Orban: Hungary is in talks with Ukraine about Russian gas deliveries via Hungary
Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary, said that Hungary was in talks with Russia, Ukraine and other countries to keep open gas deliveries via Ukraine, even though it imports Russian gas via Turkstream. The pipeline via Ukraine is one of the main Russian gas routes into Europe. However, it will close at the end this year because Kyiv doesn't want to extend the five-year transit deal that brings gas to Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Orban said in a press briefing: "We're now trying to pull off the trick... Orban stated that talks are ongoing…
Romania allocates 1.5 GW of renewable energy projects
The Energy Ministry announced in a Monday statement that Romania had allocated 1.5 gigawatts of renewable energy project funding through an EU-funded contract for difference scheme. The long-awaited low carbon energy support scheme fixes the price of electricity to providers at a level agreed for 15 years. The Ministry selected 10 projects for onshore wind worth 1.09 GW and 11 projects with a total capacity of 432 MW. The energy ministry stated that the projects would have an average weighted cost of 51 euros for solar projects and of 65 euros for wind projects. This is below the initial strike price of 91 euros for solar and of 93 euros respectively.
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.
DN Agrar and BSOG Romania plan to build a 15 MW Biomethane Production Site
The first biomethane plant in the EU will be built by Black Sea Oil & Gas, a Romanian offshore gas company controlled by Carlyle Group LP and DN Agrar. Romania has committed to phase out brown coal and uses a mixture of coal, gas, hydroelectric, nuclear, and renewables. Anaerobic digestion is a process that produces biomethane, which is a gas identical to natural. It can be injected in existing pipelines. Biomethane is considered renewable energy by EU regulations, so countries and companies can use it alongside wind and solar. Construction of the site BSOG & DN Agrar intend to build is expected to cost 30 million euros (32.68 millions).
Romgaz, a Romanian gas company, raises 500 million euros through its debut Eurobond
IFR data show that Romanian state-owned Romgaz issued its first eurobond on Monday. The company sold 500 million euros (559.50 million dollars) of five-year papers to fund a project for deepwater gas in the Black Sea. Romgaz and OMV Petrom have partnered to develop Neptun Deep Black Sea Gas Project, one of Europe's largest natural gas reserves. The project is expected to cost four billion euros, to be divided equally between the two companies. The company intends to fund its portion of the project via a 1,5 billion euro Euro Medium Term Notes programme that was approved earlier this month.
Palm extends its losses as concerns about demand weigh
Malaysian palm futures continued to fall on Friday. They hit a new low of three weeks, as the sluggish market outweighed worries about supplies of sunflower oil from the Black Sea region, which is the largest producer, and gains in soft oils. The benchmark contract for palm oil delivery in November on Bursa Derivatives exchange was down 21 Ringgit (0.55%) at $3,831 Ringgit ($888.45). The contract is down 1.7% this week. A Mumbai-based trader said that palm oil has been struggling to recover, despite the gains made by soyoil. Sunoil supply is also a concern. The demand for palm oil is not encouraging a recovery.
Ministry: Romania will launch CfD-based support scheme for green energies in mid-November
Romania will launch its first auction of onshore renewable energy projects by mid-November through a contract-for-difference (CfD) support scheme funded by the European Union, the energy ministry said on Monday. It said that the scheme would set a strike-price of 78 Euros per Megawatt Hour for solar projects, and 82 Euros for wind. The long-awaited low carbon energy support scheme will fix the price of electric for providers to an agreed level for a period of 15 years. After the Ministry reduced the scope of the initial 2 GW auction, the first auction will offer 1,5 gigawatts worth of onshore solar and wind energy projects.
Energy Minister: Romania could connect 1373 MW of new power by 2024
Sebastian Burduja, Minister of Energy, said that Romania will be able to connect 1,373MW of new electricity to the national grid before year's end, with most of this coming from solar parks. The European Union state wants to reduce its carbon emissions in order to meet the emissions reduction targets of the bloc and to also ensure supply security, which is a growing concern since Russia invaded Ukraine. The country's electricity is generated using a mixture of gas, coal and renewable energy sources. It has also committed to phase out brown coal under the EU-funded recovery aid package. However, at present, the energy ministry wants an extension.
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.
Hunter Biden contacted US ambassador in 2016 over Burisma deal, NYT reports
Hunter Biden contacted the U.S. Ambassador to Italy in 2016 while his father Joe Biden was Vice President, to discuss a geothermal energy project with the Ukrainian company Burisma where Hunter Biden served as a board member, according to an article by the New York Times, which cited records obtained by the newspaper. The newspaper reported that Hunter Biden sent at least one letter to the ambassador of the U.S. Embassy at Rome in Rome's name on behalf Burisma Energy Company. Abbe Lowell told his attorney on Wednesday that Hunter Biden…
OMV Petrom Makes Largest Crude Oil Discovery in Decades
Romanian oil and gas group OMV Petrom, majority-controlled by Austria's OMV, said on Tuesday it discovered new crude oil and natural gas deposits equal to about three quarters of its overall 2022 production.The deposits are the largest crude oil discovery OMV Petrom has made in decades, it said, and were found in southern Romania holding over 30 million barrerls of oil equivalent (boe) of recoverable resources."The new discoveries will contribute to reducing the decline of our production and to the continuity of the supply of essential products for the economy…
EU Approves $21.27B Just Transition Fund
European Union countries on Monday approved the bloc's flagship fund to wean them off fossil fuels and protect communities most affected, paving the way for members to start receiving the cash.The 17.5 billion euro ($21.27 billion) Just Transition Fund (JTF) combines money from the EU's budget and its COVID-19 recovery fund.It is designed to support communities most affected by plans to shut down coal, peat and oil shale sectors or other emissions-intensive industries. It will back projects including managing closures of coal mines and…
Tech Files: Offshore Power Products
Insights on innovative power products upgrades that could be used to keep offshore operations moving along effectively, efficiently.Maersk Supply Service/Orsted power buoysDanish offshore vessel firm Maersk Supply Service and its compatriot offshore wind developer Ørsted, are testing an innovative charging buoy that can bring green electricity to offshore wind farm service vessels and potentially to a wide range of maritime vessels.The buoy could be used to charge the smaller battery- or hybrid-electrical vessels and to supply power to larger vessels, enabling them to turn off their engines when laying idle.
New Offshore Acreage Licensing to Drop 60% in 2020, Rystad says
Newly licensed offshore oil and gas exploration acreage is likely to fall by about 60% and onshore acreage by 30% compared with 2019 levels, Rystad Energy has said, as the Norwegian energy market analytics company expects more than half of the world’s planned licensing rounds to be canceled this year due to the combined effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and the low oil prices."This year was slated to be another remarkable year for exploration with about 45 countries launching at least 52 lease rounds, about 60% of them in offshore areas.
Saipem Tallies $1.7 Bln Drilling Contracts
Italian oilfield services firm Saipem announced Friday it has secured approximately $1.7 billion in new and extended drilling contracts for its offshore and onshore divisions.The offshore drilling contracts relate to activities to be executed in Norway and in Angola, Saipem said in a press release.The onshore contracts encompass 19 land-rigs located in Middle East, with power between 1,500 and 2,000 horsepower, and their duration range from three up to 10 years. In addition, new contracts and extensions on other existing contracts have been assigned for new works that will be executed in Bolivia, Perú and Romania, the company said.
Second ASV Delivered to Bibby
The second of Damen’s Accommodation Support Vessel (ASV) 9020 has been delivered to Bibby Marine Services at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania. On her arrival in the North Sea, the Bibby WaveMaster Horizon will begin maintenance work off the coast of Germany on two EnBW and Enbridge-owned windfarms– Hohe See and Albatros – for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and EnBW.The 90-meter ASV 9020 was developed by Damen to meet the specific needs of the offshore renewable energy industry, combining walk-to-work capabilities with an innovative interior and DP2.The build of what was to be the Bibby WaveMaster Horizon began in 2014 alongside that of its sistership…
Natural Gas Flaring Hits Record High
As spot prices in the region have remained near or below zero, natural gas flaring and venting in the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico reached a new all-time high in the first quarter of 2019, averaging as much as 661 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd).According to research conducted by Rystad Energy, this widespread waste of a valuable commodity is the result of persistent infrastructure challenges, a lack of sufficient takeaway capacity and an unexpected outage on a key pipeline in the area.“We anticipate that basin-wide flaring will stay above 650 MMcfd before the Gulf Coast Express pipeline comes online in the second half of 2019…
