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Energy & Environment
EurActiv: Report: New state aid rules offer big emitters €2 billion windfall
Thursday, April 3, 2014
EXCLUSIVE / Big energy-guzzling companies will get a handout of up to €2 billion under proposed new state aid rules due to be finalised by the European Commission by 9 April, according to an analysis by the Öko Institute, which EurActiv has seen.The analysis says that industry's contributions to financing renewable support schemes planned under the new guidelines could be slashed by a third of current ...
Commission warns Bulgaria against foul play over South Stream
Thursday, April 3, 2014
The European Commission has warned Bulgaria against attempts to pass a law apparently aimed at circumventing the Third Energy Package, as South Stream is reportedly regarded as an interconnector, not a pipeline. According to Dnevnik, the EurActiv partner in Bulgaria, two MPs from the ruling Socialist party have tabled amendments to the country’s energy law, according to which South Stream will be considered an interconnector, and not a pipeline. ...
Oltchim privatization failed again
Thursday, April 3, 2014
No investor of the four who have purchased the tender presentation for Oltchim has submitted a tender to purchase the shares Oltchim holds in Oltchim SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle), the company created by the Ministry of Economy to receive Oltchim’s viable assets. The deadline was set for March 28, at 11:00. The petrochemical plant’s consortium of insolvency administrators say that some of the stakeholders have requested a 30 days ...
New Directors for Hidroelectrica, Elcen and Conpet
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Hidroelectrica’s administrator appointed a new Chief Financial Oficer (CFO), Gabriela Mih?ilescu, a former Deputy Executive Director of OTP Bank, replacing Lucian Aurel Coco?, now the manager of accounting, control and planning department. “Hidroelectrica’s CFO manages a budget of approximately 3 billion RON (almost 1 billion euros) and has under her authority two department managers, seven economic branch managers and 78 ...
Negotiations with China for the Rovinari thermal power station are advanced
Thursday, March 27, 2014
The negotiations with the Chinese part for the construction of a new thermal power station in Rovinari are very advanced, the representatives of the investors will visit Romania in the near future, the vicepremier Liviu Dragnea said at the end of the visit to ...
Bulgaria-Romania Gas Grid Interconnection to Become Functional in June
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Following a number of technical delays, the Bulgaria-Romania gas grid interconnection will start functioning in June, according to Economy and Energy Minister Dragomir Stoynev. Speaking Wednesday at a conference on natural gas, Stoynev claimed that the delay had been caused by a collapse of the ground below the Danube River, adding that the problem had been dealt ...
Environment Ministry to conduct separate analyses of weaknesses of Rosia Montana project
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Minister of Environment and Climate Change Attila Korodi said on Tuesday in Oradea (north-western Romania) that the institution he coordinates will conduct separate analyses regarding the special issues signalled by the special parliamentary committee on the Rosia Montana gold mining project. Korodi said the ministry will draw up its own studies, in cooperation with the Romanian Academy and Geological Institute, in order to come up ...
Romania to benefit from EBRD technical assistance to draft national energy strategy
Thursday, March 27, 2014
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will offer the Romanian Energy Department technical assistance aimed at drafting the national energy strategy, the Department said in a release.Minister-delegate for Energy Razvan Nicolescu met a visiting EBRD delegation headed by Riccardo Puliti, the EBRD Managing Director in charge of the energy and natural resources sectors, with the talks focusing on energy issues ...
Energy production from renewable sources may grow by 60 pct this year
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Romania's electrical energy production from renewable sources may climb this year to 9-10 TWh compared to last year's 6.3 TWh said on Monday Emil Calota, vice president of the National Authority for Energy Regulation (ANRE) on the occasion of the presentation in Parliament of the Rapport regarding established prices and tariffs in 2013, written by the ANRE.'Last year, the energy produced from renewable sources was 6.3 TWh and that figure could grow to 9-10 TWh of ...
PM Ponta: Reference industrial gas price to be the same as on January 1
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Monday said that based on the industrial support the Romanian Government will pass on Wednesday for the local industry, the reference industrial natural gas price will be the one set on January 1.'Based on the industrial support package to be passed by the Government at its meeting on Wednesday, the reference industrial gas price on the free market will be the one set on January 1, of 230 US dollars per ...
Regulated electricity price was up 6 pct as of Jan 1, 2013 and down 1.3 pct six months on
Thursday, March 27, 2014
The regulated electricity price increased 6 percent nationwide as of January 1, 2013 but dropped 1.3 percent six months later, as of July 1, the vice-president of the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE ) Emil Caalota declared on Monday at the presentation to Parliament of ANRE's Report on 2013 regulated prices and tariffs. According to the ANRE official, the main causes that prompted these changes were: the rise in the electricity purchase ...
Household gas prices to advance 8 pct in 2014
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Household gas prices in Romania will grow by 2 per cent from April 1, with two more increases to follow by the year's end, 3 per cent each on July 1 and October 1, Chairman of the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) Niculae Havrilet told a Parliament's meeting on Monday where an ANRE report on regulated prices and tariffs for 2013 was unveiled.'On April 1, there will be a 2-per-cent increase in the household gas prices and a ...
National Uranium Company, Nuclearelectrica to merge
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Romania's National Uranium Company (CNU) and nuclear power producer Nuclearelectrica will merge, Minister-delegate for Energy Razvan Nicolescu told Antena 3 private broadcaster.'One of my concerns is to have a long-term guarantee of independence as regards the uranium nuclear fuel. We will launch a project of integration of CNU with Nuclearelectrica. Romania is the only EU country with a complete nuclear cycle; we are not dependent upon ...
Nicolescu: I wish in September-October to launch first draft of Energy Strategy for debate
Thursday, March 27, 2014
A first draft of Romania's Energy Strategy could be launched for public debate in September-October, Minister-Delegate for Energy Razvan Nicolescu told Realitatea TV channel, adding that he wants this strategy to be green-lighted and adopted by all political forces.'It is one of the things that I have assumed and we have already started to work on it. We have launched a public debate with ten extremely important strategic questions: how ...
Companies willing to explore shale gas cannot succeed without local support
Thursday, March 27, 2014
The companies interested in exploring shale gas in Romania must understand that they can succeed only if local communities stand next to them, the Minister of Environment and Climate Exchange Attila Korodi told Agerpres.'(...) for all things related to the exploration of possible shale gas deposit resources, hydraulic fracturing is prohibited. The environmental authorizations issued so far clearly state that. Fracking is applicable at ...
Nicolescu: New support mechanism for renewable energy possible soon
Thursday, March 27, 2014
The Executive might propose during the coming days or weeks a new and innovative support mechanism for the renewable energy sector, the Minister Delegate for Energy Razvan Nicolescu said on Sunday at Realitatea TV station.'My interest is to have the smallest possible burden for consumers in terms of costs, and to have a sustainable, predictable mechanism, one that is applicable on long term, for the investments in energy, both in the ...
Nicolescu: Romania is prepared for undesirable cut of Russian gas to Europe
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Romania is prepared from the energy point of view to withstand even a long-term hiatus in the delivery of Russian gas to Europe, the Minister Delegate for Energy Razvan Nicolescu said on Sunday at the Realitatea TV station.'From the energy point of view, Romania is prepared to withstand an undesirable interruption in the delivery of Russian gas to Europe. We have a domestic production that covers approximately 80 percent of our ...
SOCAR: It's hard to imagine a major project in the Caucasus region that doesn't include Azerbaijan
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Azerbaijan is extremely important in the Caucasus region and cannot be excluded from major projects developed in the region, reads a press release by SOCAR, the Azeri state petroleum company.Last week, Hamza Kharimov, CEO of SOCAR, had bilateral meeting with Chairman of the Industry and Services Committee of Romania's Chamber of Deputies Iulian Iancu to discuss future collaboration opportunities between Azerbaijan and Romania, and how ...
More than 15,000 people from Galati gave up the district heating system in 2013
Thursday, March 27, 2014
*An important part of families in Galati chose to install an individual gas boiler Galati ranks first among the counties in Romania which had the most disconnections from the centralized heating system in 2013, more than 15.0001) people choosing individual heating systems last year, according to an analysis made by Ariston Thermo ...
Legal and Practical Aspects to Develop Renewable Energy Market in Romania
Thursday, March 27, 2014
* ENREG ENERGIA REGENERABILA® 09-11/04/2014, Expo Arad International The 6th edition of ENREG ENERGIA REGENERABILA®, the biggest trade fair on renewable energy and energy efficiency in the border triangle Romania - Hungary - Serbia, ...