Last year, for the second time in a row, Slovenia did not achieve the set goal of renewable energy sources – 25% of RES in final energy consumption. The state will buy the missing part, more than 200 GWh, from the Czech Republic and pay over two million euros for it.
The agreement with the Czech Republic on the statistical transfer of renewable energy was signed by a representative of the government in Ljubljana this week. For the missing 208 GWh, EUR 9.8 per MWh was paid, i.e. a total of EUR 2.04 million.
The Czech offer was the most favorable in the tender of the Slovenian government. Offers were submitted by Croatia, Slovakia, Finland and Estonia.
In Slovenia, there are power plants based on renewable energy sources with a total capacity of about 500 MW, which is not enough to achieve the target of 25% participation of RES in the final energy consumption.
In two years, Slovenia will pay the Czech Republic more than seven million euros for missing quotas within the European mechanism for the statistical transfer of renewable energy. Last year, more than five million euros were spent for the same purpose.
“These are virtual renewable resources, the possibility of an easier way out than paying a fine,” explained Franko Nemac, director of the Energy Restructuring Agency. In the field of renewable energy sources, we are practically the worst in Europe, he added.
High purchase prices of small production units
Buying virtual energy isn’t the only penalty we pay for bad green energy decisions. Borzen’s support scheme for the guaranteed purchase of electricity from solar power plants, which was introduced in 2009, collapsed after five years, but investors are still entitled to extremely high subsidies until the end of the 15-year contracts.
So far, Borzen has already paid out almost 1.3 billion euros for 3,800 small production units based on renewable resources, or almost the cost of the Šoštanj 6 Power Plant, Nemac comments.
Slovenia will have to almost double the share of renewable energy sources by 2030 due to the more ambitious goals of the European Union in the field of green transition. The Ministry of Infrastructure does not answer the question of whether and how this will be possible.
Source: rtvslo.si
