The French delegation is led by Philippe Citerne, president of the France-Belarus council of the chiefs of enterprises at MEDEF International and Co-Chief Executive Officer of French banking group Societe Generale.

MINSK, February 20 (BelTA) – In 2009 Belarus plans to invest Br4.7-Br5.3 trillion in modernisation of the energy system, energy saving and increasing the use of local fuels. The work will be done as part of the plan of action to the national comprehensive programme to modernise key production assets of the Belarusian energy system, to promote energy saving and increase the share of local fuels by 2011, BelTA learnt from the Energy Ministry.

According to Boris Batura, energy security is an urgent issue for Belarus and Armenia.

MINSK, 17 August (BelTA) – Venezuela is interested in import of Belarusian technologies and know-how, Ramon Carrizales, the Deputy Prime Minister of Venezuela, told a plenary session of the joint Belarusian-Venezuelan high level commission in Minsk on 17 August.

“In trade and economic relations with Belarus we do not want to be just a buyer of goods,” Ramon Carrizales noted. Venezuela would like to import your technologies, he said.

MINSK, 18 August (BelTA) – In January-June 2009, the GDP energy intensity in Belarus reduced by 4.9% as against the projections of 8%, Leonid Shenets, deputy chairman of the State Standardization Committee of Belarus – director of the energy efficiency department, told reporters on 18 August.

 In H1 2009, the total energy consumption reduced by 5% as against the same period of 2008 to reach 692.