UPI Energy Watch

Finland criticizes EU's energy road map

Finland says that the EU commission's goal for Finland is impossible to reach, Finland's Suomen Kuvalehti reported.

The struggle about sharing the burden of renewable energy among EU countries is coming to an end. The European Commission proposal is due Jan. 23 though it seemed for a while the decision would be delayed.

Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen and Minister of Economic Affairs Mauri Pekkarinen said, however, the goal is impossible.

Nonetheless, there is still information coming from the commission, according to which Finland would have to raise the share of renewable energy to a minimum of 38 percent of its energy consumption by 2020.

But the energy industry says the current battle against the "impossible target" is partly caused by the EU leaders' passive approach last spring.

The government of Finland should have been more active in contributing to the EU's energy road map, which the heads of state of the EU countries endorsed in their summit in March 2007.

Russia, Bulgaria to hold energy talks

Russia and Bulgaria are expected to sign some 10 agreements during President Vladimir Putin's visit to Bulgaria, Putin aide Sergei Prikhodko told Interfax.

"The current state in bilateral economic interaction rests on a foundation of major joint energy projects under implementation -- the construction of a nuclear power plant in Belene, the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, and involving Bulgaria in the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline (a new route of Russian natural gas shipments to Europe on the floor of the Black Sea)," Prikhodko said.

The visit is to be capped by the signing of a general contract to build a nuclear power plant in Belene and an agreement to set up an international project company for building and operating the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline with Greece participating.

Talks are continuing with Bulgaria on the proposed signing of an agreement to build a Bulgarian stretch of the South Stream pipeline. The agreement is complicated "technologically and legally, not politically," he said.

"If we have time to polish it, it will be signed. If we don't, this visit will mark another stage in preparing the agreement," Prikhodko said, adding that dozens of billions of cubic meters are involved.

France inks nuclear deals with Gulf states

France secured several nuclear cooperation agreements in the Persian Gulf during the French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to the region.

France secured a multibillion-dollar nuclear cooperation agreement with the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 15. A day before that, France and Qatar signed a draft agreement on civilian nuclear technology and gas.

Sarkozy told al-Jazeera television during his Jan. 13-15 visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates the Arabs have the right to possess nuclear power for peaceful purposes.

The Gulf agreements follow similar agreements concluded with Algeria and Libya last December, and discussed with Morocco last October. They come on the heels of an agreement with Niger for increased uranium exploitation announced Jan. 13.

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Closing oil prices, Jan. 17, 3 p.m. London

Brent crude oil: $90.35

West Texas Intermediate crude oil: $91.75

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(e-mail: energy@upi.com)