Slovakia shuts down its last coal plant today

Electricity production in that Eastern European country will not release direct CO2 emissions anymore

Today, the last coal-fired power plant in Slovakia shuts down production (basically) ending the era of coal in the small Eastern European country. The plant in question, Vojany, located in the Michalovce district in the eastern part of Slovakia, has been producing electricity since 1966.

The power company that owns the plant, Slovenské elektrárne, announced that from now all of the electricity generated in the country will be free of direct CO2 emissions.

The utility previously said it would shut down its last coal-fired power plant because it could not find enough alternative fuel for it. That also forced the closure of the Nováky coal plant at the end of last year.

High cost of carbon emissions makes coal unprofitable

The power producer, however, had been mentioning the growing economic difficulties for years now and these were related to a host of factors, such as the long-term decline in electricity prices, the high prices of CO2 permits and of coal itself.

In fact, the Vojany plant, which at the time of its construction was the largest in former Czechoslovakia, had been producing almost no electricity at all for the past few years, according to Dennikn.

After shutting down the plant, Slovenské elektrárne will have to recultivate its territory, and clean the landfill and the large sludge pond so that they are not a threat to the environment. The company is looking for other uses for the power plant, such as green solutions such as solar parks or battery storage.

Coal is still used at two heating plants in the country, however, the State Heating Holding, which operates the heating plant, plans to do away with coal after the heating season ends.