In a new report on the Slovak Republic's energy policies, the International Energy Agency (IEA) lauds progress on efficiency but says more must be done, and recommends efforts to reduce GHGs and strengthen the country's energy security and industrial competitiveness by increasing regional cooperation and diversifying energy sources and suppliers.
6 February 2012: The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released a report, titled “Energy Policies of IEA Countries – Slovak Republic Review,” which lauds the Slovak Republic’s improvements in energy efficiency and urges the country to increase efforts to strengthen its energy security and industrial competitiveness.
According to the IEA, the Slovak Republic remains a greenhouse gas (GHG) intensive economy by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) standards, and renewables and nuclear may be options to reduce its carbon footprint. The report notes that regional cooperation, particularly in the development of gas and electricity interconnections, and diversification of energy sources and suppliers, especially of natural gas and crude oil, are important steps towards increased energy security and industrial competitiveness.
The report also identifies successful developments, including: the coupling of the Slovak Republic’s electricity market with the Czech Republic’s; the support for the construction of a North-South gas pipeline via the Slovak Republic; the Slovak Republic’s improvements in energy efficiency; and the enactment of most of the European Union’s (EU) energy efficiency-related legislation. [IEA Press Release] [Executive Summary]