Czech energy firm CEZ and Electrabel, a unit of French-based GDF Suez, won contracts to build two coal-fired power plants in Romania, the government said Wednesday.

Each contract is worth up to 400 million euros (590 million dollars), Economy Minister Varujan Vosganian said.

The 400-megawatt units in eastern Romania will be built at two existing power plants in cooperation with state-owned utility Termoelectrica SA.

Electrabel was contracted to build a unit at Borzesti and CEZ was tapped for one at Galati, also the site of Romania's biggest steelworks.

Paris - French energy giant Electricite de France (EDF) is to purchase British Energy Group after both boards agreed on a price, EDF said Wednesday in a statement.

According to the agreed deal, EDF will pay 12.5 billion pounds (15.6 billion euros, or 22.9 billion dollars) for the group, which owns eight of Britain's 10 nuclear power reactors.

The offer, equal to 774 pence per share of British Energy, represents a premium of more than 35 per cent over its closing middle price on March 14, when talks began between the two companies, and of nearly 7 per cent over Tuesday's closing middle price.

Noida-based Roto Pumps Ltd has secured an order worth Rs 3.6 crore from Larsen & Toubro Ltd, for Rajasthan Northern Area Development Project of Cairn Energy India Pvt. Ltd.

The company claims that the latest order is the single largest value order in the history of the Roto Pumps, which it has picked amidst stiff International competition.

According to the company, Larsen & Toubro Ltd is the contractor for this project and the project is certified for deemed export benefits.

Kathmandu, Sept 23 : Union Minister of State for Commerce and Power Jairam Ramesh has called for the creation of a new architecture of bilateral cooperation whose distinctiveness would be synergy through energy.

Addressing the Power Summit 2008 here today, he said that trade in electricity will bring considerable financial benefits to India’s neighbours.

Referring to the Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda’s recent visit to India during which he unveiled his vision of Nepal developing 10,000 Mw of its hydel power potential over the next ten years, her pointed out that there will be need for new markets to be developed for the export of the power generated and clearly India is one such market.

Vienna - The price for crude oil produced by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) jumped by 6.09 dollars Monday over worries about the dollar's weakness.

One barrel (159 litres) of OPEC crude stood at 97.92 dollars Monday, compared with 91.83 dollars on the previous day, OPEC said Tuesday.

The dollar was pulled down by US government plans to buy failing mortgages from the troubled finance industry.

On the New York market, the price of oil for October delivery rose 25 dollars to 130 dollars a barrel Monday, before settling at 120.92 dollars.

Vienna - The price for crude oil pro