2016-02-23
Upward trend in electricity generation and consumption in Lithuania in 2015
At 10.86 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) (or 10.86 terawatt hours, TWh), or 1.4 % more than in 2014, electricity consumption in 2015 was at its highest since 2009. Electricity consumption by industry grew by over 3 %, while the service sector demand saw an increase of 1.8 %. An insignificant reduction in demand was registered for the agriculture and transport sectors, while household consumption remained stable. Power generated from renewable energy resources accounted for 16 % of the total electricity consumed.
“Lithuania remains among the few European countries showing stable growth in electricity consumption for years in a row, and economic forecasts suggest that this trend will not change in the nearest decade. The new LitPol Link and NordBalt power links, which have opened new doors to the Polish and Swedish markets, abundant in energy resources, have also contributed to the efficient use of the possibilities provided by the growing economy,” said Daivis Virbickas, Chairman of the Board and CEO at Litgrid, the Lithuanian electricity transmission system operator.
In 2015 the electricity production increased by 13 %, a total of 4.6 TWh, though it has been decreasing for the previous two consecutive years. Power plants fired by renewable energy resources generated almost half of the total electricity produced in the country. Just over 1 TWh was produced by hydropower plants, 0.8 TWh by wind turbines, and 0.46 TWh by by solar energy, biomass, biogas and other waste-fired power plants. Another share of electricity was generated by power plants using conventional fuels.
Due to the increase in local electricity production, the amount of imported electricity decreased accordingly. Two-thirds (66 %) of the electricity consumed in Lithuania was imported. Just over half of the electricity, or 57 %, was imported from Latvia, Estonia and Northern European countries, while 43 % of the electricity consumed was imported from third countries.
The total electricity consumption of the country is calculated as the sum of electricity consumed by all businesses, industry and the service, transport and agriculture sectors, as well as household consumption and the electricity required for charging the Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant, excluding the electricity process costs for the distribution and transmission networks, which have decreased for the second year in a row.
| TWh / 1 TWh (terawatt hour) = 1 billion kWh (kilowatt hour) | 2014 | 2015 |
| Electricity production (Net) | 4,054 | 4,598 |
| Thermal power plants | 1,931 | 2,321 |
| Lithuanian Power Plant | 0,840 | 1,050 |
| Vilnius Power Plant | 0,249 | 0,237 |
| Kaunas Power Plant | 0,162 | 0,117 |
| Panevėžys Power Plant | 0,067 | 0,094 |
| Other thermal power plants | 0,612 | 0,823 |
| Hydroelectric power plants | 1,075 | 1,013 |
| Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant | 0,322 | 0,276 |
| Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant | 0,681 | 0,667 |
| Small hydroelectric power plants | 0,072 | 0,070 |
| Wind turbines | 0,636 | 0,807 |
| Wind turbines connected to the transmission network | 0,515 | 0,654 |
| Wind turbines connected to the distribution network | 0,121 | 0,153 |
| Other renewable energy resources | 0,411 | 0,459 |
| Biofuel-burning power plants | 0,247 | 0,294 |
|
Solar power plants
|
0,073 | 0,073 |
| Waste-burning power plants | 0,091 | 0,091 |
| Commercial system balance (import-export) | 7,623 | 7,208 |
| Import | 7,779 | 7,460 |
| Export | 0,156 | 0,253 |
| Total electricity demand in Lithuania | 11,676 | 11,806 |
| Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant activation | 0,961 | 0,945 |
| Total electricity consumption | 10,715 | 10,861 |
| Grid technological costs | 0,870 | 0,845 |
|
Final electricity consumption
|
9,844
|
10,015
|
| Industry | 3,788 | 3,909 |
| Transport | 0,101 | 0,097 |
| Agriculture | 0,237 | 0,232 |
| Households | 2,656 | 2,660 |
| Services and other consumers | 3,063 | 3,118 |
