The recent bout of cold weather and snow across Estonia has been accompanied by near-record levels of electricity consumption. At 10.00 am EET on January 22, five-minute average electricity consumption was recorded at 1,549 megawatts.
Estonian electricity consumption was very close to the record high of all time that day, when the five-minute average consumption reached around 1,549 megawatts around 10 am. This compares with the all-time high of 1,587 Megawatts 5-minute average consumption almost nine years to the day, on January 28, 2010, during another cold and snowy winter.
Average hourly consumption on January 22 between 09.00 and 10.00 was recorded at 1,543 megawatts.
Perhaps most significant, when comparing the figures with 2010, is the price of electricity during these peak consumption times. Whereas in January 2010, when there was no electricity exchange market operating in Estonia, regulated price was close to EUR 30 per MWh to all consumers. However, the liberalization of the market and its ensuing competition has facilitated prices of a little over EUR 80 per MWh for the morning of January 22.
Electricity production was more than enough to keep up with this high demand, however. Around 2.000 Megawatts of electricity were generated between 07.00 and 22.00 on both January 21 and 22.
A two-year temperature low was measured in Vaike-Maarja at -25.3C on January 22 morning in Vaike-Maarja, Laane-Viru County.
Estonian electricity is traded on the Nordpool electricity market. Imported electricity from Russia and Belarus, whilst apparently undercutting EU prices due in part to the lack of CO2 emissions levies in those countries as is the case in the EU, will not be passed on to consumers in price reductions, it is reported. (ERR/Business World Magazine)
