Electricity demand shrinks up to 10% in Albania, BiH due to COVID-19 crisis

Electricity demand has decreased by up to 10% in Bosnia and Herzegovina and 5% to 10% in Albania, the Energy Community Secretariat said in its first report on the security of supply situation amid the coronavirus pandemic, which cites a number of critical issues for energy systems.

The secretariat said it would continuously monitor the security of the supply situation. It adde it would exhaust all regulatory and financial flexibilities available under the acquis communautaire and provide support swiftly and non-bureaucratically (The Secretariat’s support).

Planned overhauls of thermal power plants Kosovo B and Pljevlja were postponed

The document reveals energy supply (electricity and natural gas), market functioning and cross-border trade on the interconnections in the Energy Community are uninterrupted. No major changes in electricity production and consumption were registered in the majority of contracting parties, the report reads.

Earlier, Serbia’s power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije announced that electricity consumption fell 5% to 7%.

The report notes planned overhauls of thermal power plants Kosovo B and Pljevlja were postponed in order to ensure continuity of supply during the COVID-19 crisis.

However, there are also a number of concerns.

Security of energy systems could be threatened in the summer and winter

The systems’ security in the forthcoming summer and winter seasons could be endangered should maintenance not be done timely, the report reads.

Also, the financial liquidity of energy companies could be at risk due to nonpayment and decreased revenue due to the decrease in demand and electricity prices, according to the update.

The decrease in the electricity bill collection rate is one of the biggest issues

Among the identified immediate issues is the organisation of work of critical staff and dispatch centers, in particular given the limited number of active dispatchers and the need for long periods of staff isolation, and the decrease in the electricity bill collection rate.

Potential short-term challenges include the need for re-planning and the possibility of an occasional reduction in net transfer capacities due to postponement of maintenance works, and ensuring electricity import as a result of a lack of liquidity of suppliers, the secretariat said.