Serbia: Power generation report, Electricity generation and sale to final customers , Alleviated consumption in February

Published on 10. March 2014., News Serbia Energy

In the first 19 days of this month the sale of electricity to the final customers was 11.1 percent lower than planned. In January, the sale to the final customers was 9.1 percent lower than planned by Electric Power portfolio, and in 19 days of February it dropped to 11.1 percent below the envisaged quantities. Needless to say, from the beginning of this year the final customers’ supply from the EPS system was continual and stable. These alleviated electricity needs of the final customers EPS managed to satisfy completely from their own disposable capacities.

If it wasn’t for the cold weather spell at the end of January and the beginning of February, winter would not have arrived to Serbia this year. Winter days would look like spring days. Even with the snow drifts in Vojvodina, snowbound roads and cars with passengers inside at the beginning of February, this month, at least its first 19 days, looked just like January before it. The average temperature was 7.3 degrees, which was five degrees warmer than the average February temperature in the last 120 years. The first month this year was just as much warmer than the average. Only the first seven days in February, when the daily temperature was below zero (less than one grade) were colder than the average for this month. Then it got warmer, so that some days were warmer than 20 degrees Celsius. Such temperature fluctuations affected the electricity consumption in Serbia as well.

In January, the sale to the final customers was 9.1 percent lower than planned by Electric Power portfolio, and in 19 days of February it dropped to 11.1 percent below the envisaged quantities. Needless to say, from the beginning of this year the final customers’ supply from the EPS system was continual and stable. These alleviated electricity needs of the final customers EPS managed to satisfy completely from their own disposable capacities.

With the produced 2.2 billion kWh in 19 days of February, met were the needs of the final customers and other electricity needs. At the same time, the total electricity generation was almost at the planned level. The influence of climate to the course of production reflected only in balancing the operation of individual capacities, so that, for example, TPP-HP “Novi Sad” and reservoir HPPs were engaged some 50% less than planned.

TPP-HP “Novi Sad”, with the most expensive production in EPS system, produced only 13 million kWh in 19 days of February, which is 52.6 less than planned, and reservoir HPPs produced some 48 million kWh, which is 58.5 less than planned. The performance of the reservoir HPP was affected by the decision made last month that the water reserves in the lakes of these HPPs should be saved for possibly dry spring. In EPS Department for electricity trade they say that, without the larger quantities of snow this winter it is likely that the river inflow would be alleviated, because only heavier rains than the usual can compensate for the lack of snow.

Unlike the reservoir HPPs, the run-of-the-river HPPs in the system provided 3.6 percent more energy than planned for the first two decades of February, which is above all the result of good performance of Djerdap HPPs, since the Danube inflow was greater than the balance for this time of year. Drina inflow was slightly less than planned.

Jovica Vranić, the Director of Energy Planning and Management in the EPS  Electricity Trade Department, points out that the coal thermal power plants operated extremely good since the beginning of February. Due to switching off and unplanned standstills, in January they produced slightly less than planned quantities, but thanks to their reliability, they compensated for it in February. That is how, since the beginning of the year, their total generation is at the planned level. From 1^st January to 19^th February, coal thermal power plants generated the total quantity of some 4.3 billion kWh.

Source; Serbia Energy