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1 October 2007 - The man who is responsible for the European Commission's energy sector southeastern Europe could solve its chronic energy shortages by cutting down waste in consumption and cross-border connections rather than by generating new supplies.
Andris Piebalgs said that doing so required major investments in efficiency-boosting projects like upgrading power plants and promoting household insulation.
"We need investment in energy efficiency and energy end-use. That is the basic difficulty we face in this region," he said. "Curbing consumption is the key ... If you just address the supply side, you will always be late."
Piebalgs' comments also came after a summer of acute power shortages in the area, caused by high demand and reduced imports from key suppliers like Bulgaria. Some countries, like Albania, suffered daily power cuts.
The Energy Community aims to create a common regulatory framework in southeastern Europe, which would boost investment and link the region with the EU's internal market in natural gas and electricity.
Piebalgs said another problem was a "massive amount" of energy lost through poor cross-border power transmission.
"Partially, you can solve (the issue) if you can solve the congestion issues on the border, because that is a major bottleneck ... You don't need to build new generational capacity or new power lines."
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