BRATISLAVA, July 11, (WEBNOVINY) — Economy Minister Juraj Miskov sees red when he hears of the Regulatory Office for Network Industries (URSO) and immediately loses any rational thoughts. URSO spokesman Miroslav Luptak said this in reaction to minister’s Friday press meeting dedicated to solar power plants in Slovakia. “The minister may think that it is time for the URSO to be made responsible also for global warming or the global growth of crude oil prices,” said Luptak.
Economy Minister Juraj Miskov accused URSO at the press meeting on Friday of shared responsibility for the solar boom, which has contributed to the growth in the electricity prices for Slovak customers. The minister claims that the regulatory office set the high purchase price of the electricity generated by solar power plants because of a few “chosen” entrepreneurs. “It was out of state’s control. It is sick,” emphasized Miskov. “It is this kind of thinking and exhibitionism that is sick. It is more than certain that if the minister had at least a slender clue, let alone real evidence, proving office’s corruption-linked activities, he would not hesitate a minute and immediately start action against the office,“ said Luptak.
The regulatory office is convinced that it proceeded in line with the law on production of electricity from renewable resources when setting the purchase price of electricity generated by solar power plants. “The office does not draw up or pass bills and the law ordered the office the exact procedure of how to quote the prices in accordance with the methodology of the European Union,” underscored Luptak.
At the moment, solar power plants with installed capacity of over 480 megawatts (MW) are connected to the grid in Slovakia. Thereof, more than a half are plants on the territory where the central Slovak regional electricity distributor Stredoslovenska Energetika (SSE) operates. According to Economy Minister Juraj Miskov, it was high time to stop the solar boom in Slovakia. The minister explained that in order to reach the 24-percent portion of green energy on total energy production, the installed capacity of solar sources was supposed to reach 300 MW in 2020. Without the ministry’s intervention, it would have grown to 700 MW and that would have had a negative impact on the grid’s stability,” Minister Miskov told Friday’s news conference. He opines that it was high time to halt the solar boom in Slovakia.
The solar boom in Slovakia was terminated by the amendment to the law on support for renewable energy sources. As of the beginning of July of this year, the support for solar power plants has been significantly restricted. Based on the amendment, support in the form of a higher purchase price is provided only to solar sources installed on buildings with installed capacity of up to 100 kilowatts. The amendment thus put a stop to support of solar power plants built on open areas, in particular on fields in southern Slovakia. “We had to do so as we estimated the negative impact of this solar boom on final prices of electricity,” Miskov added. “If this is not enough, we can imagine introducing support for solar power plants with installed capacity of up to 30 kilowatts. We will closely watch the situation regarding solar power plants,” added the Economy Ministry’s state secretary Kristian Takac.
The regulatory office assumes that the financial support to solar energy will cost Slovak electric energy consumers almost EUR 117 million this year. This is the sum that should be translated in electricity prices for end users owing to the obligatory purchase of the electricity generated by solar power plants. Last year, electric energy customers paid over EUR 10 million for the solar energy support. The financial support of solar energy will account for about 50 percent of total sum that will support RES and combined heat and electricity production this year in contrast to last year’s 15 percent, assumes the office.
SITA