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Energy & Environment
Impoverished SE Europeans turn to wood for heating
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Rising electricity prices are increasing the use of wood for heating in South Eastern Europe to alarming levels, posing a serious threat to health and the environment, experts warned.Governments in South East Europe are largely unable to address the problem of energy poverty, understood as the incapacity of people to heat their own homes, warned Stefan Bouzarovski, a lecturer in human geography at the University of Birmingham in the UK.Speaking on 1 June at a conference hosted by ...
Wind farms pros and cons
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The high number of wind energy projects expected to become operational in the following years is raising several questions about the safety of the national energy system, dividing market experts into two camps: some of them believe the operations of Cernavoda reactors or thermoelectric power stations are likely to be threatened, while others say these projects will not cause any problems up to a certain limit of installed capacity. Stipulations of Law 2202008 say that irrespective of ...
Repower buys electricity trader Elecomex
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Repower, a Swiss group with over one billion euros in business, bought 80% in electricity trader Elcomex EN, held by Constanta-based businessman Ion Grecu. Little is known about Ion Grecu, the chairman of the Elcomex group, which includes Elcomex EN, with the Constanta press saying that he is one of the richest Romanians in the seaside region, who has multiple contracts in progress with the Cernavoda nuclear plant and who also enjoys a lot of political support.Elcomex EN got the ...
Tampiza leaves Lukoil Romania after 8 years at the helm
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Constantin Tampiza, 62, one of the best-known bosses in the local petroleum industry was replaced as chief executive of Lukoil Romania by Maxim Khitrov at the end of last week, after an eight-year term. Under his leadership, Lukoil Romania became the third-largest player in the local petroleum industry, moving from 21 million-euro turnover at the end of 2001 to a business put at 4.59 billion RON (over one billion euros) this year. "I am almost 63 years old now. I was appointed representative ...
Romania Obtains New Deal On Wintershall Gas
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Romanian Economy Minister Adriean Videanu said that, during his trip to Moscow, he has managed to obtain a $13 reduction in the price of gas supplied to Romania by gas company Wintershall "I asked the president of Gazprom, Alexei Miller, to support us in reducing the price of imported gas. We have taken $13 off the price with Wintershall," Videanu told a news conference. The price initially negotiated stood at $365 per thousand cubic meters, and the gas was delivered recently at $352 per ...
Romanian Environment Ministry To Resume Authorization Procedures For Gold Mining Investment
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Romania’s Environment and Forest Ministry will resume authorization procedures for investments in the Rosia Montana gold mining project in the western are of the country, Environment Minister Laszlo Borbely told a news conference Monday.Borbely said Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC) representatives presented authorities with a new urbanism certificate, adding the ministry addressed the company a series of questions regarding the issue. The minister said the Committee for Technical ...
First regional renewable energy cluster in Sfantu Gheorghe
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The first regional cluster in renewable energy studies was set up in Sfantu Gheorghe (northwest of Bucharest) to support and develop the field. The project's main goal is to streamline the cooperation among the renewable energy companies, and their cooperation with the local authorities, education, research and innovation institutions, said the manager of the Association of the Small and Medium Size Enterprises (ASIMCOV) in Covasna County (central) Vajda Lajos.It is worth ...
Norway’s Statkraft Avoids Romania In Its Investment Projects
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Norwegian power producer Statkraft transferred investments projects worth up to EUR1.3 billion to emerging countries as Albania and Turkey, avoiding Romania due to its unfavorable political environment."All projects in Romania were put on hold, due to the unfavorable environment in the past two years. Investments of EUR700-800 million migrated towards Albania, and others, worth EUR500 million, towards Turkey. At least half of these sums could have been invested in Romania," Daniel Pintilie, ...
Bulgaria and Romania do not compete for South Stream project - Gazprom
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The potential inclusion of Romania into the South Stream project does not mean giving up immediately the version where the pipe goes through Bulgarian territory, Gazprom vice-president Aleksandr Medvedev declared, quoted by ITAR-TASS. "It is possible that Romania joins the South Stream project, but this does not necessarily mean Bugaria is out", he says. "At the proposal of the Romanian party, the technical-economical documentation of Romania's joining the project will not be released for ...
'Wise man' calls for EU strategic planning body
Thursday, June 24, 2010
A permanent body dealing with long-term thinking and strategic planning must be created within the EU institutions, Žiga Turk, secretary-general of the Reflection Group on the Future of Europe, told EurActiv in an interview. There is "a very clear lack of long-term thinking towards the European Union's institutions and long-term strategic planning," said Turk, who drew his conclusions over the past year-and-a-half while preparing background papers for the members of the Reflection ...
EIB Expected To OK EUR65M Loan For Romanian Transelectrica
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The European Investment Bank might approve next week a EUR65 million loan for Romanian state-owned power grid operator Transelectrica (TEL.RO), the company’s general manager Adrian Baicusi told a news conference Thursday. "The signals are positive," Baicusi said. The loan will be used by the company to upgrade the power transport network. For 2010, Transelectrica estimated investments of 485 million lei (EUR1=RON4.2208), of which RON101 million will come from transport connection taxes ...
Romanian fuel making companies exhibiting in Petroleum Show in Canada
Thursday, June 17, 2010
For the first time, nine Romanian oil and natural gas companies attended the International Fair Global Petoleum Show, in Calagary, Canada, on June 5-12, the Economy, Commerce and Business Environment Ministry (MECMA) informs. It was the MECMA, the Romanian Center Promoting Foreign Trade and Investments (CRPCIS) and the Association of the Drill Contractors of Romania (ACER) that organized the Romanian economic mission aimed at promoting the Romanian oil and natural gasses ...
Enel Says 09 Network Leaks In Romania Rise To 18% Of Total Power
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Italy’s biggest utility Enel SpA reported power leaks at its Romanian units amounting to 17.9% of the overall energy supplied in 2009, mainly due to obsolete networks, according to group’s sustainability report.The figures are well above the network leaks recorded at Enel's units in Spain, Portugal or even on home turf in Italy. The Spanish and Portuguese branches each reported network leaks of 7.5% of the total power delivered last year, while the leaks in Italy stood at 6% of total power. ...
Bulgaria Freezes Belene NPP Project over Uncertain Returns
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Bulgaria is freezing the construction of its second nuclear power plant at Belene because of the lack of guarantees for the profitability of the project, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov announced.“There is no clear indication when Bulgaria will get back the money it will invest in the Belene Nuclear Power Plant. We are ready to sit down immediately and discuss the price of the investment with anybody who can show me a price. Everything else is just empty talk,” the PM declared after meeting ...
Power firms, wind sector join calls for EU grid plan
Thursday, June 17, 2010
A more coordinated approach to electricity grid planning is needed if Europe is to reap the benefits of large-scale investment in renewable energies, said large EU power firms and the wind sector in a joint statement last Wednesday (9 June)."A truly European approach to grid planning [is] crucial to the large-scale deployment of renewable energy," said the European Wind Energy Association and Eurelectric, a trade group representing large power companies such as EDF and E.ON.The ...
Republic of Moldova plans to transport energy through Romania to European markets
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Moldova plans to build two thermal power plants and export the energy produced here to European markets, via Romania, Moldovan Deputy Economy Minister Ilarion Popa said Sunday.Popa stressed that construction works on the two plants will set off soon and the plants will be built in Moldovan localities Burlaceni and Ungheni. He added that Moldovan authorities do not require financing from Romania to this end.The two plants will have, in a first stage, a cumulated capacity of 800 MW. ...
GDF Suez invested €600 million in Romania from 2005 to date
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The GDF Suez Energy Group that runs natural gas supply operations in Romania has invested €600 million in Romania since 2005, since the acquisition of Distrigaz Sud to date.“Since 2005, GDF Suez Energy invested €600 million in the upgrade and development of the natural gas sector in Romania (natural gas distribution and storage)”, said Eric Stab, general manager GDF Suez Energy Eastern Europe.GDF Suez Energy has a workforce of 5,000 in ...
Termoelectrica to lay off another 200 in October
Thursday, June 17, 2010
State-run electricity supplier, Termoelectrica said it could lay off another 200 people, adding to the 300 the company had already let go in April.“We’re talking with the trade unions now. We might axe another 200 jobs, apart from the already 300 cut in April”, said Constantin Ioanitescu, chief executive of the company.For the time being, Termoelectrica has a workforce of 2,000 people.The power supplier recorded loss of 295.2 million lei loss in 2009, due to penalties for loans taken by the ...
Environment Minister: EUR 2 bln worth of investments in waste management till 2013
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Romania will invest about 2 billion euros in waste management and collection programs with European financing so as to solve the matter until 2013 - 2014, Minister of Environment Laszlo Borbely declared at a conference devoted to waste management issues.'We have no problem with PET containers, because on this segment the producers got involved in waste management. We are some 5 to 10 pct behind with glass and electronic waste, but we have European financing for projects worth two ...
Transelectrica tightens purse strings
Thursday, June 17, 2010
National electricity supplier Transelectrica said it would cut back on spending by 10% this year, reduce acquisitions and maintenance costs as well as investments. “Initially, we had planned total expenditure of 2.8 billion lei. But now, we have to adapt to the market environment and make savings. The analysis is not complete, the budget blueprint following to be revised”, said the managing director of the company, Octavian Lohan. Transelectrica is the Transportation and System Operator in ...