RF, Belarus to hold regular round of energy transit talks.

MOSCOW, January 19 (Itar-Tass) - Russian and Belarussian power
engineers meet Tuesday for yet another round of talks to discuss terms for
the transit of energy resources to the Kaliningrad Region and to the
Baltics.
At the upcoming talks, the management of the Inter RAO Unified Energy
Systems and the Belenergo are also to discuss the supply of electric power
from Russia to Belarus.
An Inter RAO official has specified, "A constructive dialogue has
developed between the sides now". "The members of the Boards of the two
companies discuss procedures for the calculation of transit power losses
in the networks of the Belarus united power grid with the use of various
ways of the transmission of electric power," the official said.
The Belarussian side, too, took note of the constructive nature of the
energy transit talks. Lyudmila Zenkovich, press secretary of the
Belarussian Ministry of Energy, has told Itar-Tass, "The sides have
managed to bring their positions much closer together." Power engineers
expressed confidence that accords in this respect would be reached shortly
and that nothing jeopardizes the reliability of the supply of electric
power to the Kaliningrad Region.
At the end of last year the Russian operator of the export-import of
electric power sent proposals to the Belarussian counterparts about a
transit tariff and a price of supply of electric power in 2010.
The Inter RAO UES official specified earlier, "The Company's proposals
are based on the observance of the interests of each side and imply
compensation for the expenses of the Belarussian side with due regard for
a wider scope of transit of electric power (owing to the shutdown of the
Ignalina nuclear power station in Lithuania) across the territory of
Belarus and the endorsed tariff-balance decisions of Russia's Federal
Service for Tariffs".
In the process, the Belenergo put forward a demand for a multiple-fold
increase in the cost of transit, which, in the opinion of the Inter RAO
UES, "does not accord with the earlier signed long-term agreements and
the sides' interaction pattern being practised at the interstate level and
within the scope of the fuel-and-energy balance of the Union State (of
Belarus and Russia)".
Since the beginning of this year the sides have held several rounds of
talks on the issue and brought their positions substantially closer
together.
The transit of electric power via Belarus is currently carried out as
usual. The Kaliningrad Region is 30 percent dependent on the import of
electric power. The construction of Kaliningrad's TETS-2 central heating
and power plant is going on. The second power unit of the plant is to be
put into operation at the end of 2010 and is expected to help fully solve
the problem of providing the region with power.
This year the Inter RAO intends to supply 3,000 million kilowatt/hours
of power to Belarus in accordance with the balance of the Union State and
up to 2,500 million kwt/hrs of electric power on the strength of
commercial expediency principles. Within the framework of the long-term
interaction pattern being practised by the Inter RAO UES and Belenergo,
the tariff on the transit of Russian electric power via the Belarus united
power grid is measured proportionately to the price of electric power
supplied in a guaranteed manner to the republic by the Inter RAO.

.Moldova PM travels to Wash to sign agreement on grant.

CHISINAU, January 19 (Itar-Tass) - Moldovan Premier Vladimir Filat
leaves for Washington on Tuesday to sign an agreement on an American grant
of $262 million, Foreign Minister Iurie Leanca told journalists.
Leance, who will accompany the Premier in the trip, said Filat is to
meet with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "We shall analyze
bilateral relations and will seek to give fresh impetus to cooperation
between our two countries in the fields of politics and economics," Leanca
said.
Financial assistance to Moldova is to be given by the American
governmental Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) within the scope of
the Compact programme.
The grant, intended for five years, is given for the purpose of
reconstruction of automobile roads and the implementation of a number of
agricultural projects, including an improvement of the irrigation
infrastructure.
The idea of establishing a government agency for assistance to
developing countries was suggested in March 2002 by the President George
W. Bush.
Only countries with an annual per capita income of not more than
$1,425 a year, which, from Washington's point of view, pursue a robust
socio-economic policy and seek to seal democratic principles inside the
country may participate in the MCC programmes. Earlier, through the MCC,
assistance was rendered, in particular, to Armenia, Georgia, and
Kyrgyzstan.
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