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Energy & Environment
Commissioner Piebalgs recalls European commitment to Nabucco project in a conference held in Budapest
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs recalled recently the strong European commitment to the construction of the Nabucco gas pipeline, a project that will supply gas from new suppliers to central Europe. In a speech delivered in a conference held with the support of the Hungarian government, Commissioner Piebalgs underlined that Nabucco was the only gas project among the four energy priority projects that were to benefit from a co-ordinator. In fact, the newly appointed Nabucco’s ...
Setup of national energy company sparks controversy among specialists
Thursday, September 27, 2007
The European Commission decision to separate energy production from energy transport and the setup of a national energy company in Romania generated diverging opinions from the experts in this field. Razvan Niculescu, Romania's attaché on energy issues to the European Commission claims there is no incompatibility between the Romanian Government's intention to look into the setup of a national energy company and the EC decision, Rompres informs. 'Inclusion of the electricity and natural ...
EU unveils plan to dismantle big energy firms
Thursday, September 27, 2007
A new battle has begun over the next round of energy liberalisation. Commission proposals to complete the EU's internal market for gas and electricity are leaving France and Germany in a quandary, with EDF and E.ON facing either the dismantling of their transmission assets or tight regulatory restrictions.The Commission's third energy liberalisation package was eagerly awaited in Brussels but its contents were also already widely known in advance due to earlier debates at EU summits and ...
Gov't forecasts 5.6pc rise in winter 2007 energy consumption
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The Government approved a winter energy programme covering the October 1, 2007 - March 31, 2008 interval for meeting the expected consumption of energy under high quality and secure conditions, as well as for ensuring safe and smooth running of the National Electrical Energy System, reads a press release issued by the Government. Energy consumption in the winter of 2007 is expected to increase by 5.6 percent from the winter of 2006 and necessary fuel acquisitions are estimated to exceed ...
Government plans to set up big national company in energy field
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The Government plans to set up, in the upcoming period, a big national company in the field of production, transport and distribution of energy, announced Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu at the end of the Executive's meeting which approved the Energy strategy for 2007-2020 period.The general objective of this energy strategy, said the Premier, is to cover the energy needs on the long and medium term at a price as low as possible, so that the economy will benefit of necessary ...
Investment of 35 billion euros in energy over 2007-2020
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The Government on last Wednesday approved the national strategy in the energy sector spanning the 2007-2020 period providing for investments of nearly 35 billion euros in upgrading energy plants and in environmental programmes, some 4 billion euros more than the initially suggested allocation.The sector that calls for the highest investment is electricity, with an estimated value of 17 billion euros that would be paid on opening new generation units such as the completion of nuclear reactors ...
Consumption of primary resources drops in 2007 for first time in the past years, Vosganian says
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The consumption of primary resources in Romania dropped 4.6 percent in 2007, for the first time in the past years, and the consumption of electricity dropped 2.4 percent, with the economic growth in H 1 standing at six percent, said on Thursday Minister of Economy and Finance Varujan Vosganian at an international conference.'It is for the first time that the macro-economic indicators differ in trend from the consumption of primary resources and energy. The economic growth in 2007 is high ...
National energy company in the making to be privatised by bourse listing
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The national energy company that is in the making will be privatised by listing on the Stock Exchange in one year after establishment, minister of Economy and Finance Varujan Vosganian told a press conference last week.. 'The bourse listing procedure requires in the first place a consultant and an assessment procedure. All these cannot be done any sooner than in 8 - 9 months, up to one year. After the company is established, stake selling might start in probably one year,' explained ...
Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer: Petrom will reach the efficiency level of Exxon Mobil within ten years
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Petrom, the biggest oil company in Romania and OMV majority shareholder will reach the efficiency level of Exxon Mobil (world leader as regards market value) in ten years, says OMV President Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer, in an interview with Business Standard daily .In his opinion, after the upgrading program Petrom will become the most modern oil and gas company in southeastern Europe.Ruttenstorfer is convinced that Romania will have an important role on the Southeastern European oil and gas ...
Distrigaz to sell gas and electricity
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Natural gas distributor Distrigaz Sud plans to expand its client basis, including through the acquisition of small distribution operators from its main operational areal, as well as by extending its portfolio of activities through the entrance on new public interest markets, such as electricity, Bernard Arnaud, director general of Distrigaz Sud, told Business Standard.Referring to the project of retailing electricity, Distrigaz Sud director general underlined that, in order to make such an ...
Statistics :Energy production down, consumption up
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The main primary resources totalled 23.5 million tonnes oil equivalent in the first seven months this year, down 4.2 percent compared with the same period in 2006, due to a 2.8 percent fall in production and 6.3 percent fall in import, say data from the National Statistics Institute.The production of electricity Jan. through July stood at 35,124 million kWh, down 2.8 percent from the year-ago period.Although the production of electricity went down, in the said period consumption was 2.5 ...
Foreign companies interested to enter natural gas exploration and exploitation market in Romania
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Companies Marathon Oil from the United States of America and Celtic Energy from Great Britain plan to enter the natural gas exploration and exploitation market in Romania and announced they are going to participate in the bidding organized by the National Agency for Mineral Resources (ANRM) for the leasing of some gas fields.As well, Canadian Sterling Resources Co., which leased two exploration perimeters in the Black Sea, wishes to expand to Romania, Business Standard daily reads on ...
Gaz de France invests in Romania over 600 million euros
Thursday, September 13, 2007
French utility company Gaz de France invested in Romania directly or through Distrigaz South 600 million euros, said Gaz de France vice-president for Central Europe Jean Francois Carriere.'Gaz de France has been present in Romania since 2005 and it has invested in the upgrading of the distribution network and the increase of the capacity to store natural gas. Gaz de France also contributed serious expertise in Romania, 'Carriere said.According to him, Gaz de France will get involved in ...
Liquid Natural Gas in 'construction boom'
Thursday, September 13, 2007
With demand for Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) surging across the world, Europe and the United States have begun making large investment in LNG infrastructure, according to market research by Datamonitor.Surging global demand for gas has spurred investment in LNG terminals in areas that are not covered by pipelines, fuelling what analysts are now describing as a "construction boom"."As competition between Europe, the US and Asia for natural gas supplies heats up, gas producers without the ability ...
Gas: an energy with a bright future
Thursday, September 13, 2007
While oil resources are declining and countries are seeking to diversify their energy supply, there are large reserves of natural gas and an increasing number of uses to which it can be put. The future for gas therefore looks bright, argues Yves Mathieu in an article for 'Energies' magazine, a publication of the major French oil company Total.The gradual decline in natural gas reserves in OECD countries, a growing demand for more environmentally-friendly energy and a wide range of ...
EurActiv Interview: Renewables becoming EU's 'most dynamic' industries
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The naysayers have it wrong: Europe can easily achieve a 20% share for renewables in its energy mix, nuclear can be phased out and second-generation biofuels technologies will arrive in time to meet bioenergy targets sustainably, according to Oliver Schäfer, of the European Renewable Energy Council. With the Commission preparing legislative proposals to increase the share of renewables in the EU's energy mix, and growth in renewable energies such as solar power likely to continue, Oliver ...
Commission set for climb-down on 'ownership unbundling'
Thursday, September 13, 2007
A proposal to further liberalise the EU's energy market, due on 19 September, is to present member states with alternative options to full 'ownership unbundling' in an effort to ward off a veto threat from nine countries led by Germany and France, EU officials have told EurActiv.The EU executive is currently considering two main options for its upcoming proposal, scheduled for release on 19 September, it emerged from discussions with EU officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.The first ...
Petrom interested in buying Petromservice
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Petrom company on Monday issued the first official confirmation of its interest in buying Petromservice or some activities the oil Services Company offers. ‘Work-over (repairs and interventions at oil wells) and maintenance activities are very important for the exploration and production segment, and Petromservice is for us a very important supplier of such services. Petrom was engaged in a series of discussions with Petromservice representatives, with the goal of identifying methods of ...
E.ON Energie Romania: The energy holding plan - 'a step backwards'
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The project of setting up Gunther Schubert, the president of the E.ON Energie Romania Office, a return to a closed, project outlined in the new energy strategy, considers a large energy holding company, and transparency-deficient market, Ziua daily points out. 'The large Termoelectrica debts, the yet to be privatized producers and the distribution networks that need large and urgent investments because their exploitation lifetime expired, are the reasons behind the EU's demand that a real ...
ANRM puts up for bid 35 oil fields
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The companies interested in acquiring leasehold of oil fields can turn to the National Agency for Mineral Resources (ANRM) for technical data about 35 such perimeters; the deadlines for bids submission are January 24, 2008 for nine exploration perimeters and February 21, 2008, respectively, for 26 exploitation areas. The crude and gas exploration, development and exploitation perimeters put up for bid are mainly located in the country's north-east, south and west, whereas the exploitation ...