Inter RAO UES, BelEnergo to discuss transit of electricity.

MINSK, January 12 (Itar-Tass) - Talks on the terms for the transit of
Russian electricity to the Baltics and Kaliningrad Region are to be held
here on Tuesday, an official at the Inter RAO Unified Energy Systems has
told Itar-Tass.

Discussions will deal with the size of rate for the transit of
electric power to Kaliningrad and the Baltics via Belarus, as well as for
the sale of electricity to Minsk.
The Belarussian side insists on an increase in the rate for the
commercial transmission of Russian electric power via its networks "in
view of an expected rise in expenses owing to growing amounts of
electricity supplied to Lithuania in the current year". BelEnergo analysts
believe that the wider the scope of commercial deliveries via Belarussian
networks, the larger must be the compensation for the expenses it bears.
An Inter RAO official said, for his part, that the Company sent its
proposals to Belarus way back at the end of December last year. Russian
power engineers do not disclose specific parameters but assure that they
are "mutually beneficial" and take into account the increased expenses in
view of the growing amounts of transit, as well as tariff-balance
decisions by Russia's Federal Service for Tariffs for 2010.
Meanwhile, actually, the transit of electric power via Belarus is
carried out in a usual mode, which BelEnergo refers to as an "unsanctioned
transit" and warns about its possible termination. Specialists say it will
be not easy to do that, for commercial deliveries of electric power to
Lithuania are connected with the supply of Russian electricity to
Kaliningrad Region.
The need to increase the transit of electricity is connected with the
shutdown of Lithuania's Ignalina nuclear power station, which partially
supplied electricity to Kaliningrad Region, which is 30 percent dependent
on the import of electricity from there.
A delegation of the Russian Ministry of Energy held working
consultations with the Belarussian side in Minsk from December 22 to 23
about preparing a 2010 programme for bilateral cooperation in the energy
sphere.
At that time Belarus suggested that, as a variant, the Russian side
lower the cost of electricity purchased in Russia in view of the fact that
its transit to Kaliningrad region via Belarus is carried out practically
free of charge. This year Belarus is planning to purchase 5,000 million
kilowatt-hours of power from Russia. Terms for the transit and prices were
not fixed at that time.
Simultaneously Russia and Belarus hold talks on terms for the supply
of oil to the republic's oil processing plant and transit of oil to
Europe. The amount of Russian oil purchased by Belarus duty-free was the
stumbling block.

.Russia, Spain FMs to discuss interaction within EU scope.

MOSCOW, January 12 (Itar-Tass) - The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of
Russia and Spain, Sergei Lavrov and Miguel Angel Moratinos, meet here on
Tuesday to discuss interaction within the framework of the European Union
(EU) and bilateral cooperation.
In the first half of 2010 Spain holds the EU's rotating presidency. In
view of this, analysts believe, the Spanish side intends to signify
"Madrid's approaches to adding substance to its EU presidency, and
priorities, among which the development of interaction with Russia is
figuring importantly".
At the beginning of January, the presidents of the two countries,
Dmitry Medvedev and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, held a telephone
conversation.
A Kremlin press service official said that during "the exchange of
views on matters of current importance concerning Russo-Spanish
cooperation, primarily that in the context of Spain's presidency in the
EU, as well as in other multilateral formats, a mutual intention was
reaffirmed to maintain close coordination and regular contacts at various
levels in the current year".
It is expected that at the upcoming talks in Moscow, Lavrov will
acquaint his Spanish counterpart with Moscow's approaches to key aspects
of Russia-EU interaction -- the implementation of roadmaps on the
establishment of four common spaces, headway to a visa-free regime, the
problems of energy security, and joint actions to settle crises. A Russian
Foreign Ministry official pointed out earlier that "the intention of the
Spanish leadership to make a marked contribution to the development of
contacts between the Russian Federation and the EU during the period of
its presidency appeals to Russia".
It is not ruled out that the sides will review the preparation of a
new Agreement between Russia and the EU on Partnership and Cooperation.
Energy security will be yet another subject for discussion during the
meeting.
Figuring importantly at the talks will be "a continuation of the
discussion of the initiative, proposed by President Dmitry Medvedev, to
conclude a Treaty on European Security, the initiative that evokes sincere
interest in Madrid".
The programme for Miguel Moratinos' visit to Russia also provides for
a meeting with Russian Vice-Premier Alexander Zhukov.
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