Gazprom

The launch of the construction works for the underwater section of the South Stream gas pipeline has been postponed by a month, according to a Gazprom official.

The coming tender to privatize the distribution of Istanbul’s gas to its 5.1 million customers should not be seen as a simple commercial transaction of “whoever pays the most in the bidding round will win the contract.”

It is rather strategic for many reasons affecting Turkey’s energy security, investment climate, environmental quality and trading ties.

Officials from Moscow and Beijing signed on Sunday 17 documents on cooperation.

Among them is a memorandum envisaging the supply of gas from a depot in West Siberia through the so-called Power of Siberia pipeline.

Macedonia is not in danger of losing over €600 million euro, envisaged as part of the EU's Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, IPA funds, the European Union delegation to Skopje has assured BIRN.

"There is no direct link between Macedonian government policy on South Stream and the European Union IPA funds," EU delegation to Macedonia spokesman Konstantin Jovanovski said.

Hungary passes law to allow building of S. Stream

BRUSSELS -- The European Commission has asked Hungary to explain a new law passed in order to speed up construction of pipelines "such as South Stream."

Serbia has reached agreement with Russia on the repayment of its gas debt and is expected to have deliveries fully restored.

Serbian Prime Minister Alexandar Vucic, as cited by DPA, said that he had agreed on a plan for debt repayment to Russian state gas giant Gazprom in a telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin.

Russian gas giant Gazprpom on Wednesday confirmed receiving the first tranche of payment for past deliveries from Ukraine's Naftogaz. 

The payment opens the way for resumption of Russian gas supplies to Ukraine under an agreement between Moscow and Kiev reached last week in Brussels.

The Ukrainian energy utility Naftogaz has transferred USD 1.45 B to Gazprom, the first installment of its debt to the Russian concern, Naftogaz says.

The state-owned company wrote in a Tuesday statement that it had successfully paid amounts of gas that have already been delivered.

Turkey will start the sale of Istanbul’s İGDAŞ gas grid this month, with Russia’s Gazprom, Japan’s Marubeni Corp and Turkey’s Enerya and Aygaz among the interested bidders, sources close to the process have said.

Economy Minister Ivan Vrdoljak and an eight-member committee will review the bids for the exploration and exploitation concessions after the tender concluded on Monday, with contracts expected to be signed by March next year.