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Energy & Environment
The two units of Cernavoda power plant make over 4 million MWh in first 4 months of 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The two units of the nuclear power plant Cernavoda produced in the first four months of 2012 an amount of electrical power of 4.082 MWh, from which 3.769 MWh were delivered to the grid, according to data issued on Nuclearelectrica website.Unit 1 produced 2.068 million MWh in the first four months of 2012 and delivered 1.905 million MWh, reporting an average capacity factor of 101.5 percent and Unit 2 produced 2.013 million MWh and delivered 1.863 MWh, with an average ...
Net coal production, 12.3 percent higher in the first quarter of 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The net coal production of Romania exceeded 1.725 million tonnes oil equivalent (TOE) in the first quarter of 2012, 12.3 percent higher on a year-on-year basis, according to data centralized by the National Institute of Statistics.Romania imported 192.200 TOE of coal, 93.400 TOE higher than the amount imported in the first quarter of 2011.According to a British Petroleum report, Romania used to have deposits of 291 million tonnes of coal in late 2010, ...
Oil imports go up by 2.8 percent in first three months of 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Romania imported 1.176 million tonnes of oil equivalent in the first quarter of 2012, by 33,500 toe (2.8 percent) more than in the similar time span of last year, according to the data centralized by the National Institute of Statistics. The oil production amounted to 2.226 million toe in January-March and was by 0.2 percent (5,400 toe) lower than in the first three months of 2011. According to a British Petroleum study, Romania's proven oil reserves were ...
Gov't contemplating modifying mineral royalties
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Government is contemplating modifying the mineral royalties levied on corporations, in the period immediately ahead, given that Romania's mineral royalties are five times lower than the European averages, Prime Minister Victor Ponta told Pro TV commercial television channel in an interview aired on Sunday.He said he is dissatisfied with the fact that the average mineral royalties in Romania are 4 percent, compared with European averages of 20 ...
PM Ponta: Rosia Montana gold mining project cannot go on without environmental guarantees
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Rosia Montana gold mining project cannot go on without providing environmental guarantees and the sharing of the Romanian Government in the project should be renegotiated while renouncing the lobby mounted by President Traian Basescu, Prime Minister Victor Ponta told Pro TV commercial television channel in an interview aired on Sunday.'There are three problems in relation to Rosia Montana, and first and foremost is the environment. First of all, we will not go on ...
EU to spare some industries from full carbon trading obligations
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The European Commission has drawn up a list of 14 industrial sectors that will be eligible for special state aid to compensate for the increased cost of electricity due to the European Emission Trading System (ETS), according to a draft paper seen by EurActiv. “Our final decision will come in the coming two weeks,” EU Competition Commissioner Joaquín Almunia told a news conference in Brussels on 11 May. “We have to finalise our decision ...
Europe’s solar industry growth 'cannot last forever'
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Europe’s solar photovoltaic (PV) industry is “weathering a period of uncertainty” and growth rates are likely to stall, according to the industry’s Global Market Outlook for Photovoltaics until 2016, released last Wednesday (9 May). Solar PV’s growth rate was meteoric last year with 21.9 gigawatts (GW) of solar electricity connected across Europe – up from 13.4 GW in 2010, according to the report by the ...
Environment Minister to also consider EC studies in deciding on shale gas exploitation
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Romanian Minister of Environment and Forestry Rovana Plumb announced during a meeting in Brussels with EU Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potocnik that the Romanian government also plans to ground future decisions on shale gas exploitation on the results of relevant studies that are currently underway with the European Commission (EC).According to a Friday release of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Rovana Plumb had on Thursday, May 10, two working ...
Gas imports go down by 29.2 percent in first quarter
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Romania in the first quarter 2012 imported usable natural gas amounting to 671,000 tonnes of oil equivalent (toe), by 29.2 percent (276,800 toe) less than in the similar time span of 2011, according to the data centralized by the National Institute of Statistics.In the above-mentioned span of time the domestic natural gas production totalled 2.226 million toe, by 5,400 toe less than in the first three months of last year.According to a study made by ...
Petrom - net profit of over 315 million euros, in Q1
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Petrom group registered, in the first quarter of this year, a net profit of over 315 million euros (1.385 billion lei, at a rate of 4.37 lei for 1 euro), with 65 percent higher compared to that of same period last year, according to data released by the company on Wednesday. Group sales, excluding excise taxes on petroleum products, totaled 6.005 billion lei, with 21 percent higher than in the first three months of 2011. Operational performance was amplified by the ...
Liberalization of natural gas prices due over 2013 - 2018
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The liberalization of natural gas prices will be performed over 2013 - 2018, Minister-designate of Economy, Trade and Business Milieu Daniel Chitoiu said on Monday after he was given the nod by the expert parliamentary committees.'Following talks with international institutions we have established that the liberalization of gas prices should start in 2013 and end in late 2018,' said Chitoiu.The nominee Minister of Economy said Saturday after talks with ...
Economy Minister: We will increase royalties, we can tax windfall gains
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The authorities plan to increase oil royalties and to negotiate, including with OMV Petrom, in this respect, also analyzing the option of levying a tax on the company's windfall gains, in case it will not accept an increase in royalties prior to 2014, said Monday, the minister nominated for Economy, Trade and Business, Daniel Chitoiu, said on Monday after receiving a favorable opinion of the parliamentary specialized committees.'Royalties are too low. We will change ...
For lack of investments, Romania's dependence on oil and gas imports will increase
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Romania's dependence on oil and gas imports will increase as investments are lacking and the country will not be able to exploit the high storage potential of gas, while the modernization of natural gas and power supply networks will be halted and the heating system will face serious problems, Eric Stab, member of the boarding council of the Foreign Investors' Council (CIF) and chairman of the Working Group on Energy Issues, told a press conference on Monday.'It is ...
Presidents of Romania and Republic of Moldova wish acceleration of joint energy projects
Thursday, May 10, 2012
President Traian Basescu and his counterpart from the Republic of Moldova, Nicolae Timofti, decided during the meeting on Thursday, in Bucharest, to accelerate the development of energy projects already established, including Iasi-Ungheni (north-east country) gas pipeline. 'We had discussions on how we can contribute to the binding of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union, via Romania, as the border country for the Republic of Moldova, and we decided ...
Chitoiu: Hidroelectrica contracts to be renegotiated in 10 days
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The contracts of hydro-power producer Hidroelectrica will be renegotiated in 10 days so as to change the set tariffs, quantities and deadlines, Economy Minister-designate Daniel Chitoiu said on Saturday, after the talks with a visiting delegation of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Commission hosted by the National Bank of Romania.'We have pledged to renegotiate the contracts in ten days and to then inform the International Monetary ...
Foreign investors place over 16 billion euros in energy sector since 2002
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Foreign investors operating in the energy sector have placed over 16 billion euros in Romania, since 2002, the amount which contributed to the stability of a sector that was under-financed, officials of the Foreign Investors Council (CIS) said in a press conference on Monday. 'Companies in the energy sector in which foreign investors play an important role have contributed with about four billion euros to the state budget from the collection of VAT, income tax, ...
Chevron takes hit as Romania's designated Ponta Government plans immediate moratorium on shale gas exploitation
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The governing program of the government formed by Romania's designated prime minister Victor Ponta, which was submitted in the Parliament on Thursday evening, mentions the immediate introduction of a moratorium on shale gas exploitation until developing European-level studies on the impact of hydraulic fractioning procedures on the environment are concluded. The moratorium means any activity of shale gas extraction ...
The government told IMF that they won’t sell CupruMin on the basis of the former government strategy
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The government told the IMF that they won’t sell CupruMin on the basis of the former government strategy at a low price and against the strategic interests, but on the basis of a partnership private-public programme to be finalized in four months, premier Victor Ponta said. “I told IMF that we won’t sell CupruMin as the Ungureanu government wanted to do it, for very little to an unknown company and against our ...
Romania's May 2012 natural gas demand put at 9.7816 million MWh
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Romania's total demand for natural gas in May 2012 is put at 9.716 million MWh in a report drawn up by the Transgaz national natural gas transmission operator and submitted to the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE).Demand on the regulate market is put by Transgaz at 2.126 million ...
CEZ Romania plans to take over new wind farms
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Czech energy group CEZ, which, this year, will complete a 1.1 billion euro investment in the largest onshore wind farm in Europe, located in two villages in Dobrogea (south-east ), say they are about to finalize their portfolio of projects, following advanced talks to acquire new windmill parks. ...