The cold wave has pushed up the consumption of electrical energy, causing the price per megawatt-hour (MWh) on European exchanges to rise from 70-80 euros in December to 120 euros.
In Serbia, the power supply is stable, and just since yesterday, electricity consumption has increased by one-fifth.
One in every five households in Serbia uses electricity for heating or additional heating, and with the icy days, many have resorted to heaters. Electric heating appliances, often supplemented during higher tariff hours, are in common use.
In the Electric Power Industry of Serbia (EPS), it was stated that there are sufficient coal reserves in the thermal power plants, and hydroelectric power plants cover almost a third of consumption, allowing surplus electricity for export this winter.
“The production is stable. In the first 10 days of January, 78,000 MWh of electricity was exported and sold, generating revenue of 6.7 million euros,” said David Žarković, Executive Director for the electro-energy portfolio at EPS.
Transmission is also stable, as stated by “Elektromreža Srbije” (Electricity Transmission System of Serbia). They monitor the weather forecast, and with the cold spell, everyone is on alert.
The General Director of “Elektromreža Srbije” (EMS), Jelena Matejić, mentioned that the critical weather occurs around zero degrees when the temperature drops, especially if accompanied by rain, which can harm power lines.
“Fortunately, it is not the case this year. We adequately prepared last year. All reconstructions were completed on time, and vegetation cutting as well. EMS has emergency poles. These poles are located in all our regional centers. We prepared these 15 sets of poles so that in case of severe disasters, which can happen to any system in the world, we can react quickly. We confirmed this last year with the example of Šid,” said Matejić.
Due to the cold, the entire Europe is experiencing an increase in demand, and power exchanges are reacting. The wholesale price per megawatt-hour in December was between 70 and 80 euros, reaching up to 120 euros now. Germany, Italy, and Hungary are importing the most these days.
“The weather is somehow the most visible factor that affects the increase in consumption, demand, and consequently the rise in prices within two or three days. There are also many other factors, the gas storage capacity, macroeconomic and global political factors, so we cannot say with certainty that if this cold spell continues, a similar price trend will not continue until the end of January,” said Miloš Mladenović, Executive Director of the Serbian electricity exchange “SEPEKS.”
Sign up for business updates & specials
