Weekly news:

OIL & PETROCHEMICALS

CZECH REPUBLIC & SLOVAKIA

Czech retail fuel prices drop; top-selling Natural 95 down to CZK 26.34/liter

MOL’s Slovak refiner Slovnaft Q1-Q3 net profit down 56% y/y on firming crown, lower oil prices

HUNGARY

Hungarian petrochemicals TVK posts HUF 1.4 bln loss in Q3

Hungary’s top oil company MOL posts HUF 5 bln loss in Q3 on oil prices, financials

Hungarian retail gasoline prices to fall HUF 4 per liter this week, diesel down HUF 6

POLAND

U.S.-based FX Energy suspends drilling operations at Polish Sroda-6 well

Norwegian Statoil could become a strategic partner of Polish No. 2 refiner Grupa Lotos - analysts

Polish No. 2 refiner Grupa Lotos will sell fuels to Statoil Poland for PLN 7 bln

PRESS: Polish oil exploration firm Kulczyk Oil Ventures to debut on WSE in 2009

PRESS: Kuwait could invest part of USD 220-300 bln in Poland

PRESS: Polish-Kazakh oil firm Petrolinvest to post first oil extraction revenues in H1 2009

Lithuania to sell to Polish top fuel firm PKN Orlen remaining 10% stake in Mazeikiu Nafta refinery

Polish oil sector firm Petrolinvest posts net loss of PLN 34.3 mln in Q3 2008

GAS

HUNGARY

PRESS: Russia’s Gazprom in talks to buy majority stake in Budapest gas utility Fogaz

PRESS: Germany’s RWE, E.ON show little interest in privatization of Budapest gas utility Fogaz

POLAND

Qatar interested in liquefied natural gas supplies to Poland – Polish PM

Poland wants Qatar to become its major partner in gas projects, PM Tusk

Polish gas monopolist PGNiG shareholders postpone approval of PLNG stake’s price

Polish gas monopolist PGNiG expects no problems with gas supplies in winter 2008/2009

Polish gas monopolist PGNiG will not request gas price tariff change before February 2009

Polish gas monopolist PGNiG will likely benefit from problems faced by chemical firms - analysts

COAL

CZECH REPUBLIC & SLOVAKIA

Prague-listed energy holding NWR net up 6% y/y in Q3, warns on falling coal prices

POLAND

Polish gas monopolist PGNiG and power group Tauron to build gas-fueled power plant

Polish coal miner Bogdanka in talks to build new power plant with capacity up to 1,600 MW

Polish chemical company ZA Pulawy, coal miner Bogdanka ink coal gasification deal

Polish coal miner Bogdanka to file IPO prospectus in November, sees stock debut by Q2 2009

PRESS: Polish coal mining and power sectors aim to hike mutual prices

Polish coal miner Kompania Weglowa to invest PLN 9 bln by 2015

HEAT, POWER & SEWAGE

CZECH REPUBLIC & SLOVAKIA

Czech utility CEZ gets 9.15% stake in EUR 4 bln venture to expand Romanian nuclear plant

Czech utility CEZ takes majority stake in JV to modernize, expand Romanian power plant Galati

HUNGARY

Hungarian electricity distributor Emasz records HUF 10.3 bln net in Q1–Q3, up 81% y/y

Hungarian electric utility Elmu posts HUF 26.9 bln net profit in Q1–Q3, up 60% y/y

Hungarian households to tighten energy consumption amid economic crisis – survey

Hungary’s Dunamenti power plant signs EUR 24 mln deal with Alstom under EUR 200 mln project

PRESS: Hungarian electric utilities may face HUF 4–5 bln extra costs in liberalization paperwork

POLAND

PRESS: Polish energy regulatory office URE considering move to restore electric price tariff

Poland rejects France’s latest offer on EC’s climate-energy package, insists on own proposals

Poland could get free carbon emission allowances worth millions of euros

PRESS: Polish No. 1 power group PGE to pay more than PLN 1 bln for minority stakes

Polish power group Enea to issue PLN 8-10 bln in bonds to finance investments

Polish power group Enea posts net profit of PLN 45 mln in Q3 2008

PRESS: Polish power group Enea to continue energy unit construction in Kozienice power plant

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

HUNGARY

Hungarian alternative energy co. PannErgy to record first revenues from geothermal project in 2009

Hungarian alternative energy co. Greenergy gets HUF 12 bln credit line, plans regional expansion

EMERGING MARKETS NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Naftohaz Ukrainy owes Gazprom-linked RosUkrEnergo almost USD 1.3 bln for natural gas

Nb: This news report features only the headline of each news.

Agency Interfax