Croatia reduces green power surcharge for energy-intensive companies
Energy-intensive companies in Croatia could save up to EUR 10 million a year through the government’s scheme to reduce the surcharge they pay for incentivizing renewable energy production. The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a Croatian scheme that grants reductions to energy-intensive companies on a surcharge to finance support for renewable […]
Vienna powers second subway station with brake energy converter
When underground trains arrive at Altes Landgut in a southern district in Vienna, braking energy is recovered for illumination and the electric devices at the station. Friction creates heat and braking releases energy. After a successful pilot in 2018, the public transport operator in the Austrian capital introduced an inverter at another underground station. The […]
Vinex Etil inaugurates 2.2 MW biogas CHP plant near Zrenjanin
The company Vinex Etil has put into operation a combined heat and power (CHP) plant on biogas in the village of Lukićevo near Zrenjanin in Vojvodina. The company invested EUR 4.8 million in a 2.2 MW cogeneration plant. Goran Ilić, owner of Vinex Etil, said the heat would be used to produce bioethanol or medical […]
IPO of Hidroelectrica on hold as Romania bans sale of state assets for two years
The long-awaited stock market listing of the flagship hydropower producer in Romania was postponed yet again. Lawmakers in Bucharest voted to freeze all activity aimed at the privatization of any part of state-owned companies and the measure includes the initial public offering – IPO planned for Hidroelectrica. The opposition, led by Social Democratic Party (PSD), […]
Statkraft to start building floating photovoltaic unit at Banja HPP in Albania
The first of four rafts with solar panels and a diameter of 70 meters is scheduled to be finished before the end of December, according to Statkraft, which is installing the first floating photovoltaic plant in Albania with Ocean Sun from Norway. Ocean Sun is delivering a floating 500 kW direct current system for the […]
Velje brdo PV plant tender to start by year-end, could expand to 300 MW
Montenegro intends to launch a tendering procedure by the end of the year for the construction of a solar power plant in Velje brdo in capital Podgorica. The originally planned capacity of 50 MW could be increased to 150 MW or even 300 MW. The tendering process for the construction of a solar power plant […]
Western Balkan countries on the way to finalizing their National Energy and Climate Plans
Western Balkan countries, partners of the GIZ Open Regional Fund for South-East Europe – Energy Efficiency (ORF-EE), have made substantial progress in the preparation of their draft National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), demonstrating a commitment to following the pace of the EU member states who are in the process of finishing their final versions. […]
Romania allocates EUR 52 million in grants to citizens for rooftop solar
The state fund responsible for the Casa Verde Fotovoltaice scheme in Romania approved 48.8% of applications for rooftop solar power systems in the first round of grants, completed one and a half years after launch. EU funds cover as much as EUR 4,100 or 90% of the cost for the installation of photovoltaic systems per […]