According to the Energy Balance, electricity production in 2023 will exceed consumption by 800 GWh. Electricty exports is expected to reach four percent of the GDP
This year, Montenegro has a surplus of electricity for export of about 800 gigawatt hours (GWh), while next year a surplus of about 500 GWh is planned because an average hydrological year is expected, while this year was above average in terms of precipitation, according to the Energy Balance for the year 2024.
According to the data of the Monstat Administration for Statistics, Montenegro exported electricity for 190 million euros for the period January – October this year, which is 35 percent of the total export. So electricity has become the most important strategic product of Montenegro, and its export at this year’s level would be worth about four percent of the estimated gross domestic product (GDP).
The most electricity for this period was exported to BiH for 50 million, 42 million each to Serbia and Slovenia, and Montenegrin electricity also reached the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Hungary and Denmark.
The expected production of electricity in 2023 is estimated at 4.000 GWh, which is about 400 GWh or 11 percent more than planned. This was achieved thanks to the increase in production from hydroelectric power plants by almost 17 percent from the planned 1,842 to 2.150 GWh, as well as from the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, where instead of the planned 1,387, 1.500 GWh were produced.
Production from wind power plants will amount to 312 GWh or five percent lower than planned, and from solar power plants it was 20 GWh, which is only half of what was expected.
The total domestic consumption this year is estimated at 3,16 thousand GWh, of which 2,6 thousand are related to distributive consumers, and 98 to direct consumers, and losses in the transmission and distribution network are estimated at 470 GWh.
For the next year, according to the estimate from the Energy Balance, a total production of 3,6 thousand GWh is expected, while the consumption is predicted at 3,11 thousand.
1,85 thousand GWh is expected from hydropower plants, which is at the level of regular production for the year with average amounts of precipitation. 1,31 thousand are planned from Pljevlja thermal power plant, 326 from wind farms “Krnovo” and “Možura”, and 104 GWh from solar power plants.
A large increase in production from solar power plants is planned, almost 30 times higher than two years earlier, when only 2022 GWh was obtained from these sources in 3,8. According to the energy balance plan, the continuation of the “Solari 5.000+” project is expected in the coming year, the start of operation of one new distribution solar power plant, as well as two owned by Elektroprivreda “Slano” and “Vrtac”.
Of the total expected production of electricity from hydropower plants, the most will be produced by “Perućica” 920, followed by “Piva” 750 and, all 37 small hydropower plants, owned by the state EPCG and private companies, 183 GWh.
In 2024, it is planned that more than half of the electricity, or about 51 percent, will be produced from hydroelectric power plants, 37 percent from thermal power plants, nine percent from wind power plants and three percent from solar power plants.
According to the monthly production balances, the most stable source is the Thermal Power Plant, which is expected to generate around 130 GWh per month, except in May and June when regular overhaul is expected.
Production from hydropower plants varies from 52 GWh in September to 208 GWh in March, and from wind power plants from 19 GWh each in June and August to 38 GWh in March. The differences in monthly production are even greater with solar power plants because in January they will produce only two-gigawatt hours and in July the entire 16.
These data also show that without the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, the stability of the power system would not be possible. Also, instead of a surplus of 500 GWh, they would have a deficit of 800 gigawatt hours.
The ecological reconstruction of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant will be completed in 2025 when it will be out of the system for eight months. Then Montenegro will have a significant deficit in production.
Electricity consumption in KAP fell from 580 to 18 GWh
Montenegro still has a surplus of electricity because the most important industrial producers have shut down.
Next year, the aluminium plant will have an electricity consumption of only 18,8 GWh, while before the shutdown of Electrolysis in 2021, it consumed about 580 gigawatt hours. KAP shut down production because it could not pay more than 45 euros per megawatt for electricity, at a time when it reached 800 euros on the stock market. Just by reducing consumption in this factory, more than about 560 GWh is obtained. Željezara announced electricity consumption of 4,52 GWh for the next year, and two years ago it was around 26 GWh.
The railway will consume 12,45 GWh, which is seven less than in 2022. All other direct consumers, such as Monteput for the highway section, and TE for their own needs,… will have a consumption of 18,5 GWh.
Source: Vijesti
