The report draws attention to efforts at regional cooperation to promote both energy security and market competition, and recommends rigorous pursuit of national energy policy objectives within a regional context, increase carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduction efforts, and ensure timely implementation of energy efficiency policies and measures.
6 February 2012: The International Energy Agency (IEA) has published a report entitled “Energy Policies of IEA Countries – Slovak Republic Review,” which lauds Slovakia’s efforts on energy efficiency, and notes the essential role of greater regional cooperation, particularly in gas and electricity interconnections, in enhancing energy security and market competition for the region as a whole.
The report has sections on general energy policy including chapters on: energy and climate change and energy efficiency; sector analyses including chapters on oil, natural gas, and renewable energy; and energy technology. The report notes the country’s results in energy efficiency, highlighting that it has seen one of the largest declines in energy intensity among Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries since 1990. It notes that energy security is a dominant theme of Slovak energy policy, due to high dependence on oil and gas imports from Russia. It draws attention to regional cooperation efforts to promote both energy security and market competition, citing the country’s support for the construction of a North-South gas pipeline via the Slovak Republic that would link planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Croatia and Poland.
The report also discusses the need for investments to upgrade the Slovak Republic’s energy infrastructure, and the potential challenge for the country in meeting its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in key sectors, including transport. It highlights, that despite progress made, the country “remains a GHG-intensive economy by OECD standards, with energy-related carbon dioxide emissions accounting for more than 70% of total GHG emissions.”
Key recommendations of the report include that the Republic should: continue to pursue its national energy policy objectives within a regional context; increase carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduction efforts; and ensure timely implementation of energy efficiency policies and measures. [IEA Press Release] [Website for Energy Policies of IEA Countries-Slovak Republic Review][Publication: Executive Summary Energy Policies of IEA Countries – Slovak Republic Review]