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April 23, 2025
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Energoinvest inaugurates transformers made in BiH

Bosnia and Herzegovina-based company Energoinvest has manufactured the first domestic transformers under its brand.

Energoinvest plans to develop its production capabilities in the energy sector, demonstrating a clear commitment to revitalizing its brand.

A significant milestone in the endeavor was signing a strategic partnership with Turkish company Ares Trafo Ekipmanlari. The event has also marked the start of the production of transformers up to 7 MVA under the Energoinvest brand.

It has never happened before in BiH, the company said.

The first contracts for the delivery of the equipment have already been already signed

Of note, Energoinvest and Ares Trafo Ekipmanlari began discussions in February on the production of transformers in BiH as well as on cooperation in other markets. The outcome was the strategic partnership agreement.

Now, just one month later, Energoinvest unveiled the first batch of transformers, which were symbolically painted in the colors of the national flag. The company said the first orders came from three new markets: the United Kingdom, Belgium and Serbia.

Currently, the company operates in over 20 countries.

The official presentation of the transformers took place in Tuzla at a conference called Energetski Zaokret, organized by the Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry of the Federation of BiH, one of the two entities in BiH.

Photo: Energoinvest

It was attended by Vedran Lakić, Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry of the Federation of BiH, Nermin Nikšić, Prime Minister of the Federation of BiH, and Energoinvest CEO Mirza Ustamujić.

Lakić: Transformers are among the most sought equipment in the global market

Ustamujić said the new management made substantial progress in financial stabilization and improvement of business operations.

“This is a symbol of patriotism, collaboration, and confidence in our domestic capabilities. When we believe in ourselves, there are no limits. This is the beginning of a new industrial era for Bosnia and Herzegovina and a wonderful gift for the 74th anniversary of Energoinvest,” he stated.

According to Minister Vedran Lakić, the showcased products offer hope that BiH would become one of the most important players in transformer production.

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April 23, 2025
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Bulgaria canceling sale of equipment for its Belene nuclear plant to Ukraine

Bulgaria’s minority government decided to call off the planned sale of equipment from the failed Belene nuclear power project to Ukraine’s Energoatom and reactivate the plans. There is an idea to attract investments in data centers that could be supplied with the electricity. At the same time, state-owned Bulgarian Energy Holding is preparing to build two more reactors at the existing Kozloduy nuclear power plant.

The chronic political crisis in Bulgaria, lasting more than four years, has led to another controversy with regard to the Belene nuclear power project. The investment was canceled and restarted several times since the Russian equipment arrived in the late 1980s.

The National Assembly voted in 2023 to start negotiations on the proposed sale to Ukrainian state-owned Energoatom for its Khmelnytsky nuclear power project. However, last week the representatives of the ruling coalition said they decided to keep the equipment.

Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov, head of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), said nuclear energy development is the right way forward for the country and its people. “Electricity prices are rising around the world. The world is facing continued energy insecurity, and nuclear power is a stable and predictable source. We have the site, we have the reactors, we have the experts – everything is in our hands,” he stated.

Borissov wants Americans in data center project

BSP is a junior partner in the minority government, which came into office in January. Socialists have been pushing to cancel the equipment sale from earlier, but now the largest party completely changed its stance. Boyko Borissov, the leader of GERB – Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria and former prime minister, explained that large technology companies are interested in building data centers for artificial intelligence.

Experts have valued the stored equipment at EUR 734 million

The idea is to attract such an investment and use the Russian reactors in Belene to power it, Kapital reported. If it doesn’t work out, the equipment can be sold. According to the media outlet, Borissov is planning to discuss the matter with “the Americans.”

Of note, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov is from GERB. The article adds that experts valued the assets in storage at EUR 734 million, of which the reactors are worth EUR 409 million. Bulgaria’s parliament has set the lowest price at EUR 602 million. Now it will need to vote again to block the potential deal.

Obsolete Belene project would face huge funding challenge

The news website attributed Borissov’s turnaround to the new geopolitical situation between the United States, Ukraine and Russia. It added that the project is outdated and that it wouldn’t be completed for another 20 years anyway. There is also the issue of funding: the investment requires at least EUR 10.2 billion more and another EUR 1.53 billion for the transmission network and other infrastructure.

Moreover, the same or similar challenges were there five and ten years ago as well.

Most importantly, Bulgaria is already preparing to build two more units at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, in cooperation with  Westinghouse Electric. State-owned Bulgarian Energy Holding is controlling the project.

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April 23, 2025
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Italy mulls keeping its last coal plants on standby

After retiring the two remaining mainland coal power plants, scheduled for this year, Italy’s government intends to switch the facilities to standby instead of dismantling them. Two others are on the island of Sardinia, which is waiting for another subsea interconnection to complete the coal phaseout.

Italy has 4.7 GW in coal power capacity left, following the recent retirement of A2A’s plant in Monfalcone, on the border with Slovenia. The two facilities that remained on the mainland are only marginally active and they are officially set to be closed this year. However, Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin expressed the belief that they should be kept on standby.

“Therefore, not producing, because it is not economically suitable. But the geopolitics are still in a state where no one can guarantee us that gas will not reach EUR 70 per MWh or that there will be no malfunctions in the pipelines that supply us,” he argued. The said facilities, already dormant as they are not cost-effective, should be kept just in case, in the view of the minister. He didn’t address the pollution issue.

Provisional data showed that coal power output nosedived 71% in 2024 to 3.5 TWh. It translated to a share of 1.3% in electricity production and 1.1% in consumption.

On the one hand, the capacities would be valuable in case of gas and power supply disturbances. But it comes at the cost of maintaining a complex system idle.

Sardinia may remain dependent on coal by 2029

The two mainland coal plants are Enel’s Torrevaldaliga Nord in Civitavecchia and Brindisi Sud.

There are two more, in Sardinia, scheduled to be phased out by January 2029. By then, the island’s interconnection with the main grid should be strengthened with the proposed Tyrrhenian Link. The Sulcis coal plant is also Enel’s, and the other one is EP Produzione’s Fiume Santo power plant. Together, they have 1.1 GW in nominal capacity.

Speaking at the same event, Chief Executive Officer of Enel Flavio Cattaneo warned of the expected surge in power consumption, suggesting the coal exit be reconsidered. The “perfectly functioning” plants, which “saved” Italy during the gas crisis, will be closed by August, he stressed. The company is open to selling its coal assets, Cattaneo said and hinted at the possibility that the government buys them.

AI, data centers bolstering demand for nuclear energy, gas, coal

Eni’s CEO Claudio Descalzi said it was “pure madness” to close coal-fired power plants “in a situation of high costs or low energy availability.” He cited the rise of artificial intelligence and data centers, boosting energy demand, and the need to keep costs low. “It is only possible with nuclear, gas and coal,” Descalzi claimed.

Closing coal plants is not in the country’s interest, said Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini.

A group of environmental organizations called it unacceptable in 2025 to propose coal to be part of the energy mix.

Italy is no longer buying Russian gas

Minister Pichetto Fratin also said Italy has stopped buying gas from Russia at the end of last year. It turned to alternatives like liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States, he added.

The country needs to rapidly deploy renewables, in his view, and decouple the prices of electricity and gas. Pichetto Fratin said gas accounts for 40% of power but that it determines 70% of the final price, and criticized the pricing system based on the Netherlands’ TTF benchmark.

The government is considering support for long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) and contracts for difference (CfD), to stabilize prices and become competitive with Germany. It is also the European Union’s policy, under the latest electricity market redesign.

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April 22, 2025
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Turkey aims to become major lithium producer with its geothermal wells

Turkey is using only 10% of its geothermal potential, according to Chairman of the Geothermal Power Plant Investors Association (JESDER) Ufuk Şentürk. He said existing wells alone could open the way for the country to become one of the world’s major producers of lithium.

Studies are underway to determine the accessibility of valuable minerals in Turkey’s geothermal waters. There are already some one thousand wells with 100,000 tons of water coming out every hour, Chairman of JESDER Ufuk Şentürk told Anadolu Agency Energy Terminal. He pointed to the potential for the extraction of lithium, cesium, selenium and silicon.

Turkey is utilizing only 10% of its geothermal potential, Şentürk stressed. An inventory is under development of wells that were drilled to find oil and left unused, he added. The temperatures are as high as 150 degrees Celsius and the said resources can provide heat for 5,000 hectares of greenhouses, the organization’s chief said.

Researchers have found a lithium source in Turkey of 20 parts per million in geothermal water

The İzmir Institute of Technology (İYTE) and Afyon Kocatepe University have been conducting studies for two years, within the Turkish-German Energy Partnership, on obtaining minerals, Şentürk noted. He said there are 100 parts per million of lithium in one geothermal source in Germany, while 20 parts per million were found in Turkey.

Investment costs are much lower without exploratory drilling, if lithium is extracted from geothermal water already coming to the surface. The head of JESDER, Geothermal Power Plant Investors Association, estimated that Turkey could produce 35,000 tons per year and said global production came in at 36,000 tons last year.

“Even if we obtain 10%, we will still be one of the countries with the largest lithium resources in the world,” he stated.

Volumes of lithium extracted from geothermal waters are still symbolic

As Şentürk didn’t elaborate, it remains unclear if he compared the country’s potential to the output from so-called direct lithium extraction (DLE) or perhaps evaporation from brine pumped from underground. They make up one tenth and one quarter, respectively, of the 240,000 tons of lithium produced last year in the world. The rest is mined.

A different benchmark, the lithium carbonate equivalent or LCE, is almost five times larger. Additionally, about 5% of lithium ion batteries are recycled. The volumes of lithium extracted from geothermal waters are still symbolic.

Investors are betting on the combination with geothermal energy, to make lithium production cost effective, as it is found in very small quantities in underground water. Direct extraction of the alkali metal from water has an immeasurably lower environmental impact than mining.

Existing geothermal power plants can provide heat to 4,000 hectares of greenhouses

Şentürk pointed out that Turkey hosts 65 geothermal power plants of 1.74 GW overall. They generated 11.2 TWh in 2024 of the total 350 TWh.

Geothermal energy currently heats 7,000 hectares of greenhouses in Turkey and 160,000 homes, Şentürk said. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is providing incentives for greenhouse zones of 2,800 hectares in total. But existing geothermal power plants alone could, with such support, provide for 3,500 to 4,000 hectares of greenhouses, the association’s chief estimated.

On a global scale, Turkey trails only the United States, Indonesia and the Philippines in geothermal power. Nevertheless, after several years of rapid growth, it only added 120 MW in capacity since 2020.

A recent study, conducted within the project called Li+Fluids, showed geothermal waters in north Germany and its Thuringia state contain between 0.39 and 26.5 million tons of lithium. The country’s demand for 2030 is projected at 0.17 million tons.

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April 22, 2025
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All applicants qualify for first wind power auction in Kosovo*

Three potential bidders met the legal, technical and financial criteria for the upcoming wind energy auction in Kosovo*, for a quota of 100 MW.

Ahead of its request for proposals in the competitive bidding process for wind power projects, the Ministry of Economy of Kosovo* confirmed that all applicants passed the qualifications stage. The quota is 50 MW to 100 MW and the plan is to support 150 MW in total in two rounds. Participants will bid for 15-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) and contracts for difference (CfDs).

The next phase will “start soon,” Minister of Economy Artane Rizvanolli said. It was due in March. International Finance Corp. – IFC, which is part of World Bank Group, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have provided support for organizing the first wind power auction in Kosovo*.

According to the schedule, the call for the remaining capacity will be issued the second half of the year.

Six-month deadline for financial proposals

One applicant is a consortium of Notus Energy, based in Germany, and Stublla Energy from Kosovo*.

The ministry also received documentation from Akuo Energy from France and a consortium led by Güri̇ş, headquartered in Turkey. Both participated in the first solar power auction as well, held last year. The companies submitted documentation on February 20.

All met the legal, technical and financial criteria for the upcoming bidding, the ministry said. It revealed that the request for proposals would last half a year and vowed to conduct it in line with the highest transparency standards.

Potential investors can attend a planned presentation and submit questions regarding necessary documentation

In the meantime, the ministry and IFC are planning to hold a presentation for the qualified investors. After that, they can send questions.

The auction commission is responsible for assessing the fulfillment of the legal, technical, environmental and social criteria, before opening the financial proposals. The winner, among the companies and consortia that qualified, is the one offering the lowest price per megawatt-hour. The upper limit is EUR 80.2 per MWh.

Wind projects would be run by special purpose vehicles (SPVs), firms where the government would have a share of up to 49%. The Ministry of Economy intends to use the funds from the International Monetary Fund’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) in the development of the 150 MW.

Power consumption far exceeded domestic supply last week

Among other developments in Kosovo*, which has the world’s highest share of coal in electricity production, consumers have received another warning.

Distribution system operator KESCO said last week, ahead of the Easter holiday, that domestic production capacity amounted to 315 MW from coal and 130 MW from renewable sources. Consumption was 43% higher than in the equivalent period of last year, surpassing 700 MW. Devices with high consumption should be used only when necessary, especially during peak hours, the company pointed out.

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* This designation is without prejudice to positions onstatus and is in line with UNSCR 1244/99 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
April 22, 2025
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Three hydropower plants on Bistrica river to be finished by end-2026

Three hydropower plants on the Bistrica river near Foča are expected to be completed by the end of 2026, according to Petar Đokić, the Minister of Energy and Mining of the Republic of Srpska, one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Chinese company AVIC is in charge of building the three hydropower plants, with a total capacity of 39 MW. State power utility Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske (ERS) will operate the facilities once they are completed, according to public broadcaster RTRS.

The three small hydropower plants on the Bistrica river, a tributary of the Drina, are being intensively built, with all works targeted for completion by the end of 2026, said Minister Petar Đokić, who will be among the speakers at Belgrade Energy Forum 2025 (BEF 2025).

The Hidroelektrane Bistrica hydropower system will consist of three cascading plants installed in the river canyon along the Foča-Sarajevo road. The construction of the facilities officially began in December 2021.

The total project cost is estimated at EUR 103 million

Once completed, the system will have a total installed capacity of 39 MW and an annual electricity output of 152 GWh. Đokić also said that the signed contract values the project at EUR 102.8 million.

Last year, the Government of the Republic of Srpska and the Chinese contractor AVIC signed an agreement on financing the construction of the three hydropower plants on the Bistrica.

Photo: The Ministry of Energy and Mining of the Republic of Srpska

During a visit to the construction site, Đokić revealed that there may be certain changes during implementation, but noted that the project will provide exceptional value for the energy system of the Republic of Srpska.

The three hydropower plants include nearly ten kilometers of tunnels

Site manager Feng Xiong from AVIC noted that the project encompasses three hydropower plants with a total of 9,800 meters of tunnels. Only 600 meters of tunnel work remains unfinished, he said, adding that he believes the project will be completed as scheduled.

Dejan Pavlović, CEO of Hidroelektrane Bistrica, stated that 9.2 kilometers of tunnels has been completed. Bistrica’s high water levels have slowed down the construction, he noted.

The companies investing in the three hydropower plants include Hidroelektrane Bistrica and Hidroelektrane na Drini, the majority owner of the project. The financial backing was secured by ERS.

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