In frosts, power plants break down in Estonia: electricity is more expensive than 200 euros

Due to frost and windlessness, the wholesale price of electricity in The Baltic states remain more expensive than 200 euros per MWh. In Estonia, the situation is worsened by the shutdown of shale power plants right before frosts.

"The shale power plants of Enefit Power, a subsidiary of Eesti Energia, did not work at full capacity, although high demand and rising prices contributed to this. As early as Monday afternoon, almost 640 megawatts of production capacity were withdrawn from the market due to breakdowns at Enefit power plants," ERR writes.

According to the publication, a small compensation was the early return of the 8th unit of the Estonian power plant with a capacity of 185 megawatts, the repair of which was originally supposed to last until February 6.

"The 270 megawatt Auvere power plant should also start operating a little earlier than predicted: instead of February 10, it will return to the market as early as February 8," the publication reports.

Raine Payo, Chairman of the Management Board of Enefit Power, told ERR that the Estonian power plant was built in the late 1960s. According to him, the old shale power units designed to cover a constant load are designed for long-term and stable operation and are poorly suited for the modern electricity market when readiness for a quick reaction is required.

"The launch is a significant burden for the old power plant, during which the shortcomings that arose earlier are amplified and increase the risk of breakdowns," said Raine Payo

He noted that it is impossible to predict breakdowns.

"Although we carry out out-of-season maintenance and repairs of equipment, we learn about some breakdowns only in the process of work, and it is impossible to foresee them. Accordingly, the identification and elimination of these malfunctions falls on a period when there is a high demand on the market," said the head of Enefit Power.

According to him, the shale power plants of Eesti Energia enter the market during cold weather and high electricity consumption. And it is at this time that the greatest number of breakdowns occur.