Central Europe could have energy that is 29% cheaper—if it joined forces
On Monday, October 2, 2023, a meeting was held of Committee on Sustainable Energy and Transportation. Its mission is to share international expertise in these fields and thereby contribute to informed government decision-making. A new draft of the Czech National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) was presented at the meeting; this plan serves as the foundation for energy planning for the coming decade. In addition, the committee welcomed as a guest Dr. Paweł Czyczak, a representative of the prestigious international think tank EMBER, who presented to committee members studies released today revealing opportunities for energy interconnection in the Central European region and the resulting price reductions.
Pawel Czyczak, Ph.D., is a renowned expert at the EMBER think tank and visited the Czech Republic at the invitation of the Puls Institute. The studies he presented show that if the individual countries of Central and Eastern Europe stopped relying solely on themselves and began actively building cross-border energy connections—so-called interconnectors—they could begin to harness the enormous potential of wind energy in the Baltic and Black Seas.
As a result, these turbines could generate up to 100 times the output of a single Temelín nuclear power plant. Central Europe has similarly great potential in the field of solar energy. This would result in a 29% reduction in the price of electricity throughout the region. Both studies are now available for download in Czech on the website of Puls Institute.
The draft National Energy and Climate Plan presented today will soon be approved by the government and subsequently submitted to the European Commission for comments. The Commission will then provide several opportunities to revise it. This may be necessary, given that the current NECP draft anticipates a number of scenarios that are highly unlikely. First and foremost, it assumes that coal-fired power plants will remain in operation until 2033, even though mine owners in the Czech Republic have clearly stated that the first ones will begin closing as early as 2024. Similarly, the plan does not account for the launch of an emissions trading system for transportation and buildings (known as ETS 2) or the use of biomass. At the same time, none of the models account for energy imports, which, according to EMBER, would lower the price of Czech energy. The issue of the final price for consumers is not taken into account at all in the proposal. This was also pointed out by Vladimír Špidla, a member of the Committee on Sustainable Energy and Transport, former Czech Prime Minister, and former European Commissioner: “The scenarios in the National Energy and Climate Plan based on self-sufficiency are unrealistic, and we must count on importing energy from abroad. It is also necessary to include a model that does not rely on the construction of new nuclear reactors. There may not even be time to build them. The same applies to coal-fired power plants. Mines will begin closing next year, yet the scenarios count on coal-fired power through 2033.”
Adam Ondráček, Director and Founder of the Puls Institute
The Puls Institute is an independent organization that advocates for the development of high-speed railways and international energy and data interconnectors in the Czech Republic and Europe. Its director, Adam Ondráček, explains: “The Czech Republic can begin to capitalize on its undeniable competitive advantages. Our location allows us to become a superconnector between the western and eastern wings of Europe, thereby securing affordable and clean energy and ensuring the competitiveness of our businesses. We just need to open our borders and import some of our energy. After all, we don’t grow oranges in the Vysočina region either.”
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