Since the beginning of this year, the electricity production, consumption and sale to end customers in Serbia have enjoyed good hydrological conditions and ambient temperature few degrees above the average for the first two months of the year. January passed with an average daily temperature of 3.2 degrees, which is just so much more than the average, zero degrees. In the first 20 days of February, it was one degree warmer than in January (4.2), and by 2.3 degrees higher temperature than 120-year average for this month. Warmer than usual, the first 50 days of this year were also marked by good hydrology, characterized by almost continuous growth of the Danube and the Sava River watershed inflows.
Jovica Vranić, Director of the Energy Management and Planning Sector in the EPS Department for electricity trade, said that in January the average daily inflow of the Danube was 6000 cubic meters per second, which is for 2,400 cubic meters more than planned, while the River Drina with the inflow of 420 cubic meters per second exceeded the plan by 120 cubic meter. Hydrological situation in the first two decades of February was even better than that in January, as the average daily inflow of the Danube was 7400 cubic meters per second, which is about 3,000 cubic meters more than expected this month.
Moreover, according to Vranić, on 10th and 11th of February, Danube inflow reached a peak of up to 8400 cubic meters per second, which is twice more than planned for this time. Average daily inflow of Drina in the two days was 460 cubic meters per second and it is 150 cubic meters more than envisaged by the plan. Such a very good hydrological conditions have enabled EPS run-of-river HPPs to produce 53 percent more electricity than planned. More precisely, for the 20 days of February, they produced 702 million kilowatt-hours, surpassing the plan by 243 million kWh.
The run-of-river HPPs also acheived excellent production results in January, when they produced 948 million kWh, or 47 percent more than planned. In addition, each of the HPP “Djerdap 1” and HPP “Bajina Bašta” has had one unit out of service for the past 50 days this year because of the rehabilitation. It goes without saying that this high output recorded by run-of-river HPPs from the beginning of the year is considerably better compared to what we had in the same period last year, when the drought disturbed the implementation of plans. Due to prolonged and severe drought last winter, the focus of endeavors for increased production and stability of the power system was more shifted to reservoir HPPs. In this year, however, since the beginning of January they just have contributed the system with a 70 percent less energy than planned. In January, they (together with the HPP “Piva”) produced only 135 million kWh, and in the 20 days of February, 158 million kWh.
Vranić explains that it is tried to make as much use of the favorable water inflow as possible and that we will welcome the spring with full accumulation lakes. In the line with this commitment and the adopted plan, the coal-fired TPPs are being less engaged, and their production output in January was 3.9 percent lower than planned, and during the two decades of February seven percent below the plan.
– Balancing of the production with the current hydrological conditions and in accordance with that the significant involvement of HPPs, increased the EPS plants overall production. In January, the total production was about 3.6 billion kilowatt-hours, which is 2.4 percent more than planned, and in the 20 days in February, with the production of about 1.6 billion kWh, the plan was surpassed by four percent – said Vranić.
As for the sale to end users that includes full supply, it was in January 4.9 percent lower than planned, and in the two decades of February 7.6 percent below the planned. Vranić attributes this to reduced industrial activity and warmer days than usual as well as to the January holiday season. Higher- than-planned production and lower-than-expected sales to domestic customers allowed EPS in January to sell in the open market around 74 million kWh, and in the 20 days of February, 219 million kilowatt-hours.
Source;Serbia Energy/EPS
