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Iraq imports 7 GW of electricity from Iran ‘to make up shortfall between production and demand’

Georgia’s Bitcoin mining “sucking its power grid dry”

Grey economy businesses “patronised by high-ranking officials” have set up in Svaneti region where locals receive free electricity because of the degree of hardship.

Ukraine's natural gas monopoly raises $500mn via new Eurobond placement

Ukraine's natural gas monopoly Naftogaz has raised $500mn via a seven-year Eurobond, the company said in a statement on November 5.

Hungary's MOL buys into Azerbaijan's top oil project

Azerbaijani gas ‘won’t flow to EU terminus until at least October 2020’

Delays reportedly caused in construction of final stretch of 3,400-km Southern Gas Corridor that is to make landfall in Italy.

Vostok Oil is the new kid on Russia’s energy block

Vostok Oil is a joint venture set up to explore and exploit the oil resources of the Arctic, and the Kremlin has started to throw significant resources at the company as Russia’s existing oil fields reach peak production.

Denmark greenlights Nord Stream 2 construction in its waters

After months of bitter wrangling, the government of Denmark gave the go-head for Russia’s Gazprom to build the Nord Stream 2 pipeline through its territorial waters – the last country on the route between Russia and Germany to grant construction perm

Moscow’s new African initiatives

Russian companies and African states signed a number of new memoranda last week at the first Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi

Latest Russia-Ukraine gas talks fail to yield breakthrough

Officials from Russia, Ukraine and the EU met again on October 28in Brussels to discuss terms for the transit of Russian gas via Ukraine next year, with still no breakthrough in negotiations in sight.

RWE enters Polish offshore wind development race

Serbia to invest €1bn to meet EU’s environmental protection standards

Serbia's ultimate goal is to make all its energy facilities compliant with EU environmental standards, as it aims to join the bloc by 2025.

Shares of Russian oil dinosaur Surgut soar in mystery rally

The shares of Russian fourth largest oil producer Surgutneftegaz (Surgut) leaped by a third (31%) in value between October 23 and October 25 and setting a new all time high price record of RUB48 ($0.75), with no apparent catalysts or news flow.

Baltic Pipe clears last major hurdle as Denmark grants offshore construction permits

The Baltic Pipe is a major element in Poland’s plan to wean itself off Russian gas, which currently covers around two-thirds of the country’s demand.

Bulgaria’s competition watchdog bans sale of CEZ’ assets to Eurohold

Czech utility's second attempt to offload its Bulgarian assets is blocked by regulator, which warns deal would cause a "significant deterioration" of market competition.

Enel Russia sells its biggest coal-burning power station as it goes green

Russia’s biggest foreign-owned utilities company has finally sold its Reftinskaya power station for an undisclosed amount as part of its efforts to “go green” as well as become more profitable.

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy announces cooperation with richest Pole on small modular reactor for Synthos

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy has signed an agreement with Poland’s chemical giant Synthos, owned by the richest Pole Michal Solowow, on the potential construction of a small modular reactor.

Ukraine expects to more than double its renewable capacity in 2019

Ukraine has already been investing heavily in the renewable sector, and the goal of the government's renewable energy strategy is to reach 25% renewables by 2023.

Central Asia’s electricity network – underpowered and fragmented

Power planners were left with major headaches when the demise of the Soviet Union caused all Central Asian Power System (CAPS) member states to scramble to remake their grids along national lines. However, pan-region ideas are now back in fashion.

Russian petrochemical giant Sibur produces first polyethylene from its own feedstock at ZapSibNeftekhim

After the ramp-up to its full capacity, the ZapSibNeftekhim petrochemical facility will manufacture 1.5 mt of polyethylene per year, making it Russia’s largest polymer production facility.

Rosneft builds base in Arctic

Rosneft has won subsoil rights to a new oil and gas block in the north of the Krasnoyarsk region, consolidating its position in the Arctic.

Lithuania considers banning purchases of electricity from Belarus’ nuclear power plant

President Gitanas Nauseda says he wants to prevent countries with “unsafe nuclear power plants” from exporting electricity to Lithuania, but fellow Baltic states Estonia and Latvia appear not to share his concerns.

Tajikistan’s massive Rogun hydropower dam: a blessing or a curse?

Poorest Central Asian nation Tajikistan is in danger of defaulting on its first ever Eurobond as the construction of the giant Rogun hydropower dam gobbles up scarce resources.

NEWSBASE: Third of large Russian oilfields unprofitable: Rosnedra

Russian subsoil licensing agency Rosnedra has taken an inventory of Russia’s major oilfields and found that one third of them are unprofitable to develop.

NEWSBASE: Gazprom advances LNG plans

Russia’s Gazprom has struck a deal with Germany’s Linde on setting up a joint venture to design facilities for the processing and liquefaction of natural gas.

Russia blocks booming suspicious coal exports to Ukraine via Belarus

The Russian authorities have been blocking exports of coal from its territory to Ukraine through the territory of neighbouring Belarus, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy and Coal Mining.