Albania

FYR Macedonia strengthens energy cooperation with Albania – (Balkans) FYR Macedonia's Minister of Economy Valon Saraqini met Wednesday in Skopje with the Albanian Minister of Energy and Industry Damian Gjiknuri for talks on energy and mining cooperation, involving the construction of a Bitola-Elbasan long distance power line…

Trans-Adriatic Pipeline Takes Step Forward – (Oil Price) The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) cleared an important hurdle on December 2nd when the Greek Parliament ratified a host agreement to allow access through Greek territory. The move was important for the pipeline, keeping the project on track to begin construction in 2015…

Bulgaria

Bulgaria's Energy Ministry Defends 20% Renewable Energy Tax – (Novinite) Bulgaria's Economy Ministry has defended a new tax on revenues of renewable energy producers, saying that the measure has been applied by other countries, including retroactively…

Bulgaria set to cut renewable energy feed-in tariff – (Sofia Globe) Bulgaria is set to reduce the feed-in tariff paid to solar and wind power producers by 20 per cent after the two major parties in the country’s ruling axis agreed to support the measure during the second reading of the 2014 Budget Act on December 3…

CEZ Bulgaria to hold press conference on energy efficiency – (Focus News Agency) CEZ Bulgaria is to officially present its campaign for promotion and encouragement of reasonable and responsible electricity consumption, the press office of the company announced…

US Technology Safest for Unit 7 of Bulgaria's Kozloduy NPP – (Novinite) Bulgaria's Energy Minister assured that safety had been the primary concern in the decision to use US technology for the new unit at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant…

Bulgarian Photovoltaic Association stages rally outside the Economy and Energy Ministry – (Focus) Over 2000 private companies, invested over EUR 4 billion in Bulgaria and secured over 15,000 jobs will be brought to ruin, if the Bulgarian Parliament passes the proposal of Ataka party providing for 20% taxation on their incomes and limitation on renewable sources energy production, an open letter of the Bulgarian Photovoltaic Association reads…

CEZ Bulgaria launches Energy Academy online game – (Focus News Agency) On December 2, 2013 CEZ Bulgaria is to launch an online game called Energy Academy, which will popularise the reasonable and responsible electricity consumption, the press office of the company announced…

Bulgaria believes there will be no EU penalty over renewable energy 20% tax – (Balkans) Bulgaria's Finance Minister Petar Chobanov has suggested that Bulgaria will not get penalized by the EU over the introduction of a 20% tax on the revenues of wind farms and solar plants…

Bulgaria goes for both NPP Belene and Block VII of NPP Kozloduy – (Standart) Building Block VII of NPP Kozloduy does not mean that the Bulgarian government has given up the project of NPP Belene, it became clear from the words of Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski during the final press conference after the two-day seminar of the ruling parties BSP and MRF, Standart daily reports…

Bulgaria to put electricity utility chief in charge of South Stream – (Sofia Globe) Bulgaria’s Economy Minister Dragomir Stoynev said on November 29 that Vladimir Inkov will be “put in charge” of South Stream, the gas pipeline being developed at Kremlin’s urging, in order to bypass the Soviet-era transit route through Ukraine…

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Shell, Bosnia region to soon start talks on oil exploration – (Reuters) Bosnia's autonomous Muslim-Croat Federation expects to start talks in late February with a unit of oil major Royal Dutch Shell on a concession for oil exploration, a minister said on Monday…

Shell 'could sign Bosnia exploration deal in 2014' – (Up Stream) Shell could sign an exploration deal with Bosnia-Herzegovina’s autonomous Muslim-Croat Federation before the end of next year, reports have said…

Macedonia

Macedonian parliament committee backs EUR 25mn EBRD loan for public utility MEPSO – (Hispanic Business) Macedonia's state-owned electricity transmission system operator MEPSO will receive a EUR 25mn loan from the EBRD to rehabilitate and modernise the transmission grid, state news agency MIA reported…

Energy measures to save Public Institutions 13m euros – (MINA) Macedonia will save up to 13 million euros annually unless energy efficiency measures are implemented in public institutions. The country annually spends 42 million euros for electricity in 2,440 state institutions, according to an analysis conducted by the Ministry of Economy together with Norway's energy efficiency consulting company "ENSI"…

Romania

Candu Energy hopeful about selling two nuclear reactors in Romania – (The Economist) Candu Energy is hopeful about selling Canada's first nuclear reactor in years after Romanian and Chinese state-owned companies signed a letter of intent to invest in and develop two new reactors in Romania…

Future tax on special constructions to cost Romanian wind energy segment extra EUR 30 mln – (Romania Insider) The newly decided property tax on special constructions could bring a yearly cost of EUR 40,000 for each wind turbine in Romania, which could generate an extra cost of EUR 30 million for the whole renewable energy sector in Romania, according to an estimation from the Association for Wind Energy…

Former E.ON Romania VP becomes head of board for Romanian electricity producer Hidroelectrica – (Romania Insider) The former deputy director of E.ON Romania, George Cristodorescu has been named head of the supervising council of Romanian energy producer Hidroelectrica…

Enel gets €200m Romania wind loan – (Re News) Enel Green Power has secured a €200m loan from the European Investment Bank to partially cover its wind farm investments in Romania…

Ming Yang Enters Into 200MW Agreement in Romania – (Energy Solutions) Guangdong Mingyang Wind Power Group Ltd., a subsidiary of China Ming Yang Wind Power, has signed a framework agreement with Speranta & Succesul S.A., a leading renewable energy developer in Romania…

Romanian police ‘brutally’ remove protesters opposed to Chevron fracking  -(TR) US energy giant Chevron has resumed its search for shale gas in north-eastern Romania after hundreds of riot police reportedly brutally removed a bunch of villagers who had been camping out at the site protesting the company’s plan…

Is energy dragging Europe down? – (The Christian Science Monitor) Energy, not low birthrates or social-safety networks, is what is dragging Europe down, according to speakers at an energy conference in the capital of Slovakia. A patchwork of contradictions, counterproductive regulations, political fiats and multiple objectives leave Europeans paying more for energy…

Chevron resumes east Romanian shale gas search – (Reuters) U.S. oil major Chevron has resumed its search for shale gas in eastern Romania, it said on Monday, despite opposition from local residents.

Sinohydro, builder of world's largest hydropower project, seeks Romania-based investments – (ActMEdia) Chinese state-owned company Sinohydro, the world's largest hydropower construction company, is interested in participating in Romania-based energy projects, the company's general manager Hong Shui Sun declared on Tuesday at the China - Central and Eastern Europe Economic and Trade Forum held in Bucharest…

Serbia

Construction beginning on Serbian gas pipeline – (Setimes) Construction of the Serbian section of the South Stream gas pipeline will begin on November 24th, Prime Minister Ivica Dacic announced after meeting Gazprom officials in Belgrade…

Construction Of South Stream To Employ 150,000 People In Serbia – (In Serbia) The construction of the South Stream pipeline would open jobs for dozens of thousands of people and Serbia should become the main energy storage in the region, Serbian Energy Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said at the conference in the European Parliament on the pipeline construction on Wednesday…

Conference On South Stream Begins In Brussels – (In Serbia) Serbian Minister of Energy, Development and Environmental Protection Zorana Mihajlovic is attending a conference titled “South Stream: Evolution of a Pipeline” that has begun in Brussels on Wednesday…

South Stream bilateral deals breach EU law, Commission says – (EurActiv) The bilateral agreements for the construction of the Gazprom-favoured South Stream gas pipeline – concluded between Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia, Croatia and Austria – are all in breach of EU law and need to be renegotiated from scratch, the European Commission said today (4 December).

Armenia

US takes direct action in Armenia – (Vestnik) The Eastern Partnership was initiated by Poland and Sweden with US encouragement. Strategy-makers in Brussels wanted it to weaken Russian influence on the post-Soviet space…

Exploitation of Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant’s 5^th energy block launched – (ArmPress) The symbolic launch of full exploitation of the fifth energy block at Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant was heralded at the course of the third Russian Armenian interregional forum held in Gyumri…

Armenia and Russia eliminate customs duty on gas, oil and not recycled diamond, boost nuclear cooperation – (Arm Press) The republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation signed an agreement on the elimination of the customs duty on gas, oil and not recycled diamonds…

Putin in Armenia focuses on energy, military ties – (The New Zealand Herald) Russia's President Vladimir Putin has focused on trade, energy and military ties during his trip to Armenia…

Tehran ready to boost gas supplies to Armenia, envoy says – (Pan Armenian) Tehran is ready to significantly increase the current modest volume of its natural gas supplies to neighboring Armenia, the Iranian envoy said, according to RFE/FL Armenian service…

Armenian and Russian presidents take part in commissioning of fifth unit of Hrazdan thermal power plant – (ARKA) Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin who has arrived today in Armenia, took part in a ceremony commissioning the fifth unit of the Hrazdan thermal power plant in central Armenia…

Fifth unit of Hrazdan TPP put into operation – (Aysor) The presidents of Russia and Armenia took part in the ceremony of launching the 5th unit of the Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant (TPP)…

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani Prices For Gasoline, Natural Gas Rise Sharply – (Radio Free Europe) BAKU -- Azerbaijan's government has announced a sharp increase in the state-regulated price ceiling for gasoline…

Agreement to be signed for transit of energy from Azerbaijan to Turkey – (APA) Baku. Aqshin Rafigoglu – APA-Economics. An agreement on transit of energy from Azerbaijan to turkey will be signed in the near future, said that spokesman of Energy Ministry Ramiz Rzayev…

Azerbaijan To Increase Gas Production – (Eurasia Review) The volume of gas production in Azerbaijan, without the gas injected into reservoirs, will amount to 20 billion cubic meters, according to the estimates, an article of Ramiz Rzayev, head of the Investment Department of the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry said…

Azerbaijan expects rise in utility tariffs until 15 January – (abc.az) The decisions taken yesterday by the Tariff (Price) Council will hardly be the last until the beginning of the next financial year.  Informed sources say that the Ministry of Finance is calculating the level of rise in utility tariffs…

Azerbaijan to sign contracts in major energy projects in 2014 – (Trend) Selection of the main contractors within the second phase of the Shah Deniz field's development in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea is nearing completion, a source in the oil and gas market told Trend on Nov. 29…

Azerbaijan to produce 20 bcm of gas in 2015 – (AzerNews) Azerbaijan predicts the volume of gas production in 2015 at 20 billion cubic meters.  The figure excludes the gas injected into reservoirs, Head of the Investment Department of the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry Ramiz Rzayev said…

Recommendations on energy efficiency to be given to Azerbaijan – (abc.az) The Project “Energy Saving Initiative in the Building Sector in Eastern Europe and Central Asia” (ESIB) of INOGATE program of the European Union is ready to give its official recommendations for Azerbaijan…

Georgia

Georgia Signs On to Europe – (The Moscow Times) There should be no doubts about it. Georgia proved its commitment to a European trajectory when it initialed the Association Agreement, a comprehensive free-trade treaty with the European Union in Vilnius on Thursday.

Georgia completes construction of power transmission line – (Trend) A high-voltage power transmission line, connecting Georgia and Turkey, will be commissioned on December 10, 2013. The construction of a 500-kilovolt power transmission line started several years ago and was completed in May 2012…

Some 79,000 customers remain without electricity due to bad weather in Georgia – (Trend) Strong wind and snowfall have caused a number of problems in Georgia's power supply system, Georgian Deputy Minister of Energy Irakli Khmaladze said at a press conference on Dec.4… 

Georgia makes first move into wind power – (Wind Power) The country of Georgia is taking its first steps into wind generation with plans to develop a 20MW wind farm…

Georgia announces tender for construction of Rustavi-Sagarejo gas pipeline – (Trend) Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation announced a tender for construction of the 25-kilometer stretch of the Rustavi-Sagarejo main gas pipeline on Dec. 4…

Construction of Kutaisi-Abasha gas pipeline completed in Georgia  -(Trend) Construction of around 47 kilometers long section of the Kutaisi-Abasha pipeline has been completed as part of the rehabilitation of the East-West gas pipeline in Georgia…

Russia

Gazprom to buy 100 percent of ArmRosGAzprom shares – (Arm Press) The opening of the fifth energy block of Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant was held with the t participation of the head of the Russian ArmRosGazprom company…

Gazprom increases its share in Armenia’s national gas distribution network to 100 percent – (ARKA) Under an agreement signed Monday in Yerevan by Armenia and Russia, the Armenian government has ceded its remaining 20 percent share in ArmRosGazprom (ARG) national gas distribution company to Russia’s Gazprom monopoly…

Medvedev orders Rosatom to reach nuclear security accord with Armenia – (The Voice of Russia) Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has ordered Rosatom to sign a nuclear security cooperation agreement with the Armenian government on behalf of Russia…

Putin throws gas lifeline to Kiev for keeping EU out in the cold – (The Times Europe) Russia yesterday rewarded Ukraine for refusing to sign a pact with the European Union by giving its neighbour a massive credit line for its gas imports this winter…

Putin slashes gas price to Armenia amid anti-Russian protests – (Business Recorder) Russian strongman Vladimir Putin on Monday slashed gas prices for Armenia during a visit to the Caucasus nation as police detained over 100 people protesting the Armenian government's decision to sign up to a Moscow-led customs union…

Customs Union already brings real dividends to Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus – Putin – (The Voice of Russia) Russian President Vladimir Putin has noted a positive effect from the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. The troika's GDP grew 1.7% in the first half of 2013 in spite of the unfavorable economic situation of the past few years, Putin stressed…

Fortum commissions Nyagan power plant's unit 2 in Russia – (EBR) Fortum has commissioned unit 2 of the recently inaugurated Nyagan GRES gas-fired thermal power plant (TPP) in Western Siberia, Russia…

Russian Energy Giant Gazprom's Monopoly On Gas Export Ends – (RTT News) The monopoly of Russia's state-owned energy giant Gazprom on gas export was broken on Monday after President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law that allows other Russian producers also to export liquefied natural gas (LNG), said a document published on the government website…

Russia Offers Ukraine Cheaper Gas to Join Moscow-Led Group – (Bloomberg) Russia will offer cheaper natural gas to Ukraine if the government in Kiev opts to join a Moscow-led economic bloc after halting free-trade talks with the European Union, according to First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov…

Turkey

Turkey: Akkuyu As First Nuclear Power Plant Project Of Turkey – (Mondaq) Akkuyu Project is the first nuclear power plant project of Turkey which has been actual since 2010 and it is confirmed within the bilateral agreement with the government of Russia Federation…

An Alternative Financing For Renewable Energy Project İn Turkey: ESCO Financial Modelling - (Mondaq) Since the motivation of being energy hub between Middle East and Europe , energy resources diversification is adopted by Turkish policymakers…

Future Projection Of Turkey Gas Market: In Comparison With Germany Gas Market Structure - (Mondaq) The liberalisation of natural gas market in Germany has begun in 2006 with new legislation, through which the German Power Supply Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) has been instructed to control the natural gas market…

Turkey second helpings for Vestas – (Re News) Vestas is to supply turbines for a 23MW extension of the Bakras wind farm in Turkey, which it kitted out in 2010.  The deal with Tefirom Group will see seven V112 3.3MW machines (pictured) installed to swell overall capacity to 65MW…

Kurds, Baghdad could agree this month on energy deals: Turkey  -(Reuters) Iraqi Kurdistan and the central government in Baghdad, at loggerheads over oil exports and revenue sharing, could come to an agreement this month over energy deals, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Tuesday…

Turkey oil deal with Kurdistan must go through Baghdad: Iraqi oil minister – (Asharq Al-Awsat) Iraq’s central government rejected attempts to include it in a trilateral committee to discuss oil exports from the Kurdistan region through Turkey on Monday, following the signing of an export agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Ankara last week without approval from Baghdad…

Ukraine

Ukraine gets brief gas break from Gazprom – (UPI) The director of Ukraine's national energy company Naftogaz said Russian natural gas company Gazprom agreed to a delay in the repayment of gas debts…

Ukraine boosts coal production – (Forum) The government is making every effort to maintain a stable operation of the energy sector. According to the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry, as of November 2013, Ukrainian coal mining enterprises produced 2.2 million tons of coal with the plan of 2.1 million tons, the Information-Analytical Bulletin of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine informs…

SOCAR Ukraine starts sale of winter diesel co-developed with BASF – (AzerNews) SOCAR Ukraine, which defends the interests of Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR in Ukraine, has launched the sale of winter diesel Nano…

Ukraine signs third energy production sharing agreement, first with Italian, French companies – (Kyiv Post) Ukraine forged ahead with diversifying energy supplies on Nov. 27 when it signed a production sharing agreement with a consortium of investors led by Italian energy major Eni to  explore and develop unconventional hydrocarbons in the Black Sea…

Ukraine Secures Deferral on Payment for Russian Gas – (Ria Novosti) Ukraine’s national energy company said Tuesday that it has agreed with its main natural gas supplier, Russia’s Gazprom, to defer payments for winter fuel deliveries to spring next year…

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