Natural gas supplies to the Czech Republic are currently stable and without any interruptions. However, the government has approved an amendment to keep coal-fired heating plants in operation in case of potential disruptions.
The Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela pointed out that the activity of these coal-fired plants will have to be limited next year to comply with emission limits.
“I refer to such measures as airbags,” he said. “They are in your car and you hope you never have to use them. But when they are needed, you are glad to have them in the car.”
“The Czech Republic is among those countries in Europe that are refilling their gas storage facilities the fastest,” the Minister added. “Nevertheless, I want to appeal to traders to continue and ideally accelerate, their gas purchases. Our approach can be summarised as hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.”
Surrounding countries are reporting a decline in natural gas supplies, which has again significantly increased in price. The Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, called on Europe to immediately prepare for a complete disruption of Russian gas supplies this winter.
Thus, the aim of the amendment to the Energy Act is that in the event of gas supply failures, it will be possible to replace the supply of heat generated from gas by coal-fired power plants. The amendment also defines the exact conditions under which an emergency in the heating sector can be declared.
