Russian state-owned Gazprom and Hungarian energy group MVM signed a ten-year gas-supply agreement at the end of August. Under the deal, effective 1 October, Gazprom transits 4.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas to Hungary annually via two routes: 3.5bn through a new pipeline via Serbia and 1bn
For the citizens of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, the signs are ominous. As the Baltic countries look ahead to rising Covid-19 rates in plummeting temperatures, they are meanwhile facing soaring energy bills. The only hope for manageable energy bills is mild weather in the months ahead, representatives of electricity firms
If licensing doesn’t hold things up, the construction of an interconnector designed to help countries around the Baltic Sea diversify their sources of natural gas is scheduled to begin deliveries in the second half of 2022, according to Lithuania’s energy minister, Dainius Kreivys. Once completed, the pipeline will
Hungary has signed a long-term agreement with Russia’s Gazprom, which will supply 4.5 billion cubic meters (BCM) of natural gas over a 15-year period at a significant discount from what the country has been paying – a situation which has created tensions between Hungary and Ukraine, whose gas pipeline
The average price of energy for households in Budapest is 10.63 eurocents / kWh, which ranks the Hungarian capital first – the cheapest – among the EU capitals. Electricity prices were even lower in Belgrade, Serbia. The highest prices among EU capitals were registered in Copenhagen and Berlin, with rates three times
The contentious Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline will commence gas transits from Russia to Europe next month, according to the Russian state-owned Gazprom. This massive infrastructure development will not only impact European energy supplies, but could also have geopolitical effects.
After years of debate and delay, the final sections
Hungary has floated the idea of a tripartite agreement to supply Ukraine with natural gas flows through Hungary via liquefied natural gas (LNG) received at the terminal on the Croatian island of Krk. Following a meeting with his Croatian counterpart in Budapest, Hungary’s minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
The Nord Stream II (NSII) natural gas pipeline will be completed, despite political opposition from Ukraine, Poland and the US – but a court challenge to how it operates may be another sticking point for the USD 11bn natural gas pipeline, which will deliver 55bcm of natural gas to Germany.
That
The future of natural gas and how it is funded by the EU are deepening the divide between eastern and western Europe. Countries in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) like the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania continue to see natural gas as a key energy source and would
EU member states have approved a EUR 17.5 billion fund which aims to help some countries wean themselves from polluting industries like coal mining and others with high emissions, moving them towards green industries in the push to achieve net zero GHG emissions. The so-called Just Transition Fund (“JTF”
After being halted in April due to environmental concerns, the construction of 2 km of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline has been given the go-ahead by the German maritime authority (BSH) with the continuation of works in Danish waters.
Two German environmental NGOs, Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union
Kyiv and Beijing both remain cautious towards full-scale cooperation despite a number of successful cooperative actions and the increasing trade seen in recent years. Still, some plans seem to be up in the air, or very little information is available on whether or not they are being implemented.
5G’s
Russian energy ties in Serbia and Moscow’s support to Belgrade vis a vis Kosovo add up to Serbia not intending to give up on its partnership with Russia very easily, despite its keenness on moving ahead with EU accession talks. But Serbia’s president appears to be getting closer
Despite its historical dominance in Eastern Europe and geopolitical proximity to the EU, Russia remains a low-key trading partner for Europe, except when it comes to energy. Relations between Moscow and most EU member countries are best characterized as pragmatic, with both sides looking for mutual benefits and avoiding major
Germany has long backed Nord Stream II (NS2), which will provide it with more natural gas from Russia – and is nearing completion.
Still, in a meeting this week with NATO’s secretary general, US secretary of state Antony Blinken listed reasons why the Biden administration is against the natural gas