Trade minister: Construction of power networks lagging

Prague, Sept 18 (CTK) - Construction and modernisation of electricity networks in Europe lags significantly behind the installation of new renewable power sources, Industry and Trade Minister Martin Kuba said at a conference on the threat of blackout in the Czech Republic yesterday.

The Czech Republic therefore suffers from a high burden during sudden power transfers from wind farms in the north of Germany to the south, he added.

"As regards the networks' construction, Europe has driven itself into a corner," Kuba noted.

Due to financial support to renewable energy sources, companies want to invest into projects where subsidies are guaranteed. They neglect investments into energy infrastructure, however.

Germany has announced planned investments into energy networks but their implementations will take a long time. The danger of blackout due to overflows from German renewable sources will probably thus not decrease in the Czech Republic any time soon, Kuba remarked.

Moreover, Germany plans to leave nuclear energy and wants to offset the shortfall by further renewable energy sources.

The Czech Republic has pledged to cover 13.5 percent of its electricity consumption from renewable sources as of 2020. It will meet this target but does not intend to accept the EU's further potential binding targets for renewable sources after 2020, Kuba said.

"It is impossible to allow Brussels to tell us what energy policy we should have," he declared.

Kuba recalled that the updated state energy strategy for the coming twenty to thirty years counts in particular on the use of nuclear energy. Financial support to renewable energy sources should be lowered.

Kuba considers Czech energy infrastructure as robust but he stressed the need for further investments into its modernisation.

Grid operator CEPS will use Kc3.6bn for this purpose this year and by 2024, it plans to invest some Kc63bn into the grid's development and modernisation.