Serbia: Thermal power plants exceeded the plan in march, Electricity production and sale to final customers, the report

Published on 15. April 2014., News Serbia Energy

For 19 days of March coal TPPs produced about 1.5 billion kWh, which is by 5.1 % more than planned. To remind, in January the sale of electricity to final customers was by about 9 % less than planned, and in February, even though warm days were interrupted by cold periods, it was by 12.7 % below the amounts planned for that month.

Winter months of this year were hotter than average for this time of the year. After hotter days than  the average in January and February, the temperature in March was above zero, so for the first 19 days of this month an average daily temperature was 9.3 degrees, which is about 2 degrees hotter than average for March. This is the reason why the sale of electricity to final customers (full supply) in March also remained below planned, for 19 days it was by 5.4 % less than the envisaged by  Electric Power Portfolio.

To remind, in January the sale of electricity to final customers was by about 9 % less than planned, and in February, even though warm days were interrupted by cold periods, it was by 12.7 % below the amounts planned for that month. Graphic review of the electricity sale, i.e. its consumption in Serbia, could obviously be used as an overview of the outside temperature fluctuation since they are mutually dependent, and they will be until the electricity is used for heating to such a degree.

The Danube compensates for the Drina

Jovica Vranić, manager of the Sector for  Energy Planning and Management in the Department for Electricity Trading says that in each of the first three months of this year, the outdoor temperature alleviated the electricity sale to final customers.

Unlike the sale, the total production of electricity for the first 19 days of March was 3.4 % higher than planned. Coal thermal power plants, which with their reliable work, as Mr. Vranić says, contributed above all to this result, contributed to the system 5.1% of eletricity more than planned. More precisely, for 19 days they produced about 1.5 billion kWh.

Production of run-of-river power plants was at the planned level, but reservoir hydropower plants  production was about one quarter higer than it was envisaged. In this period, an average daily inflow to the river Danube was about 5,850 cubic meters per second, which was 500 cubic meters more than planned, so it could compensate  for small inflows into the Drina river basin. As a result, a total effect of reservoir hydropower plants remained at the planned level. Through the river Drina the inflow was only about  190 cubic meters per second , which was 140 cubic meters less than envisaged Drina water in March by the portfolio.

Average daily inflow to the river Drina was less than planned in February, however during that month 260 cubic meters per second flowed into the river, which is only 50 cubic meters less than planned for that month.

Indication of drought?

Small amounts of water were compensated by a bigger inflow to Danube than planned, for about 1,050 cubic meters per second, provided that the total monthly production of the reservoir hydro power plants in February was by 9.9 % higher than planned. Such an inflow to the Drina river basin could be an indication of drought on the Drina river before the summer, as a result of the winter without enough snow.

In February, 3.2 billion kWh was produced in total, which is by 1 % less than planned. Sale to the final customers in that month, as we mentioned, fell to 12.7 % below planned, and the average daily temperature was 5.7 degrees higher than the 120-year average temperature for February. Due to warm weather, on 7^th February ТPP-HP “Novi Sad” was already turned off. Production of coal TPPs was 2,413 billion kWh, which is 1.2 % more than the planned amount. In that month, reservoir hydro power plants provided to the system about 56% less electricity than planned.

Source; Serbia Energy