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Turkish Daily News, Turkey
Nov 17 2006
Turkey to light Greek Aegean islands
Friday, November 17, 2006
Greece wants to buy electricity from Turkey because of a supply
shortage on some of its Aegean islands. Turkey will also resume its
importation of Bulgarian electricity, which was halted in 2003
BEGUM GURSOY
ANKARA
Turkey is preparing to export electricity to some Greek islands and
also to resume importing electricity from Bulgaria after a stoppage
lasting almost three years.
Despite the disagreement on the Cyprus issue, Turkey has already
started negotiations for trade in electricity with Greece. The Greek
side is reported to have informed Turkey that there was a supply
shortage in the Greek islands located close to the Turkish coast.
Greece has told Turkey that this need could be met by importing
electricity from the Turkish mainland.
The bilateral talks indicate that the island of Rhodes will have
priority and that other Greek islands lying close to the Turkish
coast will be provided with electricity transmitted from Turkey.
Turkey will become a full member of the Union for the Coordination of
Transmission of Electricity (UCTE) in 2007 and thus will standardize
its electric system with Europe and start trading electricity with
other countries.
Bulgarian electricity to arrive in 2007:
State-owned Turkish Electricity Trading Company (TETAŞ), operating
under the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, will manage the
resumption of electricity imports from Bulgaria.
Turkey imported 4 billion kilowatts of electricity from Bulgaria
between 2000 and 2003 after an intergovernmental agreement signed in
1998. While Turkey was paying 3.7 cents per kilowatt, Turkey halted
the imports on April 21, 2003 on the basis that the Bulgarian side
was not honoring its contractual obligations.
According to the energy deal, the Bulgarian side was to select
Turkish contractors to build its hydroelectric power plant and highway
projects. However, Turkey asserted that the Bulgarian side was not
complying with this commitment.
Top officials from both countries have been reviewing the issue and
trying to find a compromise. The agreement under negotiation calls for
resuming imports of Bulgarian electricity in 2007, yet the two sides
continue to debate the price, with TETAŞ reported to oppose any
wholesale price above 5.7 cents per kilowatt.
Meanwhile, Turkey's expected membership in UCTE will give it more
options for electricity trading with other countries as Turkey will
be connected to the European electricity transmission system through
Bulgaria and Greece.
Turkey's electric grid will become harmonized with the European one
so that a supply shortage in Turkey can be met by transmissions from
the European system's back-up power supply.
UCTE membership will also provide advantages to the private sector,
enabling power generators here to find customers in Europe once the
harmonization is finalized.
Regional electricity trade to develop:
Turkey now has interconnected lines with Azerbaijan, Armenia,
Bulgaria, Romania, Iran, Iraq and Syria. On the other hand, UCTE is
a coordinating body for developing and managing the European electric
transmission system.
This organization now has 23 communication companies as members.
Member countries are Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium,
Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark,
Spain, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia,
the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and the Slovak
Republic.
Apart from these, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia have been connected to
the European system through Gibraltar. Electricity trade with these
countries is expected to develop after Turkey finalizes its technical
harmonization to the UCTE system.
Nov 17 2006
Turkey to light Greek Aegean islands
Friday, November 17, 2006
Greece wants to buy electricity from Turkey because of a supply
shortage on some of its Aegean islands. Turkey will also resume its
importation of Bulgarian electricity, which was halted in 2003
BEGUM GURSOY
ANKARA
Turkey is preparing to export electricity to some Greek islands and
also to resume importing electricity from Bulgaria after a stoppage
lasting almost three years.
Despite the disagreement on the Cyprus issue, Turkey has already
started negotiations for trade in electricity with Greece. The Greek
side is reported to have informed Turkey that there was a supply
shortage in the Greek islands located close to the Turkish coast.
Greece has told Turkey that this need could be met by importing
electricity from the Turkish mainland.
The bilateral talks indicate that the island of Rhodes will have
priority and that other Greek islands lying close to the Turkish
coast will be provided with electricity transmitted from Turkey.
Turkey will become a full member of the Union for the Coordination of
Transmission of Electricity (UCTE) in 2007 and thus will standardize
its electric system with Europe and start trading electricity with
other countries.
Bulgarian electricity to arrive in 2007:
State-owned Turkish Electricity Trading Company (TETAŞ), operating
under the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, will manage the
resumption of electricity imports from Bulgaria.
Turkey imported 4 billion kilowatts of electricity from Bulgaria
between 2000 and 2003 after an intergovernmental agreement signed in
1998. While Turkey was paying 3.7 cents per kilowatt, Turkey halted
the imports on April 21, 2003 on the basis that the Bulgarian side
was not honoring its contractual obligations.
According to the energy deal, the Bulgarian side was to select
Turkish contractors to build its hydroelectric power plant and highway
projects. However, Turkey asserted that the Bulgarian side was not
complying with this commitment.
Top officials from both countries have been reviewing the issue and
trying to find a compromise. The agreement under negotiation calls for
resuming imports of Bulgarian electricity in 2007, yet the two sides
continue to debate the price, with TETAŞ reported to oppose any
wholesale price above 5.7 cents per kilowatt.
Meanwhile, Turkey's expected membership in UCTE will give it more
options for electricity trading with other countries as Turkey will
be connected to the European electricity transmission system through
Bulgaria and Greece.
Turkey's electric grid will become harmonized with the European one
so that a supply shortage in Turkey can be met by transmissions from
the European system's back-up power supply.
UCTE membership will also provide advantages to the private sector,
enabling power generators here to find customers in Europe once the
harmonization is finalized.
Regional electricity trade to develop:
Turkey now has interconnected lines with Azerbaijan, Armenia,
Bulgaria, Romania, Iran, Iraq and Syria. On the other hand, UCTE is
a coordinating body for developing and managing the European electric
transmission system.
This organization now has 23 communication companies as members.
Member countries are Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium,
Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark,
Spain, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia,
the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and the Slovak
Republic.
Apart from these, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia have been connected to
the European system through Gibraltar. Electricity trade with these
countries is expected to develop after Turkey finalizes its technical
harmonization to the UCTE system.