Serbia

Oil & Gas Refining

Gazprom Neft given 45 days to leave ownership of Serbia's NIS, president states

Following new United States sanctions against Russia's oil sector, Gazprom Neft will be offered 45 days to exit ownership of Serbian oil business NIS , Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday. NIS is bulk owned by Gazprom Neft which holds a 50% stake and Gazprom which holds 6.15% of shares. The Serbian federal government holds an additional 29.87% with little shareholders accounting for the rest. The Biden administration on Friday imposed its broadest package of sanctions yet targeting Russia's oil and gas incomes in an attempt to offer Kyiv and the inbound administration of Donald Trump leverage to reach...

Energy Markets

Serbia offers to spend for stake in Hungary's Paks nuclear power plant

Serbia offered to pay Hungary for approximately 10% of ownership in its Paks nuclear power plant as it looks for to diversify its energy products, President Aleksandar Vucic stated on Thursday. I have actually asked Prime Minister (Viktor) Orban and we are ready to ... pay full price for 5% or 10% of ownership in the Paks nuclear reactor, Vucic told Serbian press reporters in Budapest. He said the Hungarian side did not instantly react to his demand. Vucic did not specify whether Serbia desires a stake in Hungary's existing Paks four-reactor nuclear reactor or the Paks 2 which is...

Power Markets

Surge damages canal feeding Kosovo's primary power plants

A surge on Friday night harmed a canal in northern Kosovo providing water to 2 coalfired power plants that create nearly all of the country's electrical energy, authorities said, blaming what they called a terrorist act. There were no instant reports of injuries and the cause of the blast was unclear. Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla told local media from the scene that the explosion, which took place before 7 p.m. ( 1800 GMT), was a terrorist act and that part of the canal was damaged. Previously on Friday, Kosovo cops announced increased security measures after two current attacks where...

Climate Change

Wine wins, crops lose, as farmers come to grips with record Balkans heat

R astislav Pucovski held a fistful of soy beans shriveled to the size of peppercorns on his farmland in northern Serbia where the soil, dried to dust by dry spell, swirled in the wind. A brief shower, the very first in over 40 days, used no relief. The surrounding fields, near the town of Backi Petrovac, stayed parched, the corn and soy crops withered. Whatever is bone dry, said Pucovski, 48, as he surveilled his land this week. I do not know how we will offer it. Serbia, like much of the Balkans, experienced its hottest summer season on record,...

Environment

Serbian villagers spark protest motion against prepared lithium mine

Zlatko Kokanovic, a 48yearold Serbian farmer, and fellow villagers have actually stimulated nationwide protests to stop the structure of Rio Tinto's first European lithium mine, alerting it would pollute their land and threaten public health. Last month, Serbia restored Rio Tinto'a license to develop what would be Europe's most significant lithium mine in the Jadar area of western Serbia, 2 years after it was annulled due to protests by ecological groups. Cautions about the destructive impact of mining by Kokanovic and his neighbours in the town of Gornje Nedeljice inspired thousands of people to object versus the Rio Tinto project...

Environment

N. Macedonia battles a lots wildfires after weeks of heat

Firefighters in North Macedonia fought a dozen wildfires fanned by heavy winds for a 3rd day on Wednesday, and hot temperature levels and dry weather likewise sustained smaller blazes throughout Greece and the Balkans, authorities said. One fire was spreading out in the municipality of Negrevo near the Bulgarian border and another around Kumanovo near Serbia, said Goran Stojanovski at North Macedonia's centre for crisis management. Since of the heats, the plant life is dry and the soil is really hot, which is making our work more difficult, he stated. North Macedonia's southerly neighbour Greece has long fought with wildfires...

Environment

People in Serbia, Montenegro encouraged to shelter indoors from heatwave

Individuals braving scorching temperature levels sought relief in Belgrade's Ada Ciganlija lake, fountains and cafes on Thursday while the Serbian government purchased employers to protect outside employees from the heatwave. Meteorologists anticipate temperature levels of around 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) throughout Serbia today as winds from North Africa pushed a hot and dry front throughout the Balkans. Health authorities and meteorologists stated a red. weather alert and encouraged people not to venture outside. Belgrade's emergency situation service said its physicians stepped in more. than 100 times overnight, mainly dealing with people with heart and. chronic conditions. The Ministry of...