The steam-gas power plant in Malženice was put into operation

Week in Slovakia

Monday – 16th May 2011

Energy efficiency of buildings can be studied at secondary schools in Slovakia. The aim of the new department is to train young experts in the field of energy. The new study program „Technician of energy devices in buildings” is a result of the practical demand and since 2010 it is thought at three schools in Slovakia, namely in Trnava, Banská Bystrica and Prešov. The initiator of the whole project is to non-investment fund EkoFond and SPP.  Each study room is equipped with devices worth at least 210.000 Euro. Graduates of this program will have a good possibility to find a job as the demand for such experts is already high, according to Eva Gulíková from EkoFond.

Slovenské elektrárne have finished a general reconstruction at the first block at the nuclear power plant Mochovce. During the revision the fuel was also changed and maintenance works were carried out.

Alternative electricity suppliers are becoming stronger in Slovakia. Last year, around 17.200 households and more than 4.600 other customers decided to change their electricity supplier. The year before the total number was around ten thousand. „Yes, last year we have notices a flux also on the household market and this trend seems to continue,” reacted Ján Orlovský, spokesman of Západoslovenská energetika. The two other major energy suppliers, Východoslovenská energetika and Stredoslovenská energetika did not have such a big loss in their customers. Last year 366 subjects had a permission to trade in the field of electricity supplying and 32 offered their service to households.

Tuesday – 17th May 2011

A new electricity power plant running on biomass should be built in Žarnovica. According to the original project plan the power plant should have a total installed capacity of more than 10 MW and should cost 40 million Euro. Once the biomass power plant is finished, it should offer 40 new working positions. The testing phase should already start this year. In a short time period this would be a second alternative energy source in Žarnovica. The first one was a solar power plant, which the mayor of Žarnovica Karol Danko perceives as a major asset for the town.

Wednesday – 18th May 2011

A new steam-gas power plant was officially put into operation in the town Malženice in the Trnava district. The official inauguration was attended by Minister of Economy Juraj Miškov and Minister of Environment József Nagy. The new electricity source has a total installed capacity of 436 MW and it is able to yearly produce three billion kWh of electricity, which can cover supplies for approximately 600 – 900 thousand households. The construction works started in back in 2008 and the whole project cost 400 million Euro. The whole construction was carried out by Siemens and the company also supplied all the necessary technologies and components. The power plant also created 30 new working positions. With the technology used, the steam-gas plant is one of the most modern ones in whole Europe, its efficiency is around 59 % when converting gas into electricity.

Thursday – 19th May 2011

Ministry of Economy published ten possible routes of the oil pipeline connection between Austria and Slovakia, which should lead through the so called Carpathian (Lower Carpathians) or City (Bratislava) corridor. The connection is being planned by the Slovak company Transpetrol and Austrian OMV. If the companies choose the Carpathian alternative, the pipeline should pass the border in the area of the Austrian town Marcheg and Slovak Záhorská Ves near the town Jablonica. This alternative would require a major change of planning on the Austrian side. If the City corridor is chosen, the connecting point will be near the towns Jarovce – Kitsee or Petržalka – Kitsee and would even lead through the capital city of Bratislava and should definitely omit the contested isle Žitný ostrov. The length of the oil pipeline should be 81 to 152 kilometres and construction costs could amount to 112 million Euro. The alternative routes together with all relevant analyses will be presented by Minister Miškov at the government meeting with the Schwechat refinery until the end of October.

The technology for capture and storage of CO2 offers new possibilities for decreasing its production and since September it could also be used in Slovakia. The proposal from the Ministry of Environment was forwarded to the second hearing in the parliament.

Friday – 20th May 2011

Slovak government according to Prime Minister Iveta Radičová supports the requirement to carry out stress tests on all nuclear power plants, which will focus on causes and circumstances that caused the catastrophe in the power plant in Fukušima. Iveta Radičová attended the European nuclear forum in Prague where she also stated that nuclear energy should still have a share in the European and world-wide energy mix, but it is obvious that it will need new technologies and development of new, more secure solutions.

According to chairman of the Slovak National Council Richar Sulík, the chief of the Regulatory Office, Mr. Holjenčík is Harabin of Slovak energy. According to him, Holjenčík is responsible for the fact that Slovakia has one of the highest prices for electricity distribution in Europe. „We need to act. We have ÚRSO and it should be controlled by the Regulatory Council. Mr. Holjenčík is the chief of the Council and at the same time, in the fourth year in a row he is also the temporary chief of ÚRSO. And we can not get rid of him from that position. Basically the goat became the gardener and we want to change this state,” stated Sulík. Due to the position of Holjenčík, Sulík compared him with the chief of the Highest court SR and Judicial Council SR Štefan Harabin.

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