Soaring prices push up BiH electricity exports to all-time high

The value of electricity exports from Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2021 jumped 66.9% against 2020, to about EUR 424 million, reaching an all-time high. The result is largely attributable to soaring prices on the international market caused by the ongoing energy crisis.

In 2020, BiH’s electricity exports were worth about EUR 255 million, compared with some EUR 295 million in 2019.

BiH’s power exports in 2020 were worth about EUR 255 million

In the first 11 months of 2021, the value of BiH’s electricity exports jumped 53.9% against the same period a year earlier, to about EUR 359 million.

At the end of last year, power prices reached critical levels across Europe, exceeding EUR 400 per MWh for France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia.

The value of electricity imports in BiH in 2021 surged 127.1% against 2020

The value of electricity imports into BiH in 2021 also increased sharply against the previous year, by 127.1% to about EUR 112 million.

Apart from the soaring prices on the global market, internal factors also contributed to the jump in the value of power imports, including a breakdown at thermal power plant Kakanj and miners’ strike in November, which forced the country to buy more electricity, according to local media.