Belarus might resume electricity export to Poland

Belarus is considering a possibility to resume the export of electric energy to Poland, BelTA learnt from Belenergo Director General Yevgeny Voronov.

Representatives of Belarus, Russia and Poland will soon get together to discuss the matter. Yevgeny Voronov explained that the forthcoming talks are part of the effort to prepare for the commissioning of the Belarusian nuclear power plant in 2018. When it happens, Belarus will be able to export electricity to the neighboring states, as the electricity price will be more competitive and the amount of electricity generated in Belarus will be sufficient.

The most promising markets are Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland. Belarus is connected with the Baltic power grids by means of the single energy ring. However, direct energy flow between Belarus and Poland is still unavailable. Belarus might use the idle electricity transmission lines of the Beryoza state district power plant to export electricity to Poland; however these lines have a small throughput capacity. A project Energy Bridge East-West was initiated in the 1990s, however it was not materialized. The project envisaged electricity supply from Russia and Belarus to Poland and Germany. According to Yevgeny Voronov, the project has not lost its relevance, because the countries have different time zones, so when the busy hours are over in Belarus, the unused electric energy might be exported at a good price. However, the project is associated with certain challenges; most of them come from Poland. In fact, Poland will have to construct new power lines that will require withdrawing land from private ownership. Therefore, certain amendments will have to be introduced into the Polish legislation. “We have enough power lines, so we do not have this kind of issue,” Yevgeny Voronov underlined.

Academician Alexander Mikhalevich informed that the new energy security concept of Belarus provides for the improvement of the energy sector management, which would allow expanding cooperation with Belarus’ partners in the CIS and the Single Economic Space (electricity import) and the European Union (electricity export). The document provides for gradual reformation of the energy sector management and a transition to market relations with a view to staying competitive on the Eurasian and European markets, Alexander Mikhalevich said.

Speaking about a possibility to export electricity, the academician said that the upgrade of the power generating capacities will make the price for Belarusian electricity more competitive. The commissioning of the Belarusian nuclear power plant will only add to it, so Belarus will be able to take advantage of new opportunities. According to the scientist, Poland and the Baltic States are unlikely to embark on nuclear projects. “Three years ago they said they would do it, but in reality Belarus is the only one of them that is building the nuclear power plant. The Belarusian NPP will be commissioned soon, while little progress has been made in Poland and the Baltic states. Some countries announced they abandoned plans to build nuclear power plants,” Alexander Mikhalevich said.