The output of Czech hydro plants is down by nearly a half as country copes with continued drought.
“In comparison to long term average the production of hydroelectric plants as between about 50-70%,” Martin Schreier, spokesperson of majority state owned energy utility ČEZ, was quoted as saying by online news outlet Seznam Zprávy (SZ).
Last year the output at hydroelectric plants dropped by 40% as a result of drought, with which the country has been coping in recent years, SZ reported, noting that Czechia is among the fastest warming countries in Europe and that the drought has already impacted freight via country’s rivers, including the Elbe river, an important northern freight route to Germany.
Besides the rising temperatures, Czech soil also suffered from decades of industrial and agricultural use which significantly decreased its ability to retain water.
Earlier this month, SZ reported that this year’s drought could be the worst one in 65 years, noting that in March and April the country registered only 32 millimetres of rainfall, which is the least since 1961, according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ).
From January to April, the country registered only 101 millimetres of rainfall and is on course to register lower rainfall in the first half of the year than in last year, when it was 222 millimetres, the least on record since 1965.
No comments:
Post a Comment