Page 33 - bne monthly magazine October 2022

bne October 2022 Cover story I 33
"We have already hired miners from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and talks are also underway on the possibility of [bringing in] additional miners from North Macedonia," Roser said.
Also in mid-September, Sostanj (TES) received the first test batch of coal from Indonesia. Along with Australia, the Southeast Asian country is becoming an increasingly important supplier of coal following disruptions to supplies from Russia and Ukraine. Golob said that if Slovenia managed to import enough coal, it would still be cheaper than importing electricity at current market prices.
Greece helps out North Macedonia
North Macedonia also needs coal for its thermal power plants (TPPs). North Macedonia is dependent on energy imports, and produces only electricity. It has no gas or oil, and has limited quantities of coal.
In August, North Macedonia’s power producer ESM called two tenders to purchase 950,000 tonnes of coal for the needs of its two TPPs
Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski said on September 13 that he has secured supplies of coal and fuel oil from Greece during his meeting with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens.
“The supply of lignite and coal
from the Greek mines will continue uninterrupted through the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year, so that the operation of thermal power plants REK Bitola and REK Oslomej will continue without interruption,” Kovacevski said, according to the government statement.
Kovacevski said that they had
also reached an agreement on the uninterrupted supply of fuel oil through Greece for the operation of TEC Negotino TPP.
In Greece, Kovacevski and Mitsotakis also discussed major energy projects such as the construction of the gas pipeline through Greece, Evzonoi interconnector to North Macedonia,
a new gas power plant and the Cebren hydropower plant.
Serbia seeks coal, electricity, gas and oil
With ageing power plants and facing the imminent cut-off of oil supplies from Russia in November, Serbia is scrambling to import coal, electricity, gas and oil from multiple sources.
The costs will be high. Serbia is looking at spending €3bn, or 4.5% of its annual GDP, on electricity, gas and fuel oil imports between October 2022 and March 2023, Mihajlovic told Reuters.
Serbia typically feeds its coal power plants with coal produced domestically as well as imports from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and Montenegro. This winter it plans to import 2.5mn tonnes of additional coal, with Energy Minister Zorana Mihajlovic naming Bulgaria, Bosnia, Romania and Greece as the main expected source countries in an interview with Reuters on September 15.
However, Serbia’s power generation capacity is limited and last December electricity supplies for thousands of
As one of the only remaining European countries that still has friendly relations with Russia, Serbia managed to secure a new long-term gas contract with Gazprom in May on relatively favourable terms. However, this won’t cover all of its gas consumption and Serbia hopes Azerbaijan will step in again to supply gas, which will be facilitated by the Serbia-Bulgaria gas interconnector.
From November 1, new EU sanctions mean Serbia will no longer receive Russian oil that is currently delivered by tankers through the Adriatic Sea, and then via the Adriatic Oil Pipeline (Janaf) through Croatia to Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS). As Croatia is an EU member, it will no longer be able to receive seaborne oil from Russia. That leaves Serbia with Iraq as its main oil supplier. Again, Serbia is scrambling for new suppliers of oil, as well as gas and electricity, and officials have indicated it will consider any supplier, reportedly including Iran.
Contacted by bne IntelliNews, Serbia’s energy ministry said: “The main goal is to ensure sufficient quantities of
“As one of the only remaining European countries that still has friendly relations with Russia, Serbia managed to secure a new long-term
gas contract with Gazprom in May”
people were cut off following serious snowstorms.
Thus as well as coal from its own power plants, Belgrade also wants to import electricity, and state-owned power utility company EPS recently agreed
to buy 2,600 MWh from Azerbaijan, which is growing in importance as an energy supplier to Southeast Europe. Talks with Turkey on transmitting the electricity are now in progress. Mihajlovic told Reuters that Belgrade is also in talks on electricity supplies from Hungary.
crude oil for the smooth operation of the refinery in Pancevo, and to ensure the security of supply to the domestic market. The sixth package of EU sanctions against the Russian Federation prescribes the deadline for the purchase of Russian crude oil, which is November 1, 2022. After that date, the purchase of crude oil of Russian origin for processing in a domestic refinery will no longer be possible.
“In the previous period, the refinery in Pancevo also processed crude oil of
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