this year – (Energy Live News) Ukraine has reduced its imports of natural gas by more than 35% in the first half of 2013 compared to the same period last year…

Ukraine region rejects shale gas project – (Eur Activ) A shale gas deal in Ukraine hit a setback yesterday (20 August) when a local council rejected the government's draft production-sharing agreement with US energy company Chevron amid warnings by nationalists regarding likely damage to the environment…

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