According to Russia's spy agency, Serbia sold ammunition via Bulgaria and Czech Republic to Ukraine
Russia accused Serbia of selling artillery to Ukraine via Eastern Europe through intermediaries, the second time in a week that it has made such an accusation against its traditional Balkan allie. The Russian Foreign Intelligence Agency, SVR, posted a statement on its website in which it said that two Serbian companies had sold rockets or mortar shells to multiple rocket launchers, as well as components for these rockets, via two companies located in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. Both Bulgaria and Czech Republic are members of NATO and the European Union and provide weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. Serbian officials did not immediately comment.
Maguire: Eastern Europe's secretive surge in solar power generation
In Europe, the discussion of solar energy generation is dominated by Germany and Spain. Solar capacity in the nine largest producers of solar energy in Eastern Europe grew at a pace that was more than twice as fast as the rest of Europe over the last five years. This has allowed Eastern Europe to double its regional solar production share since 2019. Solar farms will provide electricity to at least six Eastern European countries, when solar radiation levels reach their peak this summer. The rapid growth of solar power in many countries is replacing or curtailing the output from coal-fired power plants and natural gas-fired power stations.
Maguire: Eastern Europe's secretive surge in solar power generation
In Europe, the discussion of solar energy generation is dominated by Germany and Spain. Solar capacity in the nine largest producers of solar energy in Eastern Europe has increased at a pace that is more than twice as fast as the rest of Europe over the last five years. This has allowed Eastern Europe to double its regional solar production share since 2019. Solar farms will provide electricity to at least six Eastern European countries, with a combined total of over 20% of the monthly power they use this summer. This is when solar radiation levels in the region reach their highest level.
Ukraine Approves Gas Import Via Transbalkan Pipeline To Avoid High Transit Fees
Ukraine's energy regulator has approved a gas import mechanism that will avoid high transit fees when supplying gas through the Transbalkan pipeline from Greece to Ukraine, the Ukrainian energy ministry said on Tuesday.Ukraine has faced a serious gas shortage since a series of devastating Russian missile strikes this year, which significantly reduced domestic gas production.Ukraine now imports gas via Slovakia and Hungary, but does not use the southern route because of its higher transit tariffs, as gas from LNG terminals in Greece also passes through Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova."The Transbalkan route has significant potential to meet Ukraine's immediate needs ...
TurkStream gas pipeline may slow down EU-Russia decoupling
May 7 - While the European Commission has announced a revised plan to wean Europe off Russian energy completely by 2027, some parts of Europe have taken the opposite approach. The TurkStream pipeline is not only still operating, but has expanded its gas supply. Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, Russian gas exports have dropped dramatically. They went from more than 155 billion cubic meters (bcm), in 2021, to less than 40 bcm by 2024. In the same time period, Russian LNG exports to the EU almost doubled, reaching around 25 bcm. France, Belgium Spain and the Netherlands bought over 90% of these volumes.
Turkey looks to regional energy expansion as Black Sea Gas output increases
Alparslan bayraktar, the Energy Minister, said that the daily production of natural gas in Turkey's flagship Sakarya Field, located on the Black Sea, has reached 9.5 million cubic meters. The country is ramping up its energy ambitions at home as well as abroad. Bayraktar, a Turkish minister of energy, told reporters in Giresun province that the country aims to sign an agreement by the end of the month allowing TPAO to explore a Black Sea bloc off the coasts of Bulgaria and a foreign partner. "We're about to finalize an agreement in the Bulgarian Economic Zone." He said that TPAO will likely sign a contract with a foreign firm for a bloc in Bulgarian waters next month.
Shell and Bulgaria sign a contract for Black Sea oil and gas exploration
Shell signed with the Bulgarian government a contract on Tuesday that gives the oil giant the rights to explore a Black Sea field for oil and natural gas. Shell will be able to explore 4,00 square metres of the Block 1-26 Khan Tervel Field. Bulgaria, a member of the European Union, was totally dependent on Russian Gas until 2022. It has sought to diversify and find cheaper gas sources. OMV Petrom, NewMed Energy and the Bulgarian Government signed a contract last month for the exploration of oil and gas in another field near the Black Sea.
Azerbaijan calls on EU to reconsider finance restrictions for gas corridor expansion
Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan said that the European Union needs to reassess their financing and policies regarding long-term contracts in order to continue importing natural gases from Azerbaijan. Baku could also look for other export markets. He cited the European Investment Bank’s ban on new financing for fossil fuels and the lack of long-term contracts to purchase gas as obstacles to increasing exports to EU. Aliyev said at a policy conference that the EU market was superior in terms of rules, legislation and pricing. But we shouldn't look exclusively to the west.
Energy assets affected due to sanctions and standoff between Russia and the West
On Tuesday, the United States and Russia reached separate agreements to stop attacks on energy and maritime targets. Washington also agreed to press for the lifting of some sanctions against Moscow. In the event that a peace agreement is reached between Russia and Ukraine, the potential for a relaxation of U.S. sanctions and EU sanctions has led to the question of what will happen to the disputed assets which were affected by international sanctions. This includes both Russian assets located in Europe as well as assets owned by foreign companies in Russia. The main source of revenue for Moscow is oil and gas exports.
Hungary will increase its gas exports to Slovakia starting April
The transmission system operator FGSZ announced on Tuesday that Hungary would increase its gas export to Slovakia from 2.63 billion cubic metres per year to 3.5 bcm by April. Hungary's decision to increase its export capacity to the north follows Ukraine refusing to renew a transit agreement with Russia, as it seeks a reduction in revenue that goes to Moscow for funding the war in Ukraine. The expiration of this deal has stopped a major route for Russian Gas to be shipped into Slovakia and Western Europe. Robert Fico, the Slovak prime minister, has threatened to take retaliatory actions against Kyiv.
Bulgaria claims Azerbaijan has stopped gas supply until January 11
Bulgargaz EAD, the Bulgarian gas state company, has received notification that Azerbaijan suspended gas supplies to Bulgaria for unspecified reasons from January 7 to 11. Bulgargaz reported that Bulgargaz has sourced replacement gas volumes from Botas in Turkey. The company said that it did not incur additional costs to replace the natural gas, nor did the outage affect the market for natural gas in the area. A source in the industry said that "an issue" was at BP's Alpha Platform at the Shah Deniz Gas Field. BP Azerbaijan announced on Friday it had suspended work at the Shah Deniz Alfa platform (SDA)…
Bulgaria claims Azerbaijan has stopped gas supply until January 11
Bulgargaz EAD, the Bulgarian gas state company, has received notification that Azerbaijan suspended gas supplies to Bulgaria for unspecified reasons from January 7 until January 11. Bulgargaz reported that Bulgargaz has sourced replacement gas volumes from Botas in Turkey. The company said that it did not incur additional costs to replace the natural gas, nor did the outage affect the market for natural gas in the area. A source in the industry said that "an issue" was at BP's Alpha Platform at the Shah Deniz Gas Field. BP Azerbaijan didn't respond to a comment request immediately.
The Moldovan President visits the area affected by blackouts and blames Russia's Gazprom
On Thursday, the Moldovan president Maia Sandu visited areas that were experiencing rolling power outages and blamed Russian Gas giant Gazprom. The energy crisis in the pro-Russian enclave of Transdniestria is a result of this. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson in Moscow, said that Moldova and Ukraine are responsible for the power and heating shortages. The foreign minister of Finland met with officials in both government-controlled Moldova and the separatist enclave and pledged to help both sides achieve a settlement. Transdniestria has been receiving Russian gas for over 30 years. However, Ukraine refused to extend the gas transit agreement past New Year's Day.
After gas cutoff, the breakaway region of Moldova faces prolonged blackouts
Local authorities reported that Saturday saw a longer period of rolling power outages in Transdniestria (the pro-Russian breakaway region of Moldova), which is now without Russian gas because it no longer transits through Ukraine. The flow of Russian gas through Ukraine into central and eastern Europe ceased on New Year's Day, after the transit agreement between the two warring nations expired and Kyiv refused a renewal. Transdniestria is a predominantly Russian-speaking enclave that has lived alongside Moldova since it broke away in the final days of Soviet rule. It received gas from Russian company Gazprom via the pipeline which crosses Ukraine.
Hungary declares that the issue of Russian gas payments has been resolved
Hungary's foreign minister announced on Friday that it had found a way to pay for Russian gas via the Turkstream pipe from Bulgaria, while avoiding the U.S. sanction. He did not provide any details about the agreement. The U.S. On Nov. 21, creating a barrier for European gas buyers. Gazprombank has been used by buyers to pay for their purchases, including a currency conversion scheme to roubles. Turkstream, which runs through Bulgaria from Turkey, is the main pipeline used by Hungary to receive its Russian gas, 7 billion cubic meters so far in this year.
Moldova declares a state of emergency when the risk of Russian gas being cut off looms
The Moldovan parliament voted on Friday morning to declare a state of national emergency lasting 60 days, starting Dec. 16, due to the expected interruption of Russian gas supply on Jan. After Prime Minister Dorin Recean's request for approval, 56 members of the 101-seat chamber approved the measure just after midnight. He said that the vote was to stop "gas blackmail" by Moscow. Declaring an emergency allows the government respond quickly and reduce energy exports. Ukraine has announced that it will not be extending its transit contract with Russian Gas giant Gazprom. The contract expires December 31.
Moldova and Russia hold talks about Transdniestria Gas Supply amid Ukraine Transit Uncertainty
Moldova reported that the energy minister of Moldova met with the head Russian gas giant Gazprom to discuss alternative routes for supplying Russian gas to Transdniestria, Moldova's breakaway region. If transit through Ukraine is stopped, Moldova will look at other options. Ukraine has stated that it will not prolong the gas transit agreement. Transdniestria, a region backed by Russia, relies heavily on Russian gas delivered via Ukraine. After the St Petersburg talks, the Moldovan energy ministry released a statement saying that the two men (energy minister Victor Parlicov…
Gazprom and Moldovan ministers to meet to discuss power supply
The Moldovan energy minister announced on Friday that he will meet with Russian gas giant Gazprom in St. Petersburg, Russia next week to ensure stable power supplies following Russian attacks on the energy systems in Ukraine. Victor Parlicov warned that systematic strikes against Ukraine's electricity grid could cut off the country from a supply which had become reliable. The war in Ukraine has had a profound impact on the ex-Soviet Republic Moldova, which is one of Europe's most impoverished countries. Russian drone fragments have repeatedly fallen onto its territory.
Four states join forces to build an interconnector for Azeri windfarms
Azerbaijan formed a joint-venture company with Georgia, Romania, and Hungary on Tuesday. The aim is to build an interconnector undersea across the Black Sea to connect planned Azeri Windfarms with Europe. Green Energy Corridor Power Company, based in Bucharest, Romanian capital will oversee the construction of a 1,000 megawatt cable that runs 1,100 km (685 miles) from Azerbaijan into Romania. This is part of the wider European Union effort to diversify its energy resources and away from Russia during the Ukraine War. The Romanian Minister of Energy…
EU Probes Chinese Subsidies and Imports
The European Commission proposed on Tuesday final duties up to 36.3% for imported electric vehicles manufactured in China. This is part of the most high-profile EU investigation into alleged Chinese subsidies, which has provoked threats from Beijing. The EU has also begun investigations to determine whether Chinese clean-tech producers are dumping subventioned goods onto EU markets, and whether Chinese owned companies receive unfair subsidies when operating within the European Union. The EU executive states that its goal is to prevent unfair market competition and distortion.
