SLOVENSKÉ elektrárne (SE), the dominant power producer in Slovakia, will lose around a fifth of its production capacity within the next three years, the Pravda daily wrote.
As a result of the commitments to the EU, SE will have to close a nuclear reactor at the Jaslovské Bohunice nuclear power plant in 2006. Another will be closed in 2008. Also, a third of the Vojany power plant's capacities will be shut down because of emission quotas. Together this represents a loss of 1,320 mega-watts of output.
Italian company Enel, which will take over SE next year, admitted that it would not be able to replace the lost output very soon. For at least five years, SE will therefore shrink. If its effectiveness is not increased, Slovakia will have to import more energy from abroad.
By 2011, Enel hopes to launch new power sources of a combined output of around 1,200 mega-watts.
