Nearly 40% of the Electricity Produced in the First Quarter was Exported to Neighbouring Countries

A total of 3.3 TWh of electricity was produced in Estonia in the first quarter of this year, 5% more than in the same period last year. Domestic electricity production surpassed domestic consumption by around 40%.

Estonian electricity consumption of 2379 GWh in the first quarter was 2% lower than in the same period a year ago, a consequence of the 9% drop in electricity consumption in January in connection with the warmer weather. In March 2011 domestic consumption was 2% higher than a year earlier at 769 GWh.

In the whole of the Baltic region, electricity production reached 6434 GWh in the first quarter, which is 6% less than in the previous year.

Electricity production in Latvia increased by 1%, and Latvia had a positive balance of power of 43 GWh in the first quarter. The main difference from the first quarter of the previous year was in February this year, when electricity production in Latvia was 21% higher than a year before.

Electricity production in Lithuania declined by 35% compared with a year ago, as a large part of the output of Lithuania’s largest power station was replaced by imports from Kaliningrad. Due to the shortage of electricity, Lithuania imported 49% of the electricity needed to cover its own electricity consumption from countries outside the region.

The first quarter of 2011 in electricity trading saw exports of 1128 GWh and imports of 189 GWh of electricity.

Of total electricity exports, 63% went to Finland, 24% to Lithuania and 13% to Latvia. Exports to Finland were encouraged by high electricity prices in the Nordic countries, caused mainly by the long-lasting spell of cold weather, breakdowns in the Nordic transmission systems and the low water levels in the reservoirs for hydro power plants in Scandinavia. The start of the high water period in Latvia led to a fall in electricity prices on the BaltPool power exchange at the end of the first quarter.

Latvia supplied 57% of total imports and Lithuania 43%. The high prices in Finland in the first three months of the year meant that no electricity was imported from there.

Elering is the independent and autonomous Transmission System Operator for Estonia, whose main duty is to ensure high-quality supplies of electricity to consumers at all times. To achieve security of supply, Elering maintains and develops the national transmission grid and international connections. Elering controls the Estonian electricity system in real time, ensuring the operation of the transmission network, and the balance between production and consumption.