Home›
Publications› Topics› Power sector
In the early hours of 21 July, an attack took place on the Baksan hydroelectric power plant in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, in the Russian North Caucasus. As a result of the explosion, two of the three generators were damaged. The attackers, who killed two members of the security staff and injured two other people, succeeded in getting away. They are most likely to have been Islamist fighters under the command of Dokku Umarov. It must be expected that similar attacks will take place. As a consequence, Kabardino-Balkaria may join the least stable regions of the North Caucasus, together with Ingushetia, Dagestan and Chechnya. more »
On 4 May, the government adopted a concept for amending the law regulating the electric energy sector and a sector reform for the implementation of the EU’s third energy package. A reshuffle among the key companies in the electric energy sector is expected. The reform is a formal implementation of the EU directive. However, it seems that the government’s goal is to keep control over the entire sector via the Ministry of Energy headed by Arvydas Sekmokas, a close associate of Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius. more »
In mid March, Vattenfall signed a contract of sale for its electricity transmission system to a consortium consisting of the Belgian transmission operator Elia (60% of the shares) and the Australian investment fund IMF (40% of the shares). When the deal is finalised, 57% of the German transmission grids will be managed by specialist transmission system operators (TSO), which are managing the entire transmission grid in Holland (Tennet) and Belgium (Elia). A unique opportunity of enhancing the integration of transmission systems will be created on the EU scale. Its implementation will be possible only with support from Berlin, which in turn will depend on the German government’s decision regarding the further usage of nuclear power. more »
On 29 January, the Romanian government approved a plan for restructuring the state-controlled electric energy sector and creating two large holdings on the basis of existing companies. It seems that the chosen form of restructuring will reinforce the negative features of this sector (a lack of transparency and a shortage of investment funds) and indicates that Bucharest is more ready to protect jobs in inefficient state-controlled companies than to carry out the necessary reforms in this sector. more »
On November 10th E.ON signed a contract on selling its power transmission grid to the Dutch state corporation - TenneT. The acquisition of E.ON's grid by a foreign company buries the concept of creating a national power transmission grid operator, which was to come about by combining transmission infrastructure belonging to energy corporations in Germany. more »
