Money Buzz! Europa

Category: Infrastructure

  • Rompetrol opened a new gas station in Borjomi, Georgia

    Rompetrol opened a new gas station in Borjomi, Georgia

    KMG International Group recently opened a new Rompetrol gas station in Georgia, near the tourist resort of Borjomi.

    Located in the center of Georgia, the unit is part of the new concept of Rompetrol gas stations in Romania and in the region – the Republic of Moldova and Bulgaria.

    The Borjomi station is endowed with state-of-the-art pumps, equipped with multimedia systems which ensure low energy consumption, as well as modern environmental protection systems (real-time monitoring and control sensors for fuel tanks, vapor recovery at fuel pumps).

    In addition to the Fill & Go Card pump payment service, it offers the Efix and EfixS fuel ranges produced by Petromidia refinery in Romania.

    Founded in 2005, Rompetrol Georgia is well known on the local market as a distributor of high-quality fuels and one of the most important oil companies.

    The subsidiary of the KMG International Group operates a distribution network of 85 filling stations and 2 fuel depots.

    Besides the distribution network, the company performs wholesale activities through the Batumi Port depot (28,500 cubic meters), as well as through the Tbilisi depot which has been completely modernized, increasing the storage capacity from 6,500 tons to 10,000 tons.

  • E.ON installs 20.000 smart meters in Germany

    E.ON installs 20.000 smart meters in Germany

    E.ON is the first energy supplier in Germany to have installed 20,000 intelligent metering systems (so-called ”smart meters”).

    With the new smart meters, customers have access to a precise, graphically depicted breakdown of their power consumption and cost controls and thus avoid the sometimes bothersome task of reading meters.

    In future, smart meters will also be used to record feed-in from solar panels or other systems and to make this information available to market partners such as suppliers, network operators and direct sellers in real time.

    On top of this, if required, an E.ON smart meter can recognize how much energy is used by which groups of devices and can thus identify savings potential. 

    The intelligent metering system will gradually replace the analogue, so-called ‘Ferraris meters’.

    Germany lags behind in a European comparison

    In Sweden, where E.ON organized the first wave of roll-outs between 2004 and 2009, one million smart meters have already been installed, with 1,000 – 1,200 devices being added every day until the end of 2024.

    In the UK, E.ON has already carried out 2.5 million smart meter installations.

    The German smart meter roll-out plan states that every meter must have an intelligent or at least a digital interface by 2032.

  • Denmark aims to get at least 775,000 electric and hybrid cars on the roads by 2030

    Denmark aims to get at least 775,000 electric and hybrid cars on the roads by 2030

    Denmark aims to get at least 775,000 electric and hybrid cars on the country’s roads by 2030, Reuters reports.

    There are currently only about 20,000 electric cars in Denmark, a fraction of the 2.7 million cars currently on the country’s roads.

    Copenhagen has set an ambitious target of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030.

    The plan, for which the government will set aside 2.5 billion Danish kroner ($ 407.62 million), will be revised in 2025, when new measures will be taken to reach one million zero-emission cars in Denmark until 2030.

  • Czechia could stop using coal for electricity production in 2038

    Czechia could stop using coal for electricity production in 2038

    A special unit set up by the Czech government recommended that the country to stop using coal in 2038, DPA reports.

    2038 is a compromise solution, said the Czech Minister of Industry, Karel Havlicek, during the presentation of the final report, adding that two other possible dates were discussed: 2033 or 2043.

    Environmental NGOs have called for faster disposal of fossil fuels and doctors have signed a petition warning of the consequences of air pollution.

    Environmental activists who have been picketing the Czech Ministry of Industry and Environment since November 16 have called for the removal of coal by 2030 at the latest.

    Currently, coal-based power plants are responsible for 50% of electricity production in Czechia.

    Coal is to be replaced by renewable energy sources as well as current and new nuclear reactors.

  • US proposed to Bulgaria to abandon the construction of Belene nuclear power plant

    US proposed to Bulgaria to abandon the construction of Belene nuclear power plant

    The United States has proposed to Bulgaria to abandon the construction of the second nuclear power plant in the country, given that this project, located in Belene, has been in place for years, AFP reports.

    The program has been suspended several times due to cost-effectiveness, even though two reactors have already been delivered by Russia.

    Seven groups, including the Chinese CNNC, Rosatom (Russia), Framatome (France), General Electric (USA) and KHNP (South Korea), submitted bids in August 2019 to complete works at this installation.

    But Washington prefers to focus on the other Bulgarian nuclear site, active at Kozloduy.

    US Ambassador in Bulgaria, Herro Mustafa, traveled to Kozloduy on Thursday. At the end of the visit, she proposed “a hybrid solution that would make the most of the equipment already purchased for the Belene project”.

  • EUR 470 million to improve road safety at 7,000 accident black spots in Greece

    EUR 470 million to improve road safety at 7,000 accident black spots in Greece

    The European Investment Bank has agreed to support a EUR 470 million nationwide programme to reduce death and injury caused by traffic accidents across Greece.

    Over the next three years, national road operator Egnatia Odos will improve road safety at 7,000 of the most dangerous sites, located across  11 regions of Greece.

    Thus, the small scale safety schemes will include installation of traffic barriers, provision of anti-skid surfaces and improved warning signs and markings on roads identified as high-risk.

    The 15-year, EUR 235 million European Investment Bank loan, to be guaranteed by the Hellenic Republic, represents the first direct financing to Egnatia Odos. since the EIB first supported transport investment in Greece in 1963.

    The EIB loan will support half of the total EUR 470 million road safety investment under the programme.

  • Shanghai overtaken London and is the world’s most connected city

    Shanghai overtaken London and is the world’s most connected city

    Shanghai has overtaken London, becoming the world’s most connected city in the air transport field, after the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) significantly affected international travel.

    London saw a 67% drop in air transport connectivity, while Chinese cities expanded their connectivity.

    Thus, in the ranking of the most connected cities in the world, the first four places are occupied by Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu in China, according to IATA.

    Major air hubs, including London, New York and Tokyo, have been hit hard by reduced travel to and from their cities due to pandemic flight restrictions.

    IATA says that ”the pandemic has canceled a century of progress” in the field of connectivity between cities.

    International Air Transport Association estimates that 46 million jobs supported by air transport are in danger.

    The number of passengers carried by airlines will decrease to 1.8 billion this year, from 4.5 billion in 2019, and will partially recover next year to 2.8 billion.

    The turnover of the airlines will decrease by over 60%, in 2020, compared to 2019, up to 328 billion dollars.

  • Thessaloniki Port Authority first ”dry port” opened in Iliyantsi, Sofia

    Thessaloniki Port Authority first ”dry port” opened in Iliyantsi, Sofia

    Thessaloniki Port Authority subsidiary based in Sofia, Bulgaria and named ”ThPA Sofia Ead” opened on Thursday, 12th of November 2020.

    The intermodal terminal (dry port) based in Iliyantsi, Sofia will be linked by train directly to the Port of Thessaloniki, providing competitive transit times and costs.

    The new dry port aims to become an important trade hub and a modern development center, which will be linked by train with a range of dry ports in South-Eastern, Eastern and Central Europe.

    The Executive Chairman of the BoD of ThPA S.A. Athanasios Liagkos, stated: “The dry port in Sofia is indeed a particularly important historical as well as development milestone for the Port of Thessaloniki. It is the first dry port from a series of similar ones that we will create in the wider Balkan region”.

  • Bolt to invest over 100 million euros in the European e-scooters market

    Bolt to invest over 100 million euros in the European e-scooters market

    Bolt wants to become the largest micromobility operator in Europe within the next 12 months and will bring e-scooters to more than 100 cities across the continent in 2021.

    This year, the platform expanded its scooter operations to 45 cities in over 15 countries, including Sweden, Norway, and Portugal.

    In a recent survey of 1,800 UK Bolt riders, 50.38% of users said they’d choose a Bolt Scooter over a private-hire vehicle (PHV) for journeys under 5 km.

    Fierce competition on European e-scooter market

    Uber already announced that wants to bring 130,000 electric scooters to more than 100 European cities next year, expanding aggressively across the continent.

    This week, Berlin-based electric scooter start-up Tier Mobility raised $ 250 million from investors, to expand its operations beyond the 80 cities in 10 countries it now covers.

    In September, Swedish company Voi won Europe’s largest exclusive e-scooter contract in UK.

    In June, Enel X and Bird have consolidated their cooperation by adding to Enel X’s JuicePass app a section dedicated to the rental service of over 5,000 Bird electric scooters in different Italian cities.

    In February, Bird acquired Circ, an micromobility company with operations spanning across 43 cities in 12 countries.

  • New cars sales in the UK, at the lowest level since 2011 in October

    New cars sales in the UK, at the lowest level since 2011 in October

    New cars sales in the UK fell by 1.61% in October to 140.945 units, the lowest level since 2011 in October as a result of the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19).

    The best-selling models in October are Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Golf and Ford Puma.

    Demand for electric vehicles increased by 195.2% in October, while supplies of diesel and petrol vehicles fell by 38.4% and 21.3%, respectively.

    New cars sales in the United Kingdom fell by 31% in the first ten months of 2020 to 1.38 million units.

    Demand for electric vehicles increased by 168.7%, while deliveries of diesel and petrol vehicles fell by 55.1% and 38.9%, respectively.

    In the top of the best-selling models in January-October 2020 are Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa, Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

  • Volkswagen launches two electric SUVs in China

    Volkswagen launches two electric SUVs in China

    Volkswagen launched two models of ID.4 electric SUVs in China in an attempt to compete with Tesla in the world’s largest car market, Reuters reports.

    The ID.4 CROZZ is manufactured by the joint venture that Volkswagen owns with the Chinese group FAW, while the ID.4 X is produced by another joint venture with SAIC Motor.

    The German car maker did not revealed the price of the two models.

    Chinese authorities expect a 20% increase in sales of electric and hybrid vehicles by 2025, from 5% today.

    Analysts expect about 1.1 million electric and hybrid vehicles to be sold in the Chinese market this year.

  • Packeta to have up to 6.800 own pick-up points in Europe at the end of 2020

    Packeta to have up to 6.800 own pick-up points in Europe at the end of 2020

    Packeta Group is supposed to have up to 6.800 pick-up points at the end of this year. At the middle of September, the group had over 5.000 pick-up points.

    In January 2020, Packeta had over 4.000 pick-up points and since then, there was an increase by approximately 145 per month.

    Packeta pick-up points in CEE

    • Czech Republic: 3.433 pick-up points in September, over 4.000 at the end of this year;
    • Slovakia: 973 pick-up points in September, over 1.200 at the end of this year;
    • Hungary: 491 pick-up points in September, over 790 at the end of this year;
    • Romania: 186 pick-up points in September, over 800 at the end of this year;
    • Poland: 14 pick-up points in September.

    Additional 91.000 partner pick-up points

    For now, in countries where Packeta does not use its own pick-points, the goods are shiped to a wide network of partner pick-up points.

    The current number world-wide is more than 91.000. For example, only Russia has about 42.000, France has about 19.000 partner pick-up points and Ukraine has nearly 6.400.