Governor says drone attacks cause fires at the Russian energy export port Ust-Luga
On Friday, firefighter battled a blaze at Russia's Baltic Sea port Ust-Luga - a major hub for energy exports - after a fire was sparked by an arial attack, according to regional governor Aleksander Drozdenko on the messaging app Telegram. He added that more than 50 drones had been downed by the Leningrad area, while the area around Ust-Luga - a centre for oil exports and oil-based products - continued to'repel the attack. The extent of the damage is not immediately clear. This attack continues Ukraine's tactic of attacking Russian oil export and processing facilities…
Latvia increases security at dam and gas storage facility because of Russian threat, says PM
Andris Kulbergs, the Prime Minister of Latvia, said that he had increased security at a large underground gas storage facility and a 'hydroelectric dam' upstream from Riga due to intelligence suggesting a Russian threat. Latvian, Lithuanian, and Polish leaders warned that Western intelligence agencies believed Russia was planning provocation and attacks on infrastructure in the area. The Kremlin called these allegations "scare stories". Kulbergs claimed to have spoken with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and asked for more air defence and more boots on the ground.
Eastern and Central European countries call on EU to strengthen carbon fund for the poorer members
A letter obtained by? showed that Eastern and Central European countries, including Poland, Bulgaria and Romania, have asked the European Union to strengthen a fund which?helps EU poorer nations transition to cleaner energy. A letter seen by? showed that Brussels is preparing to restructure the EU's largest climate change policy. The European Commission, which is working on a revision to the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), is receiving competing requests from both governments and industry about how best to modify the massive scheme. The Commission's proposal is due by July 15.
Oil Prices Fall 4% as US Proposes Iran Peace Plan
Oil prices slid about 4% on Wednesday on reports that the U.S. had sent Iran a 15-point proposal aimed at ending the war, prompting talk of progress toward a ceasefire.Brent futures fell 3.96, or 3.8%, to $100.53 a barrel at 10:41 a.m. EDT (1441 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $3.57, or 3.9%, to $88.78.Pakistan has delivered a U.S. proposal to Iran, and either Pakistan or Turkey could be a venue for discussions to de-escalate the war, a senior Iranian official…
Seven countries warn EU against changing the energy market design
Seven EU member states, including the Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium, warned the executive of the bloc 'on Thursday' against interfering in the system that determines Europe's energy price. Officials at Brussels are scrambling to reduce bills. This year, energy prices are a major political issue in Europe. Industries have warned that they can't compete with the lower-cost companies from China and the United States. The European Commission has been under increasing pressure to intervene due to the soaring prices of oil and gas worldwide as a result of the conflict in Iran.
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.
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.
Document shows that ten EU countries have called for sanctions against Russian LNG and gas
A document obtained by revealed that ten European Union nations have asked the 27-nation group to ban the imports of gas from Russia. This comes as Europe is debating new sanctions against Moscow for its war in Ukraine. The EU is currently preparing its 16th set of sanctions against Russia's economic system, in advance of the third anniversary Moscow's invasion of Ukraine on a large scale. This will take place in February 2022. The 10 countries include the Czech Republic as well as Denmark, Estonia, and Finland.
Document shows EU countries want more transparency about Russian gas imports
In a letter to the European Commission on Monday, a group of EU member states including France and the Baltic States asked for tighter reporting requirements across the EU on Russian LNG imports. In June, the EU approved a 14th set of sanctions that included a prohibition on the trans-shipment of Russian LNG in its ports. Moscow has used European ports for transshipment onto other vessels bound for Asia. Imports of Russian LNG were not banned. Several EU countries continue to receive Russian pipeline gas via Ukraine and Turkey.
Orlen, a Polish company, signs a Lithuanian deal to increase LNG deliveries
Polish top refiner Orlen has signed a five-year contract with Lithuanian oil & gas logistics company KN Energies to use a liquid natural gas (LNG), transshipment facility in Klaipeda exclusively. This agreement is aimed at small-scale gas supplies, as LNG will be delivered via small ships to the station and then transported by trucks instead of oil tankers. Gas from Klaipeda is sent to clients throughout the Baltic region, including Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Orlen views Lithuania as a strategic market…
Sunly raises 300 million euros for renewable energy projects in Baltics, Poland and Baltics
The Estonian renewable energy company Sunly raised $300 million in debt financing in order to accelerate construction of 1.3 Gigawatts of wind, solar and storage capacity in the Baltics and Poland. It said that the financing provided by Rivage Investment and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), as well as Norway's Kommunal Landspensjonskasse, brings the total capital raised up to 765 millions euros. Sunly aims to create hybrid installations that combine wind, solar, and energy storage, and provide a direct connection to consumers.
Norway's Snow Crab Ruling Boosts Oil Claim
A court delivered a painful nip to European Union fishermen on Thursday by tightening Norway's grip on snow crab catches in the Arctic, a ruling that may also let Oslo claw more control of oil and gas from other nations.Fishermen from the European Union must ask permission from Oslo to catch snow crab — whose meat is a delicacy for gourmets from Canada to Japan — in Arctic waters north of Norway, the Norwegian Supreme Court said in a unanimous ruling.The court dismissed an appeal…
Lithuania Plans to Buy an FSRU
Lithuania has given the go ahead to state-owned Klaipedos Nafta to purchase a liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage vessel by late 2024, as it shores up energy supplies and reduces its reliance on Russian natural gas.Klaipedos Nafta is currently leasing a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), called Independence, from Norway's Hoegh LNG.The use of the vessel has allowed Lithuania to import LNG since 2014, breaking the monopoly Russia's Gazprom had on natural gas supply to the country as well as neighboring Latvia and Estonia."This will keep us able…
Fortum Eyes More M&A With Unspent Uniper Cash
Finland's Fortum, which failed last month in its bid to win majority control of Germany's Uniper, is now considering other acquisitions, Chief Executive Pekka Lundmark said on Thursday. After selling its distribution networks in 2015, state-controlled Fortum was left with about 10 billion euros in cash, much of which the company has said it could use for acquisitions. Fortum received only a 47-percent stake in Uniper after bidding 8.05 billion euros ($9.80 billion) for a 100-percent stake.
Austrian Parties Plan to use Brexit to Reopen EU Nuclear Power Pact
Austria's main conservative and far-right parties, which are in coalition talks, plan to use Britain's departure from the European Union to renegotiate the bloc's main atomic pact so as to reward countries free of nuclear power, they said on Friday. Austria has opposed the use of nuclear energy ever since a majority backed that position in a referendum in 1978, when the country's first nuclear power plant was ready to be brought into service. The plant never went into operation. The conservative People's Party (OVP), led by Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, which won a parliamentary election on Oct.
Gazprom Says Progress Made in EU Anti-trust Talks
Gazprom said on Friday that anti-trust talks with the European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager had made progress. The Russian state-controlled company is fighting allegations of overcharging customers and blocking East European rivals in contravention of EU rules. It denies the allegations. Gazprom said it and the European Commission had agreed to continue work on "seeking a mutually acceptable solution" in relation to the EU's investigation into the company's practices.
Lithuania Receives First U.S. LNG Cargo
Lithuania received its first spot shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States on Monday, the result of a deal aimed at reducing dependence on Russia and consolidating relations with Washington amid increased tension in the region. Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 has spooked the Baltic states, once ruled from Moscow but now members of both NATO and the European Union. "This is crucially important for the whole region," said Lithuania's Foreign Affairs Minister Linas Linkevicius.
Trump to Promote US Natgas Exports in Russia's Backyard
President Donald Trump will use fast-growing supplies of U.S. natural gas as a political tool when he meets in Warsaw on Thursday with leaders of a dozen countries that are captive to Russia for their energy needs. In recent years, Moscow has cut off gas shipments during pricing disputes with neighboring countries in winter months. Exports from the United States would help reduce their dependence on Russia. Trump will tell the group that Washington wants to help allies by making it as easy as possible for U.S.
Private Producer Aims to Ship Baltic's First Russian LNG Before Gazprom
LNG Gorskaya, a privately-owned Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer, has launched a 340 million euro ($379 million) project to become the first LNG exporter from Russia's European coast, its CEO told Reuters. Russia expects to send LNG to Europe by the end of 2017 from its distant Arctic peninsula of Yamal but a plant on its Baltic coast could establish the country as a more immediate supplier of LNG in a region already dependent on piped Russian gas. The company will build a floating LNG plant off the port of Gorskaya…
Latvia Mulls Options for Baltic Gas Facility
Latvia to liberalise gas market next April. A number of companies, including Germany's Open Grid Europe (OGE), are considering buying a stake in Latvia's future gas grid and storage operator Conexus Baltic Grid, the country's economy minister said. Latvia's gas utility Latvijas Gaze is set to transfer part of its assets - including one of Europe's largest underground gas storage facilities, Incukalns - to Conexus ahead of a planned market liberalisation next April. The current owners of Latvijas Gaze - Russia's Gazprom…