Tag: Energy

Baku denies Armenia will host Nabucco

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 24 (UPI) — Azerbaijani officials Wednesday said there are no plans to alter the route of the proposed Nabucco pipeline through Armenian territory.

Turkish media had reported Ankara spoke with officials in Armenia about the possibility of altering the Nabucco route to Europe.

Construction on the 2,000-mile pipeline from Caspian gas fields to Europe is slated for 2009. Azeri officials, however, denied the plans included Armenia, Trend Capital News reported.

“The route of Nabucco has already been determined. It will run through territory of Azerbaijan and Georgia, onwards to Turkey, Greece up to Italy,” said Ali Hasanov with the Public Policy Department in Baku.

Hasanov said Baku “has repeatedly stated” it will not deal with Armenia until it releases territory Azerbaijan claims is under occupation.

Europe and the United States back development of the Nabucco pipeline as a means of easing Europe’s dependency on Russian energy.

September 25, 2008
Turkey, Azerbaijan gas talks stall

ANKARA, Turkey, Sept. 24 (UPI) — Talks between Azerbaijan and Turkey over price mechanisms and gas supplies through the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline have stalled, officials said Wednesday.

A contract for Turkey to receive natural gas from western routes runs out in three years, leaving Ankara scrambling to secure additional supplies. The price offered from Ankara for supplies from the BTE pipeline, also known as the South Caucasus pipeline, was not acceptable to Baku, the Turkish Daily News said Wednesday.

Turkey argues the price mechanism is justified because of the relatively direct route of the pipeline.

Ankara had looked at the 430-mile pipeline from Azerbaijan to Turkey through Georgia as a means to shore up its natural gas reserves. The pipeline has pumped gas to Turkey since 2007.

Baku would have to hike its domestic gas price and rely on Russian gas if it were to funnel additional gas reserves through the pipeline.

Officials with BP, a major shareholder in the BTE consortium, said the Turkish offer was too low and favored pressure from Baku to ramp up the price.

September 25, 2008
Turkey accepts Russian bid for nuclear

ANKARA, Turkey, Sept. 25 (UPI) — The only firm to respond to Turkey’s tender for bids for a nuclear plant will be assessed.

Only one firm, Russia-based Atomstroyexport, submitted an offer for the construction and operation of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, Anatolia news agency reported.

The Turkish Electricity Trading and Contracting Co. Inc. held its fourth tender process in Ankara Wednesday for the construction and operation of a nuclear power plant in the Akkuyu region of the southern province of Mersin.

In the first three tenders, TETC received no bids and was not able to move forward with its controversial plans for a nuclear plant.

After receiving an offer from Atomstroyexport, Turkey’s Atomic Energy Agency will assess the offer and review the company. If Turkey accepts the bid, it will move on to Turkey’s Council of Ministers for their approval.

Atomstroyexport, AECL Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., Suez Tractebel, Unit Investment N.V., Hattat Holding-Hema Ortak Girisim Grubu and Ak Enerji all submitted closed envelopes, but only Russian Atomstroyexport’s envelope included an offer.

September 25, 2008
Gazprom ups gas price for Armenia

MOSCOW, Sept. 25 (UPI) — Russian energy giant Gazprom will increase the price of gas exported to Armenia by 40 percent beginning in April 2009, officials said Thursday.

Karen Karapetian with the joint Russian-Armenian natural gas pipeline project ArmRosGazprom said starting April 1 the price for gas would increase from $110 per 1,000 cubic meters to $154.

Another price increase, to $200 per 1,000 cubic meters, is scheduled to go into effect in 2010, and in 2011, Gazprom will peg the price to conditions in Europe, the Azeri Press Agency said.

Earlier, Azerbaijan denied reports there were plans to alter the route of the Western-backed Nabucco pipeline through Armenian territory, citing a territorial dispute between the two countries.

On Tuesday, however, Iran pledged to meet Armenian winter energy demands through a $220 million, 87-mile natural gas pipeline.

“Iran will pump 3 million cubic meters of gas to Armenia during this winter,” said Reza Kasaei Zadeh, director of the Iranian Gas Export Co.

September 25, 2008
Work on Iran-Armenia pipeline concludes

YEREVAN, Armenia, Sept. 12 (UPI) — Construction on a natural gas pipeline from Iran to Armenia to transport 81 billion cubic feet of gas has been concluded, Armenian energy officials said Friday.

Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan said the pipeline is important to secure energy supplies for his country, noting testing would commence in the coming days, Trend Capital News said.

“The opening of the Iranian-Armenian pipeline will guarantee the energy safety of Armenia,” he said. “Armenia will receive from 2.3 billion to 2.5 billion cubic meters of gas from Tehran through this pipeline a year.”

Movsisyan added the Armenian government was entering into trilateral talks with Iran and Russia on the construction of an oil refinery and examinations of a new oil pipeline.

The planned $2.5 billion Armenian refinery would have the capacity to produce around 50 million barrels of oil per year.

September 14, 2008
Russia, Armenia discuss nuclear power

YEREVAN, Armenia, Sept. 11 (UPI) — Armenia’s president met with Russia’s nuclear chief to discuss cooperation on nuclear energy.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan discussed uranium exploration in Armenia as well as other areas of cooperation during his meeting with the director general of the Russian Atomic Energy Agency, Sergei Kiriyenko, Armenia’s state-run news agency ArmInfo reported.

The two leaders discussed existing partnerships and each country’s varying expertise in fields related to the nuclear industry.

They also reportedly discussed the operation of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, which Kiriyenko said is operating safely and reliably so far.

September 11, 2008