Centralizuoto šilumos tiekimo sistemos reformavimo prielaidos Lietuvoje
LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Centralizuotas šilumos tiekimas; Kaina; Reforma; Šilumos gamyba ir vartojimas; District heating; Heat production and consumption; Price; Reform.
ENLithuanian district heating system has been developed during planned economy times. The majority of district heating systems in larger cities designed and built more than 40 years ago. According to the motivation of such system creation and usage, it could be helping to solve strategic energy targets – security of energy supply, reduction of environmental pollution, diversification of fuel, municipal waste utilization possibilities for heat and electricity generation, integration of industrial excess heat to district heating networks. Retrospective analysis of district heating development in Lithuania has shown that major changes started after reorganization of AB "Lietuvos energija" in 1997. District heating was transferred to municipal ownership with high financial liabilities and low heating prices. Therefore lease or privatization period has begun. After 2006 there was a huge increase in natural gas prices, due to this reason prices of district heating have also increased. Problems of district heating sector are a heritage of planned economy. This is one of the most threatening economic and social problems at the moment. A sudden increase in natural gas prices has highlighted and exacerbated these problems, which solution is still delayed. The rise of natural gas prices not only increase the district heating prices, but also increase Lithuania’s energy dependency from the sole gas supplier – Russian "Gazprom". The aim is to reduce the consumption of natural gas in the market, but country’s largest district heating companies that use natural gas in cogeneration plants limit this need. On the other hand, there is a possibility to adapt these technologies for the use of cheaper biofuel.The social compensations for district heating do not encourage the efficient consumption of heat energy, because it is not related with the consumption of thermal energy and energy savings. Social policy decisions with unstable energy policy distort market signals to the consumers. Compensation for the consumption of heat energy reduces the need to save and to use the energy more efficient, how it would be in a market economy. The European Union’s policy stimulates changes in Lithuanian heatsector.The promotion ofrenewable energy and tighten emission requirements is transferred to the national legal basis, and becomes a liability forthe Republic of Lithuania. Renewable energy development in district heating that is encouraged by laws requires large investments. The use of renewable resources for the generation of district heating would let to diversify the fuel and energy sources. However there is a need to solve the problems of independent heat producers’ connection to the district heating network by regulation of thermal energy that is made from renewable energy sources. It depends on the interaction between the heat suppliers and consumers. Projections of utilization of renewable energy sources give too big role for biofuels. Meanwhile, a huge potential of sun and geothermal energy is very small.Thisis because renewable resourcesinexhaustibility and independence from economic activity, international markets etc., are not evaluated during investment decisions. [From the publication]
