CIBR signs anexclusive import contract with a Belgian technology provider for infra redheating panels that consume less then 30 % energy in comparison withconventional energy sources.

TheBelgian owned CIBR has signed an exclusive importers license for Romania inJuly 2011.  The Belgian Energy Products Group SA develops, manufactures, and distributesinfrared heating appliances and solutions for use in domestic, commercial, andindustrial environments.EPGbelieves infrared heating technologies have an enormous potential as anenergy-saving, cost-efficient, and comfort-enhancing alternative to traditionalheating systems. The savings are up to 30% if we compare with traditionalheating devices, the maintenance cost is 70% lower then conventional systems,no central device and pipes…plug and heat , good for the health.

CIBR will installan “energy excellence center in Buzau” were the Belgian Romanian Real EstateChamber has its head quarters. The energy excellence center will be installedin the business and incubation center hosted by CIBR in Buzau city.

Source: website   www.investromania.be   

IFC and EBRD grant EUR 114.8 million loan to developwind farms in Cernavoda

. TheInternational Finance Corporation (IFC), member of the World Bank Group, andthe European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) grant a 114.8million euros loan to the Cernavoda Power company to co-finance theconstruction and exploitation of the 138 MW wind farms Cernavoda I and II,reads a release issued by the two banking institutions. EBRD and IFC each granta 57.4 million euros loan for Cernavoda Power, whose majority shareholder isEDP Renovaveis, to finance the construction and exploitation of the wind farms.Both institutions will hold 42.2 million euros in their own accounts,syndicating 15.2 million euros each to a group of commercial banks. This is thefirst "project finance"-type of investment of EBRD and IFC in therenewable energy sector in Romania. "Supporting the projects devoted torenewable energy is one of the key priorities of EBRD. The Cernavoda-based windfarm will make a major contribution to expanding the capacity to generate windenergy in Romania and to reaching the EU renewable energy standardfigures," said Nandita Parshad, EBRD head of power and energy utilities.The Cernavoda-based wind farm located in the south-eastern region of Dobrogeawill become one of the largest wind parks in Romania. Cernavoda I is operationalnow generating already 69 MW while Cernavoda II will be put into operation soononly to generate another 69 MW. Its total capacity will represent the fourthpart of the total capacity of generating wind energy in Romania. IFC focuses onthe private sector in the developing countries and the new investments hit therecord sum of 18 billion dollars in 2010. IFC has financed various projects inthe renewable energy sector exceeding 2.3 billion dollars since 2005. EBRDfinanced the construction and the exploitation of many renewable energyprojects in the countries where they are active, including Poland, Bulgaria,Estonia, Mongolia, Turkey and Hungary, granting more than 558.6 million eurosin the renewable energy sector. The bank has invested more than 5.1 billioneuros in various economic sectors since it started its activity in Romania, 549million of which have been invested in the renewable energy sector.

Source: Agerpres, Romanian Economic Highlights, June27, 2011

40 billion-euro investments required for newelectricity generating capacities until 2035

The totalinvestments for installing the new electricity generating capacities necessaryin the period 2011-2035 of approximately 14,800 installed MW (gross power,excluding the capacities installed in renewable energy sources), amount to30-40 billion euros, according to the Energy Strategy draft for 2011-2035,which is released on the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business Environment(MECMA) website for public debate. Out of this amount, 9-11 billion arenecessary during the period 2011-2020.

For buildingthe capacities for the capitalization of renewable energy sources, around 5,500MW in the period 2011-2035, approximately nine billion euros are estimated tobe required, out of which about seven billion are needed by 2020. The strategyprovides that energy groups accounting for a 5,544 MW installed power (4,152net power), representing around 28 percent of the existing capacity, should beclosed down by 2020. Overall, a total installed power of 11,066 MW (8,899 MWnet power), representing around 55 percent of the current capacity, will haveto be withdrawn from function until 2035. Depending on the technical status andthe performance of some existing electricity generating groups, thetechnical-economic analysis carried out justified the revamping of some groupsof the hydropower and thermal power plants aiming at increasing theirefficiency and operating time. At present, hydropower plant groups accountingfor 1,089 MW are undergoing revamping works to be finalized by 2015. Also, therevamping of groups having a total power of 571 MW is scheduled for completionby 2020. Another power group of 745 MW remains to be refurbished, as soon asthe financing resources are secured. Over the whole period until 2035, theestimated withdrawal from function of obsolete capacities leads to a deficit(new net power required) of approximately 13,540 MW net power available in thereference scenario, which will have to be compensated by installing new powergenerating capacities. Integrating the wind power energy, the biomass and thesolar energy in the system requires support schemes (green certificates) inorder to make them competitive for investors, but leads to the increase in theelectricity price for the final consumer. For the period 2020-2035, the mostefficient solution for electricity production, taking into account the possibleevolution of fossil fuels on the international market and the CO2 certificatesprice, would be a new nuclear power plant. Carrying out the programme forcapitalizing the hydropower potential, as well as building the electricitygenerating capacities mentioned in the National Action Plan for RenewableSource Energy, will ensure the increase in the electricity production generatedfrom renewable sources (large hydropower plants included) from 29.2 percent ofthe total production in 2009, to 43 percent in 2020, a value that will thenstabilize at around 42 percent. The share of CO2 non-emissive power will risefrom 49.5 percent of the total production in 2009 to 72.5 percent in 2020 andcould reach over 80 percent in 2035. By achieving this evolution of theelectricity production structure in the national energy system, Romania will bemeeting the EU target of reducing the CO2 emissions by 20 percent.

Thedevelopment of energy production in hydropower plants, in plants based onrenewable energy sources, and the continuation of the nuclear programme willlead to the decrease in the electricity production from coal and hydrocarbonsfrom 50 percent from the total production in 2009 to 27.5 percent in 2020 andto under 20 percent in 2035. As a consequence, there will be registered adecline both in the demand of domestic coal for the mining sector, mainlylignite (a production of 15-20 tonnes per year) and in the demand of naturalgas imports for the electricity production, which will contribute to theenhancement of the energy security.

Source: Agerpres, Romanian Economic Highlights, June20, 2011.

Economy Minister: Nabucco to diversify energy sourcesand delivery routes for Europe

The Nabuccopipeline will contribute to a diversification of both the sources and deliveryroutes of energy for Europe and will provide energy security, indicatedMinister of Economy, Trade and Business Environment Ion Ariton on June 8, whileattending the interministerial meeting of the Nabucco Committee in Kayseri,Turkey. According to a release from the Ministry of Economy, the Romanianofficial signed on behalf of the Romanian Government the Project SupportAgreement (PSA) during a ceremony attended by EU Energy Commissioner GuntherOettinger. The meeting was an opportunity to reassure the political support ofall partners for the Nabucco project and for the assessment of the progressmade. PSA offers a legal background similar for all the project's pipelinesegments so that the potential investors and suppliers should be given theguarantee that the partner states will provide a proper and safe environmentfor the project's implementation. "The importance of the PSA lies also inthe fact that its signing is an essential stage for taking the final investmentdecision and implicitly for the project's coming into being, as well as forgetting the necessary funds from the European Investment Bank, the EuropeanBank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Finance Corporation(within the World Bank group) and of other investors," reads the release.The Nabucco pipeline sector that runs through Romania will belong to Nabucconational company. The Nabucco project aims to construct a pipeline laid on theroute Turkey-Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary-Austria, with a total length of 3,296 km(Turkey, 2,000 km, Bulgaria, 400 km, Romania, 460 km, Hungary, 390 km andAustria, 46 km). There are six companies developing the Nabucco project: Botas(Turkey), Bulgargaz (Bulgaria), Transgaz (Romania), Mol (Hungary), OMV(Austria) and RWE Gas Midstream GmbH (Germany), each with an equal share of16.67 percent within the Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH, headquarteredin Austria. It was decided at EU level that the project would be included inthe European Economic Recovery Plan with a 200 million euros amount allocated,whose beneficiary is the Nabucco Gas Pipeline International.

Source: Agerpres, Romanian Economic Highlights, June14, 2011

CEZ invests over one billion euros in renewable energy

 CEZ Group invests 1.1 billion eurosin building the largest inland wind power park in Europe, with a totalinstalled power of 600 MW, Roxana Margineanu, the company's communicationmanager told Agerpres. According to her, the CEZ wind-power park at Fantaneleand Cogealac, Constanta County (south-eastern Romania) will thus have acapacity approximately equal to that of a reactor of the nuclear-power plant ofCernavoda (south-eastern Romania) and the double value of the installedcapacity of the largest operational park at the moment, the Whitelee wind-powerpark, in Scotland, with 322 MW. “The building works on the park located northof Constanta are being carried out in two stages. The first one, at Fantanele,includes 139 wind turbines, with a capacity of 347.5 MW and was completelyoperational at the end of 2010, when a 0.2 TWh production was registered,”Margineanu mentioned. In the said context, she also showed that the secondstage, carried out in the Cogealac area, would produce 252.2 MW and wouldinclude 101 turbines, was scheduled for completion by the end of 2011. “Whenthe two stages of the project are finalized, CEZ will be able to supply 10percent of the total renewable energy produced in Romania, the largehydro-power plants included,” Margineanu said. The CEZ official pointed outthat for the meeting the EU directive of ensuring the supply of 20 percent ofthe electricity production from renewable sources by 2020, the investment madeby CEZ Group in Dobrogea (south-eastern Romania) was a highly significant one.

Source: Agerpres, Romanian Economic Highlights, June 6, 2011