PRELIMINARY figures from 2007 show that Slovaks consumed 3.6 TWh (terawatt hours) more electricity than local suppliers were able to generate.
According to an Economy Ministry report on electricity security, 26.2 TWh of electric energy was generated in Slovakia last year and energy consumption was 29.8 TWh, the SITA newswire wrote.
Last year’s consumption level was approximately the same as in 2006, but generation fell by more than four TWh. That was because of the shutdown of one unit of the V1 Nuclear Power Plant Jaslovské Bohunice at the end of 2006, along with units of the thermal power plant in Vojany.
“By 2010, Slovakia will decommission approximately 1,370 megawatts of capacity that generate about 6.6 TWh of electricity each year,” the ministry wrote in its report.
The ministry expects electricity consumption to grow in the coming years. In 2008 and 2009, it is expected to reach 31.1 TWh; by 2012 and 2013 it should be 31.7 TWh; and in 2015, it will reach 33.6 TWh. To cope with the expected growth, the Economy Ministry plans to build several new power plants.
