Obama vetoes Keystone XL pipeline bill

The U.S. President Barack Obama vetoed the Keystone XL pipeline bill Tuesday, reiterating that the decision to build the project belongs to the government.

"Through this bill, the United States Congress attempts to circumvent longstanding and proven processes for determining whether or not building and operating a cross-border pipeline serves the national interest," said Obama in his veto message.

"This act of Congress conflicts with established executive branch procedures and cuts short through consideration of issues that could bear on our national interest, including our security, safety and environment, it has earned my veto," said Obama.

In a statement, U.S. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said: "It's extremely disappointing that President Obama vetoed a bipartisan bill that would support thousands of good jobs and pump billions of dollars into the economy."

The Senate will soon vote on an override no later than March 3, said McConnell.

However, right now the Republicans didn't get a veto-proof majority both in the Senate and the House.

The Keystone XL oil pipeline which is designed to go from Canada through the U.S. State of Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska has been delayed by the U.S. government for several years as the government failed to finish its environmental impact evaluation. 
  Xinhua - china.org.cn
25/2/15
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Related:

• US President Barack Obama has vetoed a bill that would have approved construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline...

• US Senate Likely to Vote on Keystone XL Next Week

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• US House approves Keystone XL pipeline (266 votes to 153)

• US Senate Energy Committee Passes Keystone XL Bill...

• The White House says U.S. President Barack Obama would veto legislation approving construction of the long-stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline...

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• US Senate fails to approve Keystone XL pipeline. (just one vote short of the 60 needed)

• US says no significant impact on environment from Keystone pipeline

EU failed to discuss Russia’s gas turn to Turkey in place of South Stream (Juncker)

Russia’s decision to scrap its South Stream gas pipeline project and the subsequent move to extend a new gas route to Turkey instead was raised at an extraordinary summit of the European Union on Thursday night, Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, said.

Juncker said, however, that although the issue of the Russian natural gas deliveries via the abandoned South Stream pipeline project was raised at the summit, the participants failed to discuss subject.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on December 1, 2014 that the project to build the South Stream gas pipeline was closed due to the European Union’s unconstructive approach to cooperation in that sphere, including Bulgaria’s decision to stop the construction of the pipeline’s stretch on its territory.

Instead, Russia will build a gas pipeline to Turkey where a gas hub on the border with Europe will be created, Putin said.................http://tass.ru/en/economy/777375
13/2/15
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Related:

• EC hopes to return to talks with Russia concerning South Stream counterpart projects

• Bulgaria Still Hopeful of South Stream Pipeline

• Plewneliew: Bulgarien hat immer noch Hoffnung auf „South Stream“...

• Russia’s new gas pipeline to Turkey may be named Turkish Stream 

• Bulgarian PM proposes creating gas hub on border with Turkey

• Bulgaria to send delegation to Moscow to discuss South Stream (reports)

• South Stream pipeline can be built (European Commission)

EC hopes to return to talks with Russia concerning South Stream counterpart projects

The European Commission hopes to return to talks with Russia on the South Stream counterpart projects and regards the Turkish Stream gas pipeline construction unfeasible, the EC energy commissioner Maros Sefcovic said...

"A first assessment is that this would not work," Sefcovic added. He does not think this is a final decision and believes the return to more rational discussion of gas supply routes is possible.

Sefkovic expressed confidence negotiations with Gazprom and Russia on gas supplies to Europe will continue and it is too early to speak about the final decision.

Full transparency of intergovernmental agreements and commercial contracts on gas supplies is needed, the energy commissioner added.

Ukraine will receive assistance of the EU and international institutions for the upgrade of its obsolete gas transportation system to secure stable gas supplies to Europe through its territory, Sefcovic said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on December 1, 2015 during his visit to Ankara that Moscow was dropping plans to build the South Stream pipeline. Instead, Mr. Putin said Russia would pursue an alternative transit route to Turkey in addition to the Blue Stream pipeline and set up a gas hub on the border between Turkey and Greece.

Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said later the Turkish Stream will be the only route for future supplies of 63 bln cubic meters of the Russian gas currently flowing through Ukraine.
   http://itar-tass.com/en/economy/775433
4/2/15
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Related:

• Bulgaria Still Hopeful of South Stream Pipeline

• Plewneliew: Bulgarien hat immer noch Hoffnung auf „South Stream“...

• Russia’s new gas pipeline to Turkey may be named Turkish Stream 

• Bulgarian PM proposes creating gas hub on border with Turkey

• Bulgaria to send delegation to Moscow to discuss South Stream (reports)

• South Stream pipeline can be built (European Commission)

Russia’s Gazprom cancels plans to expand Nord Stream (Sources)

Russia’s Gazprom has cancelled a plan to build two more branches of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline because of the “complicated” political situation, sources at the state-controlled firm said Jan 28...

“The political situation is currently complicated. We were not allowed access to OPAL (gas pipeline in Germany). Why build two more arms? We are not building them,” one source told Reuters.

Gazprom said last year it could increase the pipeline that runs under the Baltic Sea to Germany with a line that would go to Britain, but a second source confirmed Gazprom currently had no plans to extend the pipeline to Britain.

Nord Stream consists of two pipes with an annual capacity of 55 billion cubic meters, enough to supply around 10 percent of the European Union’s annual gas needs.

The construction of two more pipes would have doubled Nord Stream capacity.

• Currently Nord Stream is running at around half its capacity because Gazprom is allowed only limited access to the Opal pipeline which runs through Germany to the Czech Republic and connects to Nord Stream.

The Russian company has so far failed to secure greater access, with talks complicated by tensions between the EU and Russia over the Ukraine crisis. In November, the EU pushed back a deadline for deciding on Russian access to Opal until the end of January.

Last year, Russia also scrapped its South Stream pipeline project over disagreements with the EU.

Instead, Gazprom said it planned to build a pipeline across the Black Sea towards Turkey, bypassing Ukraine as a transit route to Europe.

Gazprom was not available for immediate comment. 
 http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/russias-gazprom-cancels-plans-to-expand-nord-stream-sources.aspx?pageID=238&nID=77584&NewsCatID=348
28/1/15
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Related:

• European Commission postpones decision on OPAL pipeline until October 31

• Gazprom Vows to Use Alternative Routes if Ukraine Starts Tapping Transit Gas

• «Όχι» της Εσθονίας σε Αίτημα για Επέκταση του Αγωγού Nord Stream

 

 

 

US Senate Likely to Vote on Keystone XL Next Week

The US Senate will likely vote on the Keystone XL Pipeline bill next week before advancing it to US President Barack Obama’s desk for approval, Republican Senator from North Dakota John Hoeven said, following the president’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday.
 “I anticipate that next week sometime we’ll have a vote in the Senate [on the Keystone XL Pipeline bill] hopefully advance it and go to conference with the House and then send it to the president [Obama],” Hoeven said during an interview with C-SPAN when asked when the Keystone XL Pipeline bill would be voted on in the US Senate.

Senator Hoeven argued that President Obama was taking credit for the United States, producing more oil and gas and becoming more energy secure. However, Hoeven said that if the president vetoed the Keystone bill, as he has stated previously, he would be “holding up the kind of infrastructure we need to continue to do it again.”

During State of the Union address on Tuesday, Obama urged Congress to pass a bipartisan infrastructure plan that could create more jobs than the current Keystone XL Pipeline proposal, allowing the company TransCanada Corporation to build and operate the pipeline from Alberta, Canada, to the US Gulf Coast.

The US Senate will likely vote on the Keystone XL Pipeline bill next week before advancing it to US President Barack Obama’s desk for approval, Republican Senator from North Dakota John Hoeven said, following the president’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday.

“I anticipate that next week sometime we’ll have a vote in the Senate [on the Keystone XL Pipeline bill] hopefully advance it and go to conference with the House and then send it to the president [Obama],” Hoeven said during an interview with C-SPAN when asked when the Keystone XL Pipeline bill would be voted on in the US Senate.

Senator Hoeven argued that President Obama was taking credit for the United States, producing more oil and gas and becoming more energy secure. However, Hoeven said that if the president vetoed the Keystone bill, as he has stated previously, he would be “holding up the kind of infrastructure we need to continue to do it again.”

During State of the Union address on Tuesday, Obama urged Congress to pass a bipartisan infrastructure plan that could create more jobs than the current Keystone XL Pipeline proposal, allowing the company TransCanada Corporation to build and operate the pipeline from Alberta, Canada, to the US Gulf Coast.
 http://sputniknews.com/us/20150121/1017159145.html
21/1/15
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Related:

• US House approves Keystone XL pipeline (266 votes to 153)

• US Senate Energy Committee Passes Keystone XL Bill...

• The White House says U.S. President Barack Obama would veto legislation approving construction of the long-stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline...

-----

• US Senate fails to approve Keystone XL pipeline. (just one vote short of the 60 needed)

• US says no significant impact on environment from Keystone pipeline

Cleanup begins on Yellowstone River for oil leak near Glendive

Cleanup efforts have begun on the Yellowstone River downstream from where an oil leak was reported over the weekend.

According to Paul Peronard, the on-scene coordinator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, crews are using two techniques to cleanup the estimated 50,000 gallons of oil that leaked into the river from the Bridger Pipeline company's Poplar pipeline system on Saturday.

The crews are using a traditional boom, which doesn't work well in the swift water conditions, so it is being backed up by secondary capture point near Crane, which is located between Savage and Sidney about 30 miles away from the spill site.

At the secondary location crews are using what is called an ice slotting technique in which cut holes in the ice and then capture the oil using a boom that is lowered through the ice.

Finding a location where the ice was thick enough was difficult because of the condition of the ice needing to be combined with a location to get trucks and pumping equipment to the river.

Should the oil reach Sidney, there is no water intake in Sidney on the Yellowstone River.

There is a water intake for Savage on the Yellowstone River, and crews have placed a preventative boom there and are making preventative arrangements around the Intake Diversion Dam.

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks has joined the emergency response team. Both Pallid Sturgeon, which are endangered, and Paddlefish are in the area.

Crews are attempting to keep oil from getting to the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers where both of the fish species spawn.

Meanwhile, authorities said residents in the Glendive area who have smelled petroleum in their water need to call 406-377-3318 ext 16. The number connects to a city office, but they are taking information off an answering machine because the office is closed.

Callers will need to leave their name, number, and the address of where the smell was detected.

Officials are mapping out where the smells are reported.

As of 11:30 a.m. Monday, authorities said they still believe there is not a problem in the water distribution system. They have flown samples out of the water treatment plant in Glendive to a lab in Billings to be tested.
 http://www.kxlf.com/news/cleanup-begins-on-yellowstone-river-for-oil-leak-near-glendive/
19/1/15
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Bulgarian PM proposes creating gas hub on border with Turkey

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said on Thursday at a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry that he favored the idea of creating a gas hub on the border with Turkey.
“An intersystem gas pipeline with Greece should be built using European money.

Besides, I acquainted our partners with our joint idea with the European Commission to build a gas hub on the Turkish border, if the project (for the construction of a gas pipeline between Russia and Turkey) is really implemented,” Borisov said.
  The Bulgarian premier also confirmed a ban on shale gas extraction in Bulgaria using the hydraulic fracturing method.  “We have stated on numerous occasions that unless a technology is found to guarantee the absence of environmental problems in the most fertile part of Bulgaria, we’ll keep the moratorium on shale gas extraction. Our position is clear and understandable to our partners,” the Bulgarian premier said.
Gazprom head Alexey Miller said on Wednesday that EU countries should hurry up with the construction of infrastructure to receive Russian natural gas from the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project. “They have a maximum of several years for this. This is a very tight schedule. To comply with it, work for the construction of new trunk gas pipelines should be started in EU countries right now. Otherwise, these gas volumes may be redirected to other markets,” the Gazprom head said.
The Turkish Stream gas pipeline project is the sole route for Russia’s future supplies of 63 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Europe currently delivered via Ukraine, Miller said.
The Gazprom head made this statement in response to a question about the fate of Russia’s South Stream gas pipeline project.
“The project is closed. The Turkish Stream is the sole route, which can deliver 63 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas transited across Ukraine so far. There are no other options,” Miller said.

• Gazprom has notified its European partners about its Turkish Stream gas pipe plans and now their task is to create the necessary gas transport infrastructure from the border of Turkey and Greece, the Gazprom head said.

  http://itar-tass.com/en/economy/771414
  15/1/15 
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Related:

• Russia’s new gas pipeline to Turkey may be named Turkish Stream

• Le Parlement européen a adopté jeudi une résolution dans laquelle il a salué l'annulation du projet gazier South Stream....

• Gazprom: Kein Gas mehr durch die Ukraine ...

• Rusia enviará todo el gas que pasa por Ucrania a Europa a través del nuevo gasoducto turco ....

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• Bulgaria to send delegation to Moscow to discuss South Stream (reports)

• Gas pipeline to Crimea to be connected to projected gas pipeline to Turkey

US House approves Keystone XL pipeline (266 votes to 153)

The Republican-controlled House approved the Keystone XL oil pipeline easily on Friday, ignoring the recent veto threat against this project from US President Obama.

The House passed the project by 266 votes to 153, the tenth time that the chamber has passed the pro-Keystone legislation. The Senate is set to consider the legislation next week.

Just hours before the House's vote, Nebraska's Supreme Court overturned a lower court decision to greenlight the construction of the project, ruling out one of the arguments that the White House can block the project.

The White House spokesman Eric Schultz said in a statement that the administration would incorporate the court's decision into its evaluation of Keystone.

"President Obama is out of excuses for deciding whether or not to allow thousands of Americans to get back to work," Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement referring to the court decision.

But Schultz also reiterated the president's veto threat saying the House bill still conflicts with longstanding presidential authority and the review process of complex issues bearing national interests.

"If presented to the president, he will veto the bill," said Schultz.

The 7-billion-US dollar project is proposed to go from Canada through the US State of Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines to carry more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil a day to refineries along the US Gulf Coast.

The project has been delayed for years as critics say it could worsen climate change by enabling further growth from the oil sands, which create higher greenhouse gas emissions than some other forms of production.

But Republicans insist that it will create jobs and enhance US energy security and Mitch McConnell has said the first bill that the Republican-led Senate will bring to President Obama's desk is the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.

The White House said on Tuesday that President Obama would not sign the legislation approving the Keystone XL pipeline project before the State Department finishes its review process even if the Congress passed the controversial legislation.


Analysts said at present Republicans still do not have a veto- proof majority to pass the bill.
 Source:Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
10/1/15
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Related:

• US Senate Energy Committee Passes Keystone XL Bill...

• The White House says U.S. President Barack Obama would veto legislation approving construction of the long-stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline...

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• US Senate fails to approve Keystone XL pipeline. (just one vote short of the 60 needed)

• US says no significant impact on environment from Keystone pipeline

Russia’s new gas pipeline to Turkey may be named Turkish Stream

Russia’s new natural gas pipeline, which energy giant Gazprom will built in place of the South Stream pipeline, might be called the Turkish Stream, Gazprom deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev said on Monday.

“The South Stream pipeline will not be constructed and we will be implementing another project, which will get its name in the nearest future,” Medvedev said. “Our partners in Turkey proposed the name of the Turkish Stream.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on December 1 that Russia was abandoning its South Stream gas pipeline project in Europe over the European Commission’s unconstructive approach and instead was planning to build a gas pipeline to Turkey.

Gazprom will build a gas hub on the Turkey-Greece border under a new 63 billion cubic meter pipeline project. Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said the construction of a gas pipeline to Turkey will make it possible to reduce the risks linked with natural gas transit through Ukraine. Russia’s steel pipe manufacturers hope that all their products originally meant for the South Stream project will be redirected to the new gas pipeline project.......................http://itar-tass.com/en/world/768439
  22/12/14
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Related:

• Bulgaria to send delegation to Moscow to discuss South Stream (reports)

• Gas pipeline to Crimea to be connected to projected gas pipeline to Turkey

• South Stream pipeline can be built (European Commission)

• Türkei geht auf Distanz zu Gas-Deal mit Russland...

Bulgaria, Greece, Romania to Develop Regional Gas Infrastructure

Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania have signed a contract on cooperation in the development of regional gas infrastructure.

The contract was signed Tuesday by the energy ministers of the three countries.

In February 2011, the EU decided that each Member State had to have at least two sources of natural gas and electricity by 2014 in order to be able to cope with a cut-off of Russian supplies.

Romania still lacks a connection to Bulgaria’s gas grid, despite the fact that a project for the construction of a gas pipeline between Giurgiu and Ruse has been available for years, according to reports of the BGNES news agency.

The gas pipeline, evaluated at around EUR 24 M, is to be completed by 2016.

Romania’s gas transmission grid is connected to those of Hungary and Moldova.

In the case of a suspension of imports from Russia, however, it will not be able to make up for the losses through these connections because the gas imports from Hungary are negligible and the pipeline to Moldova is used for exports.
[novinite.com]
9/12/14

Gas pipeline to Crimea to be connected to projected gas pipeline to Turkey

The gas pipeline connecting the Republic of Crimea with the Krasnodar Territory of Russia will be laid under the Kerch Strait in 2018, Minister of Fuel and Energy of Crimea Sergei Yegorov said at a meeting of the republic’s Council of Ministers on Tuesday.

“The gas pipeline will be laid under the Kerch Strait and will go onshore in Kerch,” Yegorov said. “This is a serious gas pipeline that will be connected in the Krasnodar Territory to the projected gas pipeline that will now run to Turkey, the former South Stream.”

Russia’s Gazprom natural gas giant signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkey’s Botas on December 1 on constructing an offshore gas pipeline across the Black Sea towards Turkey. The memorandum was signed in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan. The new gas pipeline will have a capacity of 63 billion cubic metres, with 14 billion cubic metres slated for Turkish consumers (identical amount is being delivered via the Balkan Corridor) and nearly 50 billion cubic meters conveyed to the border between Turkey and Greece, where a delivery point will be arranged. The Russkaya compressor station being under construction in the Krasnodar region will serve as the pipeline starting point.

The total length of the Krasnodar Territory - Crimea pipeline will reach 135 kilometers and the pipe diameter - 700 mm.

According to the minister, the pipeline will first of all supply the city of Kerch with natural gas. “The federal target program (for the development of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol) and regional program envisage gas distribution network development in Kerch. The city’s gas supply infrastructure is only 71% developed today. Crimean cities’ gas infrastructure development is 89% on the average,” Yegorov said.
 http://itar-tass.com/en/economy/766011
9/12/14
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Related:

• South Stream pipeline can be built (European Commission)

• Gazprom gründet Firma für Bau neuer Gaspipeline in Türkei ...

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• Κριμαία: Η φτηνότερη εναλλακτική διαδρομή για τον «South Stream»

• Gazprom Seeks Access to Crimean Oil and Gas Deposits

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• Kerch bridge will be designed for cars and trains. Underwater tunnel is optional. - ministry

 

Israel's Greatest Ecological Catastrophe Unfolding in Arava Desert

The crude oil spill in the Arava Desert, southern Israel, is 'twice as bad as initially estimated,' according to the Israeli Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company....

"The volume of crude oil that spilled into the Arava Desert last week is 60 percent larger than the amount that was originally reported, the company responsible for the pipeline acknowledged on Sunday night," Haaretz, the Israeli news agency reported.
Although the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company (EAPC) initially reported of a spill between one million and 1.5 million liters, it later revised its calculation to three million liters. However, the company reported on Sunday a report issued by the company on Sunday has revealed that some five million liters of crude oil spilled out of the pipeline last Thursday, December 4.

"We were skeptical about the figures provided by the company from the start," a ministry official said on December 8, as cited by Haaretz.

Meanwhile damage control teams have already removed 13,000 tons of polluted soil in order to reduce the impact of the pipeline leak.

The Times of Israel notes that according to weather forecasts heavy rainfall is expected in the region later this week. It has sparked concerns among ministry officials over the possibility of further contamination of the area, including the Gulf of Eilat, home to rare coral reefs, which could be damaged by the leak, the media outlet stresses.

Haaretz notes, however, that dams are being erected in order to prevent the oil flowing into this area.

"It's the biggest ecological disaster Israel has seen. This is because of the material itself, crude oil, which is particularly hard to flush out, and the location of the spill [on the reserve]," Gilad Golub of Israel's Environmental Services Company told Agence France Presse.

The Times of Israel notes that Eilat residents have already filed a lawsuit against the pipeline operators referring to the tremendous environmental damage caused through negligence.

"Mellish is demanding NIS 220 million ($55m) to rehabilitate the environment in coordination with the Environment Minster and the Israel Nature and Parks authority, as well as another NIS 180 million ($45m) for the 48,000 residents of Eilat for damage to their health and discomfort caused by the ecological disaster," the media outlet reports.

More than 80 people on both sides of the Israel-Jordan border have complained about health problems caused by the spill.
[sputniknews.com]
8/12/14
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Related:

• Oil pipeline bursts near Israel-Jordan border.(the reason for the spill was under investigation)

• Ein Leck in einer Öl-Pipeline hat im Süden Israels nach Angaben des Umweltschutzministeriums eine der bisher schlimmsten Umweltkatastrophen des Landes zur Folge. "Millionen Liter Rohöl sind ausgelaufen", sagte Ran Lior, Sprecher des Ministeriums, am Donnerstag.

• Aus einer kaputten Pipeline in Israel fließt massenweise Rohöl - und verseucht kilometerweit ein Naturschutzgebiet im Süden des Landes...

Oil pipeline bursts near Israel-Jordan border.(the reason for the spill was under investigation)

An oil pipeline rupture has caused thousands of cubic metres of crude oil to spill into the Arava desert in southern Israel near the border with Jordan, officials said Thursday (Dec 4).The incident took place just north of the Red Sea resort city of Eilat and 500m from the frontier. 

The spill was "a couple of kilometres long", according to an Israeli environment ministry spokeswoman who was unable to give more specific information.

She said it was unclear whether there was any foul play and environmental authorities would open an investigation. "They have forces on the ground that prevented it from spreading to Jordan," she added.
The leak involved a 245km pipeline carrying crude oil from the southern port city of Ashkelon on Israel's Mediterranean coast to Eilat. 

Ronen Moshe, spokesman for the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company (EAPC), said the spill happened at 12.45 am on Thursday in a new section of the pipeline.
"The leak has been stopped," he said, adding that the reason for the spill was under investigation. "There are dozens of people in the field taking care of the aftermath," he said, indicating there had been no impact on supply. According to the company's website, the EAPC was founded in 1968 and serves as a land bridge for transporting crude oil between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

- AFP/el

  http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/oil-pipeline-bursts-near/1510182.html

  4/12/14

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• Ein Leck in einer Öl-Pipeline hat im Süden Israels nach Angaben des Umweltschutzministeriums eine der bisher schlimmsten Umweltkatastrophen des Landes zur Folge. "Millionen Liter Rohöl sind ausgelaufen", sagte Ran Lior, Sprecher des Ministeriums, am Donnerstag.

Russia-Turkey relations in energy sector rise to strategic level. Russia will reduce by 6% gas price for Turkish consumers from January 1, 2015

Russian-Turkish relations in the energy sector have raised to strategic level, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Russia will increase gas supplies to the Turkish market by 3 billion cubic meters under the Blue Stream project, Putin said. Russia will reduce by 6% gas price for Turkish consumers from January 1, 2015, Putin said. 

Russia ready to further reduce gas price for Turkey as its strategic partner, Putin noted, adding that the 6% discount on gas price for Turkey is only the first step. The Russia president also said the free trade regime with Turkey is possible.
Putin has vowed the Akkuyu NPP (nuclear power plant) in Turkey will be built in due time, and all safety requirements will be observed. The Akkuyu nuclear plant is being built by Russia’s state-run corporation Rosatom.

South Stream construction

In the current situation, Russia cannot launch the South Stream gas pipeline project, the Russian president noted. However, Russia is ready to build another pipeline transportation system to meet Turkey’s economic needs and create additional gas hub on the border, he stressed. 

• "If this idea is considered to be expedient, we can create an additional gas hub for consumers in southern Europe in the Turkish territory on the border with Greece,” Putin said.

Putin stressed that the EU's position on South Stream project is not constructive. 

• Therefore, energy resources will be re-oriented to other regions and to LNG (liquefied natural gas) projects, he added. 

The Russian president also suggested that Bulgaria demands from EU to repay its loss of profit on the South Stream project.
[ itar-tass.com]
1/12/14
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Related:

• Turkey nuke plant to last 100 years (Rosatom CEO) 

• The Turkish ecology ministry has given a green light to the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant project designed by Russia, a ministry spokesman told RIA Novosti Monday...

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• Turkey’s energy minister to negotiate gas discount with Russia ahead of Putin’s Ankara visit

• Blue Stream: Gazprom augmentera la capacité du gazoduc (Poutine) ...

Turkey’s energy minister to negotiate gas discount with Russia ahead of Putin’s Ankara visit

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız is expected to meet Gazprom Deputy Chairman Alexander Medvedev to discuss a potential revision of gas prices from Russia to Turkey Nov. 25, ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the country on Dec. 1.

In addition to a potential revision on the price of gas, the two sides are also expected to discuss the rise in capacity of the Blue Stream, a major trans-Black Sea gas pipeline that carries natural gas from Russia into Turkey, according to a source familiar with the situation.

“This is a process. It does not seem possible for us to decrease gas prices. Negotiations over discounts on prices are always tough. We want to have what we deserve,” said a high level official from the Turkish Energy Ministry.

Any possible revision of gas prices will come into effect on Jan. 1.

“A revision may be secured, though it will be hard. Any possible revision will be announced during Putin’s Turkish visit on Dec. 1,” said another source.

Yıldız asked for a discount on the price of gas Turkey buys from Russia during talks with Medvedev at the beginning of October.

Medvedev said they were working on a detailed price package in line with Turkey’s demand for a discount on the price of natural gas. 
hurriyetdailynews.com -Reuters
25/11/14 
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Related:

• Turkey interested in Russia's new gas pipeline project (South Stream)

• Russia keen on gas investment in Turkey

• EU should rethink South Stream, consider Turkey. -"Turkey on the way to becoming an energy hub"

US Senate fails to approve Keystone XL pipeline. (just one vote short of the 60 needed)

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday failed to pass legislation approving construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline after the Republican-controlled House approved the same bill last week.
The Democratic-led Senate voted 59 to 41 to defeat the legislation that would bring Canada's oil sands to refineries in the United States, just one vote short of the 60 needed for passage in the 100-member chamber.

The 7-billion-U.S. dollar Keystone XL project is proposed to go from Canada through the U.S. State of Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines to carry more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil a day to refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The project has been delayed for years as critics say it could worsen climate change by enabling further growth from the oil sands, which create higher greenhouse gas emissions than some other forms of production. But Republicans insist that it will create jobs and enhance U.S. energy security.

The State Department said in April that it will provide more time for relative federal agencies to review the Keystone XL pipeline project, "based on the uncertainty created by the on-going litigation in the Nebraska Supreme Court which could ultimately affect the pipeline route in that state".

U.S. President Barack Obama also said last week that lawmakers should not "short-circuit" the federal review of the pipeline that is already underway. The Nebraska Supreme Court is expected to issue a verdict on the route of the pipeline by the end of this year, according to local media.

The Senate is likely to advance the Keystone XL pipeline legislation again next January, when Republicans take over the majority in the upper chamber. But it's unclear whether Obama will veto the bill if the Republican-controlled both chambers approve the legislation. Analysts said the controversial pipeline has become a potent symbol of energy and environmental policy to serve both sides as a political tool.  
  Xinhua - china.org.cn 
 19/11/14
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Related:

• US Senate narrowly fails to pass Keystone XL pipeline bill ... 

• US says no significant impact on environment from Keystone pipeline

• ΗΠΑ: Yπό όρους η κατασκευή του αγωγού πετρελαίου. -Keystone XL pipeline

• Καναδάς: Επιστολή-έκκληση προς τον Ομπάμα για τον αγωγό Keystone. -Προσφέρει ως αντάλλαγμα μείωση εκπομπών / Canada implores Obama for Keystone XL decision

EU Commission's Stance on South Stream in Serbia Still Unknown

The position of the new team of European Commissioners on the construction of the Serbian section of the Russia-led South Stream gas pipeline is not clear yet though preparations for the project are underway, the Russian president's top aide, Yury Ushakov, told journalists Wednesday.
"Preparations for the construction of the Serbian section are well underway. I expect them [European Commissioners] to mention it. It has been made clear to Serbia that it will find next to impossible to implement this project without a go-ahead from Brussels, although [Serbia] is more than ready. It is of great interest to them," the presidential aide said.

Ushakov said that the recent elections to the European Commission effectively put its decision-making on hold, meaning that it would take more time for the union's executive body to agree on a unified approach to the South Stream project. A new team of 28 commissioners, one from each member state, is appointed every five years.

• "The Commission is getting new members, so we are still to learn about Brussels" stance [on the pipeline]. We are continuing to raise awareness of the project. It's not over yet. We are ready to go ahead," Ushakov said.

In early October, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic reaffirmed Belgrade's commitment to the South Stream project, saying it would go ahead with its construction.

Russian energy giant Gazprom started building the South Stream gas pipeline across the Black Sea in 2012 to reduce the unreliable passage of Russian natural gas to central and southern Europe through Ukraine. The pipeline is expected to be fully operational by 2018.................http://en.ria.ru/world/20141015/194112027/EU-Commissions-Stance-on-South-Stream-in-Serbia-Still-Unknown.html
15/10/14
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Related:

• Κομισιόν προς Βελιγράδι: «Η Κατασκευή του South Stream θα Επηρεάσει Αρνητικά την Ενταξιακή Πορεία της Σερβίας»

• Duma urges Gazprom to consider expediency of gas transit via Ukraine to Europe

• Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said on Tuesday that all activities related to the South Stream gas pipeline project should be put on hold until it was brought in line with European legislation.

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• Έτινγκερ: Να αναθεωρήσει η Σερβία το συμβόλαιό της με τη Gazprom

• Gazprom: Η συμφωνία του South Stream υπερισχύει της ευρωπαϊκής νομοθεσίας

• Έτινγκερ: Παραβιάζουν την κοινοτική νομοθεσία οι συμφωνίες για τον South Stream

• Κομισιόν: Ακυρώνει όλες τις συμφωνίες για την κατασκευή του South Stream