Albania

Tirana to host meeting of the ministers of energy – (World Bulletin) Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania Ditmir Bushati said on Friday at the Croatia Forum on European Energy Security that the prior objective of the Albanian government is integration of the Albanian electric power system with systems in the region and in Europe…

Bulgaria

Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria to be completed in 2016 – (Azernews) The Bulgaria-Greece gas grid interconnection is to be completed in 2016, after which Bulgaria will be able to receive gas supplies from the Caspian region through the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), CEO of state-owned gas transmission operator Bulgartransgaz Kiril Temelkov said…

Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria to be completed in 2016 – (Trend) The Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) will be completed in 2016, Novinite Sofia News Agency reported with reference to the CEO of Bulgaria's state-owned gas transmission operator Bulgartransgaz Kiril Temelkov…

Bulgaria capital city hosts 4th regional conference on energy development – (Focus Information Agency) Fourth regional conference on Energy Development and Integration of Regional Energy Markets was officially opened in the Bulgarian capital city Sofia, FOCUS News Agency reporter informed.  “The Bulgarian energy sector finds itself in a critical stage of its development. This is a result of serious political mistakes and bad calculations…

Energy poverty of households in Bulgaria endangers our energy security: expert – (Focus Information Agency) “Bulgarian households have reached the limit of their possibilities in terms of covering their energy expenses, which is a threat at the energy security of Bulgaria,” said Ruslan Stefanov, economic programme director at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, speaking for Radio FOCUS… 

Bulgaria Mulls Options for Coping with Renewable Energy Boom – (Novinite) Bulgaria is considering a number of options for addressing the renewable energy boom and its impact on electricity prices, according to Deputy Energy Minister Ivo Ayolov.  Ayolov presented the scenarios to journalists on Tuesday before speaking at the 4th Regional Energy Conference of the Bulgarian Energy and Mining Forum, devoted to the development and integration of energy markets…

Proposed 30% Levy on PV Energy Will Kill the Sector, Producers Argue – (Public Services Knowledge Network) A 30-percent tax on photovoltaic energy producers’ profits was proposed on Sept. 26 by the state-owned Bulgarian Energy Holding EAD (BEH). In an official letter to the Parliament Chairman Mihail Mikov, parliamentary energy commission’s chairman Ramadan Atalai and energy minister Dragomir Stoinev, BEH’s CEO Boian Boev cited balancing Bulgaria’s struggling energy system as the main objective of his proposal…

South Stream in Bulgaria Runs Five Months Late, Deputy Energy Minister Informs –(Public Services Knowledge Network) The work on South Stream has been delayed with five-six months due to talks on the financial model of the project, Bulgaria’s deputy energy minister Ivan Aiolov stated during a forum on Oct. 8…

Bulgaria plans with two new gas sources from 2015 – (Standart News)According to plans, Bulgaria will receive gas from two new sources in less than two years. By the beginning of 2015, Bulgarian users will be able to rely on natural gas through the South Stream from Russia. The interconnector link between Romania and Bulgaria should be also ready soon, Bulgargaz executive Director Dimitar Gogov informed in the "Gas - Infrastructure , markets and services " forum…

Bulgaria-Turkey Gas Grid Interconnection Delayed until 2019 -  (Novinite) The implementation of the Bulgaria-Turkey gas grid interconnection project has been delayed and it will be completed no earlier than 2019, according to Ivan Ayolov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Energy.  Speaking Thursday during a conference titled "Natural gas – infrastructure and services" organized by the Bulgarian Federation of Industrial Energy Consumers, Ayolov suggested that the government had inherited gas projects which had not been developed to the stage they were supposed to have reached…

Bulgaria Oil & Gas Report Q4 2013" Is Now Available at Fast Market Research – (SBWire) The Bulgarian business environment remains challenging with ongoing conflicts between Lukoil and Customs authorities downstream and a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing upstream…

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Balkans, EU diplomats discuss gas pipelines –(World Bulletin) As Europe faces global challenges in energy supplies, foreign ministers from the Balkans and European Union met Thursday in Croatia to discuss energy security and a proposed westbound gas pipeline.  "The Trans Adriatic Pipeline contributes to the cohesion of the region, and that is exactly what we were missing for decades," said Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zlatko Lagumdzija at a two-day forum in Croatia's Dubrovnik…

Spokesperson: TAP has potential to enhance energy security in South East Europe – (Trend) The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has the potential to create new gas markets and enhance energy security in South East Europe, the spokesperson for TAP told Trend… 

Croatia

Croatian minister pushes for regional energy cooperation – (Dalje) Croatia and this region need diversification of energy sources and lower energy prices, and this can be achieved only through regional cooperation as none of those countries is big enough to run an independent energy policy, Croatian Economy Minister Ivan Vrdoljak said on Friday during the last panel discussion within the two-day Croatia Forum in Dubrovnik…

BDI, biom to construct multi-feedstock biodiesel plant in Croatia –(Energy Business Review) BioEnergy International has signed a contract valued at more than €20m with biom to construct the first multi-feedstock biodiesel plant in Croatia.  The plant, which will have a total capacity of about 100,000t/year, is expected to produce the first high-quality biodiesel by the end of 2014…

President calls for ensuring energy availability to all – (Dalje)Croatian President Ivo Josipovic opened Croenergy 2013 in Tuheljske Toplice on Thursday, a conference on sustainable financing and investing in energy which attracted about 350 participants.  Energy and energy development are an important part of the overall policy, he said, glad that the Croatian government attached a lot of importance to it…

The President of Croatia inaugurates the first Acciona wind farm in the country – (WebWire) The 30-MW Jelinak facility, located in the county of Split-Dalmatia, is equipped with twenty 1.5-MW ACCIONA wind turbines.  It is the first wind power facility to be installed in Croatia by a Spanish company…

Second day of Croatia Forum begins in Dubrovnik – (Dalje) The second and last day of Croatia Forum, dedicated to the European energy security, started with a panel debate called "Energy Policy of the European Union" in Dubrovnik on Friday…

Kosovo

Kosovo: EBRD's KoSEP, financing sustainable energy – (AnsaMed)The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has begun extending loans under its Kosovo Sustainable Energy Projects Framework (KoSEP).  The idea is to encourage small and medium business as well as homeowners to reduce wasteful consumption by investing in sustainable energy and proper insulation…

Montenegro

INTERVIEW-Terna rolling out Montenegro link in hub race – (Reuters) Terna, Europe's biggest independent power grid company, expects final clearance to build a subsea power link to Montenegro by the end of the year as it steps up plans to create a Mediterranean power hub, its chief executive said…

Romania

Three consortiums submitted consulting bids in the privatization of Romania's Hunedoara Energy Holding – (Balkans Business News) Romania's department of energy said on Wednesday that three consortiums submitted bids for providing consulting services in the privatization of Romania's Hunedoara Energy Holding…

Romania: Pannonian basin exploratory work nears – (Oil & Gas Journal) GazpromNeft-controlled Nafta Industrija Srbije is close to starting an exploration program on four concessions that total 1 million acres in the Pannonian basin in western Romania, said East West Petroleum Corp., Vancouver, BC…

Shale gas may help EBRD countries of operations diversify their gas imports – (Balkans Business News) The US energy market has changed drastically since the rise of shale gas in the country. The US is now the world’s largest gas producer and is expected to become a net exporter…

Serbia

Southeast Europe cross-border power plan hits delay – (Reuters) Political wrangling has delayed the start of a new organisation to coordinate cross-border power capacity in southeastern Europe, which aims to boost security of supply and lower prices, a regional cooperation body said on Wednesday…

Serbia Will Claim Top Position In Region According To Energy Production – Dacic – (inSerbia) Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic set into operation the fourth restored aggregate of the Bajina Basta Hydroelectric Power Plant in Perucac on Tuesday and said that energy is the engine of the development of Serbia’s economy…

Serbia: 50 Small Power Plants To Be Completed Next Year – (inSerbia) During a debate on renewable energy sources, Trifunovic noted that, during the next year, contracts with thermal power plants Stavalj, Bistrica, Toplana Novi Sad should be signed, and that works on the thermal power plant Kostolac B3 would start at the end of 2014…

Armenia

Gas Price Reduced as Armenia Joins Customs Union – (Asbarez) The issue of providing a government subsidy for the recently increased price of Russian natural gas is no longer “on the agenda” after Armenia’s decision to join the Moscow-led Customs Union, the country’s energy minister said Tuesday…

The price of gas in Armenia will be the same as in Russia – (Public Radio of Armenia) Armenia’s decision to join the Caroms Union has led to changes in the provisions of the interstate agreement on subsidization of the gas price, Armenian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan declared at the National Assembly today…

Electricity production in Armenia – (The Armenian Reporter) Electricity production in Armenia has fully recovered from major problems it was facing in early 1990s and is now a reliable industry…

Gas Talks: Minister says Russian ‘domestic price’ to apply to Armenia due to membership in CU – (Armenia Now) Armenia’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan has finally shed some light on the issue of under what agreement Russia raised the price of natural gas for Armenia earlier this year. Talking to media on Tuesday, he also said that membership in the Moscow-led Customs Union means that Armenia is entitled to purchase natural gas at domestic prices that exist in Russia…

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has grown into a staunch ally of US - The National Interest – (News AZ) Two of the countries in the South Caucasus that emerged from Soviet rule more than twenty years ago have taken very different paths, their individual relationships with Moscow diverging ever since independence. Armenia has become ever closer to Russia while Azerbaijan has grown into a staunch ally of the United States and the broader West… 

In Azerbaijan, EU focuses on energy instead of democracy – (Deutsche Welle) As Azerbaijan votes in presidential elections, the EU has largely remained silent about democratic deficits in the Caspian nation. Europe needs Baku's natural gas to wean itself off of Russian energy…

Deutsche Welle: Europe needs Baku's gas to wean itself from Russian energy – (PanARMENIAN) Oil-rich Azerbaijan is voting to elect a new president. If history is any indicator, the incumbent president is likely to win. Ten years ago, President Ilham Aliyev was elected with nearly 80 percent of the vote. And in the 2008 election, he got more than 88 percent of the ballots, with a similar result expected this time around. Polls predict a landslide victory over his nine contenders, Deutsche Welle says…

Review of oil and gas operations in Azerbaijan (January-August 2013) – (Trend) According to the ministry, the production capacity of Azerbaijan's energy system amounts to 6,300 megawatts, 30 per cent or 2,000 megawatts of which… 

Nabucco pipeline project still in spotlight: expert – (Azernews) The issue of Nabucco gas pipeline is still an interesting one and there are several key factors ensuring that the project remains on the table, Political risk analyst at Menas Association in London, focusing on Caspian energy and political issues, Alexander Jackson said…

Georgia

Georgia to continue HPP construction to ensure country’s energy independence – (The Messenger Online) Georgia's energy independence is an integral component of the country's priorities, Georgian Minister of Energy, Kakha Kaladze, said after the signing ceremony of a memorandum of cooperation with the Energy Academy last Friday. According to him, Georgia has abundant water resources, and this is an advantage for the country…

Georgia keen to ensure energy independence – (Azernews) Georgia's energy independence means country's independence, Georgian Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze told reporters on October 4 after the signing ceremony of a memorandum on cooperation with Energy Academy…

Georgia to create energy sector development fund – (Trend) At the initiative of Israeli company the Elenilto Group, Georgia may create a fund with a budget of $2.5 billion for energy development in the country.According to the representative of the Elenilto Group and founder of Elenilto Georgia, David Alon, the company is ready to invest $0.5 billion in the fund and the remaining amount will be invested by those partners who will want to make an investment…

Russia

U.S. Is Overtaking Russia as Largest Oil-and-Gas Producer – (The Wall Street Journal) The U.S. is overtaking Russia as the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas, a startling shift that is reshaping markets and eroding the clout of traditional energy-rich nations…

Europe Threatens Gazprom With Antitrust Action – (The New York Times) The European Union’s top antitrust enforcer on Thursday threatened to formally charge the Russian natural gas giant Gazprom with restricting trade and price gouging, raising the stakes in a two-year investigation that has already created tensions with Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin…

South Stream Seen Seeking $14 Billion of Loans for Gas Pipeline – (Bloomberg) South Stream Transport BV is seeking about 10 billion euros ($14 billion) of loans to help fund the joint-venture’s gas pipeline under the Black Sea, according to two people with knowledge of the financing…

Eastern Partnership: EU fears growth of Russian pressure – (Voice of Russia) On the vispers of the summit of the Eastern Partnership in Vilnius, the EU fears the growth of Russian pressure on its members. It seems that the cries of "Help!" from Eastern Europe can be heard more often today than ever before…

Russia offers for investing in energy sector, exporting 5000MW electricity – (Associated Press of Pakistan) Russia has offered Pakistan to invest in energy sector and export 5000 MW electricity through Kyrgyzstan-Afghanistan route…

US Shale Gas No Threat to Russia’s Energy Dominance – Rosneft – (RiaNovosti) Russian state oil giant Rosneft has plans to extract oil in the next 100 years and sees no significant threat from the increase in shale gas production in the United States, CEO Igor Sechin told journalists Sunday…

Russia to lift 30% customs duty for gas supplies to Armenia – (PanArmenian) Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan dispelled the public’s doubts over the deal on Russian gas price hike for Armenia…

Gas war with Russia unlikely this year, experts believe – (ForUm) The gas war between Ukraine and Russia is unlikely this year, former representative of the President of Ukraine on energy issues Bogdan Sokolovsky told a press conference, ForUm correspondent reports…

Turkey

Turkey membership key to Europe energy security – (World Bulletin) Turkey's accession to the European Union will contribute to bolstering energy security in Europe, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Thursday…

Turkey's first nuclear power plant likely to be delayed – (Reuters) Turkey's first nuclear power plant is likely to be delayed by at least a year, a source close to the plans said on Tuesday, as bureaucratic hurdles hamper the $20 billion project…

Turkey's nuclear experts to be trained in Russia – (World Bulletin) Experts from the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK) will participate in a training program in Russia, as Turkey expects to have its first nuclear plant fully operational in 2023, the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the country…

Turkey to become a natural gas trading hub – (Balkans Business News) Sitting on vital energy routes between major natural gas markets in Europe and supplier countries in the Caucasus and the Middle East, Turkey is perfectly positioned to become a center for the trade of natural gas reaching European customers, according to Willem Schoeber, board member of the German energy company EWE responsible for Turkey and Poland, in an interview with the Turkish press…

Ukraine

Ukraine's deputy prime minister says no gas problems for winter – (iStockAnalyst) Ukraine is meeting natural gas transit obligations to its Russian partners that will prevent an energy crisis during the winter, the deputy prime minister said…

Ukraine moves closer to second shale gas deal – (Reuters) A second regional council in Ukraine on Thursday approved a government draft for a $10 billion shale gas production-sharing agreement with U.S. energy major Chevron (CVX.N), clearing the way for it to be signed…

Ukraine signs off on shale gas deal with Chevron – (UPI) Members of a regional council in Ukraine said Friday they approved a draft production agreement for shale natural gas with U.S. energy company Chevron…

Russia brings back Ukraine gas middleman  – (Reuters) Gazprom has agreed to supply gas at a discount to a Ukrainian tycoon, whose past role in gas deals ended after a price row in 2009, a company source said on Wednesday, as concerns mount over Ukraine's ability to foot its import bill…

Ukraine increases natural gas imports from Europe in September – (Platts) Ukraine's imports of natural gas from Europe increased by 40.5%, or by 99 million cubic meters, to 343.2 million cu m in September from 244.2 million cu m imported in August, state gas shipper UkrTransGaz, reported Thursday…

Putin Hints at 'Problems' in Trade with Ukraine Over EU – (The Moscow Times) President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia had given Ukraine a huge discount on natural gas supplies, but that it might lose that privilege if it turned toward the European Union…

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.