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Fri, Feb 10 2012
No more power for Turkey?
FOR the second time in the past two weeks the Turkish press has warned that Ankara will cut electricity imports from Bulgaria, Intellinews news service announced on Tuesday. Turkey will cancel its contract for purchasing electricity due to Sofia's failure to award the construction of infrastructure projects in Bulgaria to Turkish companies, Turkish news daily Zaman reported.
Under an intergovernmental agreement of 1998, Bulgaria sells electricity to Ankara in exchange for participation of Turkish companies in local infrastructure projects. Zaman cited Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Gyuler's statement of the previous week that he would propose cancellation of the agreements with Bulgaria, since by 2006 Turkey will have no electricity shortage.
According to Zaman, Turkey buys 3.7 billion kilowatt-hours a year from Bulgaria. The major joint project - the construction of the Upper Arda hydro power project - has failed to start due to the failure of the Turkish partner, Ceylan Holding, to provide financing.
The National Electric Company (NEC) has observed its commitments; it financed the feasibility study of the hydro power project but Ceylan did not raise the capital of the joint venture, the Bulgarian Energy Ministry commented.
The timing of Zaman's article coincided with a visit to Sofia of Mahmud Ceylan, Ceylan Holding's CEO, who announced that the company will not withdraw from the project for the construction of the Gorna Arda hydro power project.
Ceylan said last Friday that his company would remain involved in the project after being on the verge of leaving it because of suffering financial difficulties in the past three years, the BGNES news agency reported.
Ceylan met Nikolai Marinov, a close aide of Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg in Sofia on Friday, Government Information Service head Tsvetelina Uzunova told the agency.
The $220 million project, including three hydroelectric power plants on the Arda River in the Rhodope Mountains region, was meant to create some 3000 jobs for Bulgarian ethnic Turks, who are plagued by poverty and unemployment.
After being inaugurated with a lavish ceremony, it has remained on the books for some four years as the previous Bulgarian government headed by Ivan Kostov refused to guarantee loans that Ceylan intended to borrow for the project. Since then Bulgaria has been seeking to replace Ceylan with another Turkish or other foreign company.
Meanwhile, in a surprising turn of events on Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul denied press reports that Turkey intends to decrease the amount of electricity it buys from Bulgaria.
Gul assured his Bulgarian counterpart Solomon Passi that electricity imports would even be increased. Abdullah Gul will visit Bulgaria from May 12 to 13. The date was officially confirmed during the meeting of the two countries' top diplomats in Belgrade. Passi and Gul met during a forum of the countries of the South Eastern Europe Co-operation Process. It was their first meeting after Gul's appointment as Turkey's Foreign Minister.
Under an intergovernmental agreement of 1998, Bulgaria sells electricity to Ankara in exchange for participation of Turkish companies in local infrastructure projects. Zaman cited Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Gyuler's statement of the previous week that he would propose cancellation of the agreements with Bulgaria, since by 2006 Turkey will have no electricity shortage.
According to Zaman, Turkey buys 3.7 billion kilowatt-hours a year from Bulgaria. The major joint project - the construction of the Upper Arda hydro power project - has failed to start due to the failure of the Turkish partner, Ceylan Holding, to provide financing.
The National Electric Company (NEC) has observed its commitments; it financed the feasibility study of the hydro power project but Ceylan did not raise the capital of the joint venture, the Bulgarian Energy Ministry commented.
The timing of Zaman's article coincided with a visit to Sofia of Mahmud Ceylan, Ceylan Holding's CEO, who announced that the company will not withdraw from the project for the construction of the Gorna Arda hydro power project.
Ceylan said last Friday that his company would remain involved in the project after being on the verge of leaving it because of suffering financial difficulties in the past three years, the BGNES news agency reported.
Ceylan met Nikolai Marinov, a close aide of Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg in Sofia on Friday, Government Information Service head Tsvetelina Uzunova told the agency.
The $220 million project, including three hydroelectric power plants on the Arda River in the Rhodope Mountains region, was meant to create some 3000 jobs for Bulgarian ethnic Turks, who are plagued by poverty and unemployment.
After being inaugurated with a lavish ceremony, it has remained on the books for some four years as the previous Bulgarian government headed by Ivan Kostov refused to guarantee loans that Ceylan intended to borrow for the project. Since then Bulgaria has been seeking to replace Ceylan with another Turkish or other foreign company.
Meanwhile, in a surprising turn of events on Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul denied press reports that Turkey intends to decrease the amount of electricity it buys from Bulgaria.
Gul assured his Bulgarian counterpart Solomon Passi that electricity imports would even be increased. Abdullah Gul will visit Bulgaria from May 12 to 13. The date was officially confirmed during the meeting of the two countries' top diplomats in Belgrade. Passi and Gul met during a forum of the countries of the South Eastern Europe Co-operation Process. It was their first meeting after Gul's appointment as Turkey's Foreign Minister.
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Appointments
CEZ
Stefan Apostolov is the new chief executive of CEZ Razpredelenie Bulgaria, the power transmission subsidiary of Czech energy company CEZ in the country. He replaces interim chief executive Ales Damm, who remains the chairperson of the CEZ Razpredelenie management board. Apostolov has 30 years of experience in the energy sector, joining CEZ in 2007 as director of customer service and was later appointed as head of business development. Apostolov has a master's degree in electric systems from the Belorussian National Technical University in Minsc, management diplomas from Open University London and New Bulgarian University, as well as a master's degree in business administration from Plovdiv University.
British Council
Lyubov Kostova was appointed country manager of British Council Bulgaria effective January 1, replacing Tony Buckby, who left in October 2011 to take a similar position at British Council Greece. Kostova has been with British Council Bulgaria for 11 years, as public communications manager and, since 2008, as the head of project and partnerships department. Prior to joining the British Council, Kostova was head of international activities at the National Academy for Theatre and Cinema Arts (NATFIZ). She has a degree in Indian studies from Kliment Ohridski Sofia University.
Rompetrol Bulgaria
Alexander Albin has been appointed chief executive of fuel distributor Rompetrol Bulgaria, replacing Nichita Sorin, who left to become chief executive of Rompetrol Gaz in Romania. Albin was previously chief executive of Rompetrol Georgia. He has more than 15 years of experience in the oil and gas industry; prior to joining Romania's oil group Rompetrol in 2008 as an adviser, he oversaw operations at Atyrau refinery in Kazakhstan, owned by Rompetrol's parent company KazMunaiGaz. He previously held top management positions at two other leading Kazakh oil and gas companies.
BASF Bulgaria
Valentina Dikanska is the new general manager of chemical industry giant BASF subsidiary in Bulgaria, taking over from Herbert Fisch, BASF vice president for Southeastern Europe. Dikanska, who started her career as an expert in the Finance Ministry, joined BASF Bulgaria as director of finance and administration in 2002. She becomes the first Bulgarian to hold the top management position in the company in its 40-year history on the Bulgarian market. Dikanska holds a master's degree in economics from the University for National and World Economy in Sofia.
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