MINSK, 13 March (BelTA) – The Belarusian national electric company Belenergo does not intend to import electricity in 2020, the company's Director General Pavel Drozd told BelTA.
The executive said: “We've made arrangements for the possible import of up to 2 billion kWh in 2020. We may import it if we see that imported electricity is cheaper than the electricity we generate. But we do not intend to import electricity this year for now.”
Speaking about electricity export, Pavel Drozd noted that warm weather influences export volumes. “According to preliminary estimates and according to the contracts that have been signed already, we will export about 150 million kWh to Ukraine in Q1 2020. Belarusian electricity is also exported to the Nord Pool market. Prices over there have changed considerably due to weather conditions. This is why export possibilities today are determined by the prices that obtain on the market,” he explained.
Pavel Drozd reminded that after the liberalization of the Ukrainian energy market in July 2019 Belarus started exporting electricity to Ukraine via commercial contracts. As much as about 850 million kWh of electricity was exported in 2019.
BelTA reported earlier that in 2019 Belarus exported 2.4 billion kWh of electricity, more than twice as much as in 2018. Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich was quoted as saying that the country intends to export at least as much in 2020.
