Thanks to the favorable climate and good operational readiness, the highest surplus has been achieved since 2001 – good results in overburden production in both coal basin. In the first half of 2013 the power plants of Serbian power utility company EPS have produced a total of about 18.944 billion kWh, which is 0.8% more than planned and 6.4% more than the produced in the same period of 2012.
That is the largest six month production in EPS since 1990 and 9.4% higher than consumption (sales to end customers). At the same time, in this period of time, the highest surplus has been achieved since 2001, with the production of 1.635 billion kWh higher than the consumption. In general, the first half of this year was marked with a large electricity sale on the open market and great overflows on the run-off- river hydro power plant.
This is highlighted at the expended meeting of the directors of the power plants and coal mines in the Department of EPS for energy production on July 18th, which was chaired by Zoran Bozovic, the director of this Department.
The surplus in each month
In the introduction of six-month electricity production, with a special reference to the achievements during 16 days in July, Vera Stanojevic, the director of the Department for electricity and heat production, said that the excellent production results were achieved at very good hydrological and meteorological conditions, with good inflows and without extremely cold and hot days in a row, but also with good operational efficiency of production units, without which external factors alone would have no effect.
– Electricity production, starting from the beginning of this year, was such that there was a surplus in each month. We haven’t had such energy situation for more than 15 years. On average, the surplus was 263 million kWh, and during 16 days in July it was 316 million. If it is going to be as scheduled, this year we will exceed the highest surplus so far from 2009, which was 600 million kWh- said Vera Stanojevic.
According to her, in the period from January 1st – July 16th 2013, the electric power plants of EPS had the average daily work in every hour of 290 MW more power than in the same period last year, while the consumption, also in every hour, was, on average, lower by 90 MW than last year. The largest contribution to production increase gave the hydroelectric power plants, with the cumulative share of 35 percent, especially the company “Drinsko-Limske HPP) which has produced 673 million kWh more than planned. Altogether, the run-of-river hydro power plants have produced nearly six billion kWh (the cheapest energy), or 5.7 percent more than planned, that is 970 million kWh more than at the same time last year. Stanojevic said that that was the maximum of the six-month’s production of the run-of-river HPP in EPS. Coal-fired plants, with produced 12.123 billion kWh, gave the system 471 million kWh less than planned, but also 3 percent more than at the same period of time in 2012. System constraints were the main reasons why the TPP haven’t realized their plans.
Director of the department in EPS particularly spoke about the planned and unplanned delays of the blocks, reminding that the overhauls were shortened this year and that the duration of the planned delay was the lowest in the last 15 years. She said that after 2005, when the equipment condition was stabilized, the duration of the unplanned delays was in average 4 percent, and that since 2009 these delays were reduced to under 3.5 percent. In addition, she pointed out that “such percentage of the unplanned delays technically is acceptable in the world as well, especially if we take into consideration the age of the equipment of our TPP”.
Mines over fulfilled the plans as well
Stanojevic drew attention to the fact that if we keep with the abandonment and changing the dynamics of the planned delay, it can happen that the situation in the power plants returns to the one from the beginning of the previous decade. Also, she stated that, in comparison with the practice in EPS over the last 15 years, the first six months of this year were the longest cold standby, even longer than the duration of the unplanned delays that has never happened before.
Nebojsa Sijakovic, the director of the Department for the coal production, said that, during the six months of this year, it has been exploited total amount of about 18.143 million tons of coal, which is three percent more than planned and four percent more than in the first half of 2012. In MB “Kolubara” the coal production was marked by the overfulfillment in these same percentages, while “Kostolac” is two percent under the planned, but five percent above the last year’s achievements in the comparative period.
As for the overburden, MB “Kolubara” has made a significant result, which has overfulfilled the plan by three percent and the realization in the last year by the whole 20 percent. Sijakovic pointed out that the overburden exploitation is finished at the open pit mine “Veliki Crljeni” from which the equipment has been transferred and started working at the open pit mine “Tamnava- West Field”, where the great overfulfillment has been achieved in the overburden production. He said that due to the geological and technological conditions the balance of the overburden production on the Field “B” is not realized, but, in general, the first half of this year is marked by good results in overburden production in both “Kolubara” and “Kostolac”. The directors of the power plants and open pit mines spoke primarily about overhaul activities, which are said to run according to the plan, with shorten deadlines. They also discussed the merging of the public procurements, as well as preparations for the basis of the development of the electric power portfolio for 2014.
Savings on oil and gas
– The high share of the hydro sector in the realized production, during the first six months of this year, has reduced the average price of the kilowatt-hour production in EPS in that period. Also, with the reduced consumption of oil for TPP and gas for TPP-TPPO, the saving of about 60 million euros has been made, in comparison to the same period last year. In addition, they were lower than last year and the expenses of the incidental maintenance, which were lower due to the reduced number of the unplanned delays in spite of the longer operation time- said Vera Stanojevic.
Source; Serbia Energy/EPS
