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Energy & Environment
'Investment strategy' needed to cut emissions
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The EU should look into pouring a high proportion of carbon revenues into energy efficiency, but not before an institutional framework to reallocate the money efficiently is in place, Richard Cowart, director of European programmes for the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), told EurActiv in an interview. "A successful cap-and-trade programme will be designed as a market-based overlay on an entire suit of clean energy policies," Cowart stressed, pointing out that as an advisor to ...
Russian 'hot air' threatens UN climate deal
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The European Union is wondering what to do with billions of unused pollution credits accumulated by Russia, Ukraine and other former communist states of Eastern Europe under the Kyoto Protocol as lawmakers worry about the continuity of the carbon market beyond 2012. Environment ministers from the 27-member bloc met in Luxembourg on last Wednesday (21 October) to thrash out the position that the European Union will take to UN climate talks in December. But as an international agreement slowly ...
Biden: We need energy security
Thursday, October 29, 2009
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden underscored here last week in Bucharest, during his visit in Romania, the importance of diversifying the energy sources and the transport corridors. We have all learnt, in the last two years, that as the world is getting smaller, the ties between us become more powerful. We are partners in today's global economy and therefore, together with the European partners, with the IMF and the World Bank we have worked for the international support for your economy to be ...
Coal output stands at 3.7 million toe in first 8 months
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Romania's net production of coal stood at 3.772 toe in the first eight months of the year, 15.6% (minus 694,900 toe) less than in the same period of 2008, according to data supplied by the National Statistics Institute.Between January and August Romania imported 405,900 toe of coal, by 1.102 million toe (73.1%) less than in the same period of 2008. ...
Import of natural gas, down over 65% in 8 months
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Romania imported in the first eight months of 2009, 1.004 million tons of gas (toe), by 65.3% less than in the same period of 2008, the National Statistics Institute announced.In the above-mentioned period, the domestic gas production totalled 5.858 million toe, by 4.9% (304,200 toe) less than in January-August 2008. ...
Photovoltaic park to be constructed in Gura Ialomitei
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Implementation of a Ialomita County Council (CC) project as regards the construction of a photovoltaic solar powered plant in Gura Ialomitei commune zone (south) costs some 10 million euros and will provide electricity to some public institutions in the county.The project site for the Photovoltaic Park is Ialomita County private property and has a total surface of 5 hectares, a land with a very low farming potential, as well as the closest location to the medium voltage station at ...
Investments worth 1.9 bln euros for management of hydro energy potential
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Hidroelectrica plans to attain a hydro-energy potential of 2.28 TWhyear by 2025, of which 1.011 TWhyear over 2009-2012, supposing an overall investment of almost 1.88 billion euros in new arrangements, according to Hidroelectrica Co. data presented on Monday, on the occasion of a roundtable on the hydro-energy potential.The company plans to manage 20 new river segments, with a potential of 1.246 TWhyear, for which preliminary studies were conducted. Works are under way for ...
Gas interconnection with Greece, Romania seen after 2010
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The projects for connecting Bulgaria's gas system with Greece and Romania are at the stage of feasibility studies. Jacobs Consultancy has been picked as consultant on the project with Greece, Tractebel is working on the intersystem connection with Romania, the chairman of Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) board of directors, Boris Pekov, told the Pari daily in an interview. The design of the facilities has to be finished in 2010 and then their final value will be clear. The projects are crucial ...
INS: environment protection consummed 2.8 % of GDP in 2008
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Expenditure for environment protection at national level was in 2008 of approximately 14.3 billion lei, the equivalent of 2.8 % of GDP, the data from the National Institute of Statistics say.According to the source, the value recorded during last year was 0.1 % higher than in 2007. At investments made by specialised producers in the domain of environment protection, the share was 35% out of the total, 1.7 billion lei respectively. There follow public administration ( 33.4 % - 1.6 billion ...
EnBW and Riviera Group stopped negotiations for electrical unit of 1000 MW in Oltenia
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Negotiations with EnBW and Riviera Group, the two companies which were interested to build in Romania an electrical unit of 1000 MW in partnership with Societatea Nationala a Lignitului Oltenia SNLO were stopped, the general director of Mineral Resources in the ministry of economy (ME) Sorin Gaman said. “ The methods of association were not according to the law in Romania. There was the intention of the two companies but not on the part of the ministry of economy. The Romanian state should ...
Electrica starts construction at a wind energy capacity in 2010
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The supplier and distributor of electricity Electrica will start next year the construction works for the first electricity project out of renewable sources with a capacity of 50 MW. „ For wind, we have three projects of 50 MW each, in various stages of development, two in Constanta and one in Galati. Each of the projects needs an investment of 100 million euros, according to our estimate. One is in association with a company and the other two we make them ourselves.” the general manager ...
Bulgaria ousted from Russia's South Stream pipe
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Russia has obtained all the permits necessary to build its 'South Stream' gas pipeline through Turkish territorial waters, discarding Bulgaria as one of the project's transit countries, the Russian press writes Tuesday (20 October). Taner Yildiz, Turkey's economy minister, has granted all the necessary authorisations for the South Stream project to run through Turkish territory, the Russian daily Kommersant writes. The event, which was hosted by Italian Economy Minister Claudio Scajola in ...
EU to develop indicators for eco-efficient economy
Thursday, October 22, 2009
EU environment ministers have asked the European Commission to develop robust indicators to measure the bloc's progress towards an eco-efficient economy, a concept that will be at the core of the revised Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs, to be agreed upon next spring. The request follows the recent adoption of a Commission roadmap for developing new environmental and social indicators to measure the real prosperity and wellbeing of nations beyond traditional GDP. The ministers, ...
EC Brings Romania To ECJ Over Failed Wild Bird Protection Measures
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The European Commission decided to bring Romania before the European Court of Justice for failing, on countless occasions, to provide adequate protection for wild birds, because an insufficient number of protection areas were designated since accession. According to a press release issued by the European Commission, "over one million hectares initially penciled in for protection have still not received the legal designation they require. As warning letters have not had the desired effect, ...
Investments worth some 6 billion forecast for energy sector
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The value of the main investment projects of the companies activating in the electricity sector in which the state holds shares will raise to 5.823 billion euros in the upcoming years, according to the information published by the Economy Ministry. Termoelectrica has scheduled investment projects standing at 140.2 million euros. Of the overall seven projects, most are aimed at the upgrade of installations and realization of new systems. Hidroelectrica has provisioned the ...
CNH Petrosani lays off 1000
Thursday, October 15, 2009
National Company of Pitcoal (CNH) Petrosani said it would layoff some 1,100 workers by the end of 2010, pursuant to EC State Aid Notification made public in April 2007, said Sorin Gaman, director at the Ministry of Economy.For the moment, the ministry is negotiating with the trade unions. However, the layoff will be gradual, by the end of 2010. 9,600 workers will keep their jobs at CNH Petrosani. These measures have been set out in the State Aid Notification of the European Commission made ...
Czech CEZ completes deal for Romanian distributors
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Czech power group CEZ said on Friday it has taken full ownership of two Romanian distrubutors after it agreed with Romania's Electrica SA to buy the remaining 19 percent stake in the pair for 145.36 million euros ($214.2 million). CEZ had an option to up its stake in CEZ Distributie and CEZ Vanzare based on a privatisation contract to acquire a 51 percent stake in distributor Electrica Oltenia. ...
World Bank reaches out to EU for climate change synergies
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The World Bank is seeking synergies with the EU in an attempt to incorporate climate change considerations into the long-term economic planning of developing countries, Michele de Nevers, senior manager of the bank's environment department, told EurActiv.The visit of her team to the EU institutions in Brussels, she explained, was part of the World Bank's efforts to put together an environmental strategy for a 10-year period. "This is for us an opportunity for consultations with external ...
Bulgaria, Romania to Build 2 Hydropower Plants with EU Funds
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Bulgaria and Romania are going to build two water-power plants, for which they are quickly tried to secure EU money. This was announced by Tudor Serban, Secretary of the Romanian Economy Ministry, as cited by newsin.ro. “Bulgaria wants to build two hydropower plants together with us with EU funds. Specialists from our two nations are going to meet in order to craft a memorandum, which they will present to the EU institutions,” Serban is quoted as saying. In his words, the memorandum for ...
Russia Goes to Romania for Major Gas Deal
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Romania is interested in the South Stream project, Aleksei Miller, the head of Russia’s Gazprom said October 8. There were no talks conducted with Romania on the subject before. If Bucharest agrees, Russia will obtain more opportunities to implement the vital project. It goes about the opportunity to build a gas pipeline branch to Romania,” Miller said at the World Gas Congress in Argentina. Until recently, Romania was not a member of the project, the official said. That is why, it only ...