Power independence by 2009?

  • 2005-08-31
  • Baltic News Service
RIGA - Latvenergo said it could supply the entire country with electricity starting in 2009 if the average growth of power consumption does not exceed 3 percent.


Latvenergo said it could supply the entire country with electricity starting in 2009 if the average growth of power consumption does not exceed 3 percent.

Aigars Melko, deputy chairman, said that the company's production capacity will not be sufficient to meet the country's demand for electric power until 2008, according to company estimates, so Latvia will have to buy import kilowatts.

However, the situation may change starting in 2009 when a reconstructed Latvenergo TEC-2 begins operating. At that time the company could supply the entire market with electricity, company specialists explained.

But if the rate of growth in power consumption exceeds 3 percent per year, Latvenergo will be unable to meet this target.

He added that the reconstructed TEC-1 production plant will start operations at the end of the year and that the first stage of the TEC-2 plant's reconstruction may be completed in 2008-09.

Last year power consumption increased by 3.3 percent to 5573 GW. In 2004 Latvenergo bought 2733 GW of electricity from foreign companies.