Serbia signs 190 mln euro heat pipeline deal with Powerchina
Mali during the signing ceremony; Source: Belgrade City Government
BELGRADE (Serbia), November 28 (SeeNews) – Serbia's government said it has signed an agreement with Power Construction Corporation of China (Powerchina) for construction of a 28 km-long heat pipeline.
A total of 190 million euro ($226.3 million) will be invested in the construction of the heat pipeline, which will connect Termoelektrane Nikola Tesla (TENT) power plant and Novi Beograd thermal power plant, the government said in a statement late on Monday.
The agreement was signed by Belgrade mayor Sinisa Mali, the director of power utility company Beogradske elektrane, Goran Aleksic, and a representative of Powerchina in the framework of the sixth Meeting of Heads of Government of China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) initiative, known as the 16+1 mechanism, held in Budapest, Hungary.
On Sunday, the government said it expects the state-owned Beogradske elektrane to cut annual costs by 45 million euro after the heat pipeline enters into service. Beogradske elektrane will be able to repay a loan extended by the Chinese government for the construction of the heat pipeline through the costs saved, energy minister Aleksandar Antic said.
The pipeline will enable Beogradske elektrane to use steam generated at the TENT power plant for production of electricity at the Novi Beograd power plant instead of imported natural gas, Antic said.
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https://seenews.com/news/serbia-sig...l-with-powerchina-592587#sthash.BDJuwZZb.dpuf
Shanghai Electric to build gas-fired TPP in Serbia
Aleksandr Varnavsky and Yi Xiaorong, the President of Shanghai Electric Group, during the signing of the contract; Source: NIS
BELGRADE (Serbia), November 1 (SeeNews) - Serbian oil group NIS [BEL:NIIS] said it signed a contract for the construction of a 200 MW gas-fired thermal power plant (TPP) in Pancevo, in northern Serbia, with China-based Shanghai Electric Group.
Shanghai Electric Group won a tender for the project, competing with companies from Greece, Austria, Switzerland and China and will start the construction of the TPP in the second quarter of 2018, NIS said in a statement on Tuesday.
A total of 180 million euro ($209.4 million) will be invested in the construction of the power plant, as the bulk of the funding will be provided by Gazprom, the majority shareholder of NIS, the Serbian oil group said.
"Reliability of electrical and heat power supply to Pancevo refinery and additional volumes of electrical power to be placed on the market will ensure the required energy stability for the country’s citizens," the CEO of NIS, Kirill Tyurdenev, said in the statement.
The heat installed capacity of TPP Pancevo will amount to 121 Gcal. The power plant will be built within an unprecedentedly short period and the planned plant start-up is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2019, the director of the plant's operator, TE-TO Pancevo, Aleksandr Varnavsky, said.
In 2015, NIS said a joint venture with Gazprom Energoholding's unit Tsentrenergoholding plans to build of a 140 MW gas-fired TPP in Pancevo. Tsentrenergoholding owns a 51% stake in the joint venture and NIS holds the remainder. There is a possibility to expand the TPP in the second phase and in that case, its capacity would be raised to 208 MW, while the investment would go up to 183 million euro, NIS said back then.
Russia's Gazprom Neft controls 56.15% of NIS, while the Serbian government owns a 29.87% stake.
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https://seenews.com/news/shanghai-e...red-tpp-in-serbia-589370#sthash.Uj0iuDau.dpuf
450mln EUR impetus to infrastructure projects at 16+1 summit
A commercial contract stipulating construction of a new motorway stretch between Preljina and Pozega on the Corridor 11, worth 450 million EUR, has been signed in Budapest at the summit organized by China and 16 countries from Central Europe that make the 16+1 initiative.
Serbian Deputy PM and Minister of Construction, Zorana Mihajlovic, acting director of Putevi Srbije (Serbian Roads), Zoran Drobnjak and Vice President of the Chinese company, CCCC Ltd (China Communications Construction Company), Sun Ziu signed the contract that covers the construction of this 30,9km long stretch.
This project has a great importance in terms of connecting Serbia to the region, because it is an extension of the Corridor 11 in the direction of Montenegro, and is a part of the future Belgrade-Sarajevo motorway. Bridges and tunnels make almost a third of the Preljina – Pozega stretch.
Following the signing, the Financial Times has reported that the EU is not that keen on the Central and Eastern European countries cooperating with China to this extent, saying that the EU officials suspect that official Beijing might use its projects in Europe, particularly the 16+1 Initiative, to undermine EU regulation and use the growing tension between the eastern and western part of the Union.
Hungary, for instance, sees the 16+1 Initiative as a way of „opening up to the East“, Serbia views it as „solidifying the Serbian-Chinese friendship“, while Poland describes it as „a huge opportunity“.
China has been working full steam on institutionalizing its cooperation with Eastern Europe, shaping the 16+1 initiative into a platform for its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This is turning into a stress test for EU cohesion.
To remind, 16+1 is an initiative launched by the People’s Republic of China aimed at intensifying and expanding cooperation with 11 EU Member States and 5 Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia) in the fields of investments, transport, finance, science, education, and culture.
http://serbianmonitor.com/en/featur...tructure-projects-at-161-summit/#.Wh8WuVWnGUk
Serbia, China open talks on financing of motorway project
Brnabic and Keqiang during their meeting in Budapest; Source: Serbian Government
BELGRADE (Serbia), November 28 (SeeNews) - Serbia's government said on Tuesday it started talks with China on the financing of a project for the construction of a motorway from Belgrade to the border with Montenegro.
The negotiations started immediately after the signing of a 450 million euro ($534.9 million) agreement with China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) for the design and construction of a 30.9 km motorway section between Preljina and Pozega on Monday, the government said in a statement.
The construction works on the Preljina-Pozega section are expected to start next year, the government said after a meeting of Serbian prime minister Ana Brnabic with Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang on the sidelines of the sixth Meeting of Heads of Government of China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) initiative, known as the 16+1 mechanism, held on Monday in Budapest, Hungary.
In May, the Serbian government said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with CCCC for the construction of the Preljina-Pozega and Pozega-Boljare sections of the motorway. The total length of the motorway on the territory of Serbia will be 58 kilometres.
Back then, the infrastructure ministry said it signed MoUs for infrastructure works with a combined value of 2.5 billion euro with China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and CCCC. The MoU with CRBC envisages cooperation in the project for the construction of Fruskogorski Corridor, a 123 km-long road in Serbia's Vojvodina autonomous province that will link pan-European transport corridors X and IV.
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CMEC to build 260 mln euro wastewater treatment plant in Belgrade - city govt
Mali after the signing ceremony in Budapest; Source: Belgrade City Government
BELGRADE (Serbia), November 28 (SeeNews) – The Belgrade city government said it has signed a contract with China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) for construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Serbia's capital.
A total of 260 million euro ($309.6 million) will be invested in the construction of the wastewater treatment plant, which will begin in the second half of 2018, Belgrade mayor Sinisa Mali said in a statement late on Monday.
The agreement also envisages the completion of the construction of the wastewater interceptor system of Belgrade, Mali said after the signing of the contract in the framework of the sixth Meeting of Heads of Government of China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) initiative, known as the 16+1 mechanism, held in Budapest, Hungary.
"When it comes to wastewater, they go to the Sava and the Danube, which is completely unacceptable, and we are almost the only city that does not have a wastewater treatment plant," the Belgrade mayor said.
In October, France's Suez said it signed an agreement to invest 300 million euro in the construction of a waste-to-energy facility with installed power production capacity of 25 MW and heat production capacity of 56 MW in Belgrade in consortium with Environment Investments Limited, a subsidiary of Japan's Itochu. The project will allow the city government to close and remediate the Vinca landfill.
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https://seenews.com/news/cmec-to-bu...elgrade-city-govt-592599#sthash.BaKIVMAx.dpuf
Huawei to support Serbia in developing e-govt system - PM Brnabic
Ana Brnabic; Source: Serbian Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government
BELGRADE (Serbia), November 28 (SeeNews) – Serbia's prime minister Ana Brnabic has said Chinese telecommunications equipment and services company Huawei has expressed interest towards supporting the country in developing a system of electronic government.
Huawei is interested in cooperating with the Serbian government in the digitalisation of the country's economy and support to innovations and start-ups, Brnabic said in a video file posted on the website of Tanjug news agency on Monday.
The cooperation with local administrations in Serbia is also an important objective for Huawei, as its Smart City ICT solution would significantly contribute to improving their energy efficiency, Brnabic said after a meeting with representatives of the Chinese company in the framework of the sixth Meeting of Heads of Government of China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) initiative, known as the 16+1 mechanism, held in Budapest, Hungary.
In May, Serbia's government said Huawei plans to start offering the Smart City solution in Serbia. The solution incorporates cloud, network, and platform technologies to sense, analyse, and converge key data from city operations and management systems so that managers can intelligently respond to a variety of governance, livelihood, and business needs.
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Sinvoz and Chinese CRRC Zhuhou Locomotive carry out overhaul of five trains for Srbijavoz - Contract totals EUR 3,48 m
(Photo: branislavpudar/shutterstock)
Srbijavoz and a consortium comprising Shinvoz LTD Zrenjanin and CRRC Zhuhou Locomotive from China signed on Thursday, November 23, 2017, an agreement on the repair and modernization of five electric motors.
As stated by Srbijavoz, the value of this contract is EUR 3.48m and is funded through EBRD loan.
By repairing and modernizing these electric motors, as they say, there will be an increase in the number of sets for BG rail and regional traffic.
https://www.ekapija.com/en/news/195...-locomotive-carry-out-overhaul-of-five-trains
China starts on Serbia’s new coal-fired power plant
A Chinese company started work this week on a new 350MW unit at Serbia’s second largest coal-fired power plant, the first new power-generating scheme in the Balkan country in nearly 30 years.
Flooded coal mines have put Serbian power supply under pressure, and the $613m project is part of a package of deals between Serbia and China that includes expanding a nearby coal mine and boosting capacity at the Kostolac coal-fired plant complex (pictured).
The Export-Import Bank of China will provide 80% of the funding for the entire project of $715m through a 20-year loan while the Serbian government will secure the rest of the funds, Reuters
reports.
China Machinery and Engineering Corp is building the unit, with completion expected in 2020.
Serbia needs to upgrade its energy infrastructure to meet rising demand, especially after a flood in 2014 affected a mine supplying its biggest coal-fired plant.
The country generates two thirds of its electricity from ageing coal plants and the rest from hydro power, Reuters said.
Other western Balkan countries including Bosnia, Kosovo and Montenegro also plan to build new coal-fired plants as old plants are being phased out, but, according to Reuters, environmentalists warn that this could eventually fall foul of EU environmental standards if the countries continue moving toward toward EU membership.
China has been targeting the non-EU Balkan countries with investment and construction projects, but its method of bi-lateral deal making with governments has met with some difficulty where projects stray into EU jurisdiction, where competitive tendering is required.
One such scheme, a railway between Belgrade in Serbia and Budapest in Hungary, is facing scrutiny by the
European Commission for compliance with financing and procurement rules.
http://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/china-starts-serbias-new-coal-fired-power-plant/
Hungary-Serbia railway launched at China summit
China's premier Li, Hungary's PM Orban and Burlagria's PM Borissov at the Budapest summit (Photo:
kormany.hu)
By
ESZTER ZALAN
BRUSSELS, TODAY, 09:30
A two-day economic summit in Budapest between China and 16 central and eastern European countries saw the launch of several investment projects, including a high-speed rail link, against the backdrop of EU concerns at Beijing's reach into the region.
As politicians and business leaders from China and 16 central and eastern European countries ended the summit Tuesday (28 November), with the participation of Chinese premier Li Keqiang, limits became visible in what the format is attempting to achieve.
The 16+1 format was born in 2012, but despite a permanent secretariat and yearly meetings, the format has yet to produce many tangible results.
"After five years, CEE countries are realising that there are limits to what can be achieved via this format. Trade can't be pushed up by politics only – and indeed, trade between China and CEE countries hasn't grown much faster over the period than with the rest of the EU," said Agatha Kratz with the European Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank.
"For Chinese investments, the main target is still western Europe. The investment trend is upward of course, but it has not delivered the growth and job boom expected," she added.
Chinese investment in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region is over nine billion dollars (€7.5bn), up from three billion dollars in 2012, according to China's news agency, Xinhua.
One of the flagship projects of the cooperation, the 350km high-speed rail line from Belgrade to Budapest – with construction originally set to start in 2015 – might take off the ground soon.
Hungary announced on Monday it would publish a procurement tender for its section of the line, after a probe by the European Commission said the original design was not in line with EU rules.
The project was delayed because the EU probe looked into whether it follows the bloc's procurement rules, stipulating that public tenders must be offered for large infrastructure projects.
Serbia has reportedly borrowed $297.6 million from China's Exim Bank to modernise its section of the track out of the capital, Belgrade.
The $3.8bn project will eventually become the main gateway for Chinese goods shipped to Europe via the Greek port of Piraeus.
On Tuesday Belgrade formally launched the project, which will cut the current gruelling eight-hour ride to under three.
Heavyweights
The meeting underlines China's efforts in Europe, but also highlights eastern and central European countries' desire to be taken seriously.
"Every European country would like to participate in China's immense development," Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban said at a joint press conference with Chinese premier Li on Tuesday.
"The cooperation is one more way for China to interact with EU countries, to tap into new markets, and link with countries that are eager to trade with it," Kratz told EUobserver.
"For eastern and central European countries, it is a yearly opportunity to exchange at the highest level with their Chinese counterparts, but also to shape EU-China relations more to their liking," she added.
However, concerns were raised at the creation of the format in 2012.
EU officials, refusing to sign up to the notion that the 16+1 is a threat to EU unity, said the cooperation complements the EU's overall policy on China, as long as it is compliant with EU rules.
"The role of the both Commission and EEAS [European External Action Service] is to support member states who belong to this format, it's 11 of them, and help them make sure that these activities are complimentary to what we do in EU-China relations," an EU Commission spokeswoman said on Monday.
Gunnar Wiegand, the managing director for Asia Pacific at the EEAS participated in the Budapest summit as an observer.
Kratz said politically, the cooperation allowed particular member states to diversify their foreign policy away from the EU.
Hungary's Orban – who has set out to create an 'illiberal democracy' – has been one of the champions of intensifying ties with China in the region.
Some point out that the relationship has already had political implications.
Along with some of the Nordic countries, central European states gave a cool welcome to France's initiative to screen strategic Chinese investments and takeovers in the EU.
"The cooperation is creating more debate at the EU level on what should be the EU's China policy. And in this debate, more weight is given to central and eastern European countries," Kratz said.
That weight can grow.
Kratz added "The EU's position on China's human rights violations could be weakened if a growing number of EU governments fear crossing Beijing".
"The election of more Orban-like leaders, who are keen to use China as a way to make a point about their relation to Brussels, could bring about increased challenges in EU-China relations," she said.
https://euobserver.com/eu-china/140068
Chinese considering building a wind farm in Nova Crnja
The smallest municipality in Banat County, Nova Crnja, has very ambitious plans for development and utilization of alternative energy sources, including wind farms, solar power plants and biomass facilities.
“Our municipality has allocated 1,000 hectares of land for building combined power plants that would use both the power of wind and biogas. Also, we plan to build solar power plants too, and we have drafted all the planning documents for that purpose”, says the president of the Nova Crnja municipality, Pera Milankov.
“Two years ago, we built a wind pillar to test the conditions for wind farms. As it turns out, the conditions are excellent and we are already negotiating with Chinese investors who are willing to build a 60-megawatt-wind farm here”, Milankov adds.
He says that there is a company that has already started building a biogas plant, of 1 megawatt capacity, here. Apart from renewable energy resources, the municipality also wants to focus on tourist development and is planning to build a thermal spa. “We can offer land to investors at the price of 9,000 EUR per hectare, while NIS will supply thermal water from the nearby well”, Milankov explains and reminds that Nova Crnja has six industrial zones with complete infrastructure which span on over 200 hectares of land.
http://serbianmonitor.com/en/invest...g-building-wind-farm-nova-crnja/#.Wh8ZGFWnGUk
