SLOVAK PARTICIPATION IN WIREC 2008

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000572 SIPDIS SIPDIS OES FOR WIREC ACTION GROUP LEADER STAN SPECHT AND SPECIAL ASSISTANT CAMILLE HILL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ENRG PREL ETRD SENV EINV LO SUBJECT: SLOVAK PARTICIPATION IN WIREC 2008 REF: A. STATE 138428 ¶B. BRATISLAVA 561 ¶1. (U) Post strongly recommends Slovakia's inclusion in the 2008 Washington International Renewable Energy Conference. EU mandates and external events have led to a new emphasis in Slovakia on the importance of renewable energy sources in the overall energy mix, which was evident in the Slovak government's new long-term energy strategy released three weeks ago. The proposed delegation list for the purposes of sending out invitations is outlined in para 6 below. ¶2. (U) Slovakia is almost completely dependent on Russia for oil, gas and nuclear fuel. The pressure to increase energy diversity, with an emphasis on promoting additional nuclear capacity and a greater use of renewable resources, has increased in the last few years due to a variety of external factors. As a condition for entry into the EU, Slovakia was required to shut down two of its six functioning (and recently upgraded) Soviet-designed nuclear reactors. The first was closed at the end of 2006, and the second will come offline at the end of 2008. The loss of one-third of its nuclear capacity, which currently accounts for 60 percent of the country's electricity, means that Slovakia will go from a net exporter of electricity to a net importer with an estimated shortfall of 600 to 700 MW between 2009 and 2012. ¶3. (U) Over the long-term the majority of this shortage is expected to come from the construction of new nuclear facilities. However, this changing landscape, together with EU targets for renewable energy, has also increased the government's focus on renewable resources. Currently only 4 percent of energy comes from renewable sources, primarily from hydropower and biomass. In its long-term energy plan, which was released by the Ministry of Economy on September 20th, the GOS called for this share to increase to 12 percent by 2020. Since most of the hydro capacity has already been tapped, the majority of this growth is expected to come from biomass, solar and geothermal sources. ¶4. (U) The temporary shutdown of gas and oil pipelines in Ukraine and Belarus due to disputes with Russia has further highlighted the need for Slovakia to diversify supply options. In addition to the increased focus on pipeline ownership (Reftel B),the government is putting a greater emphasis on biofuels. With the construction of two new plants producing bioethanol and biodiesel, Slovakia is on track to meet the 5.75 percent bio content target from the EU's 2003 Biofuels Directive. ¶5. (U) At Posts' request, the Department of Commerce recently organized a regional renewable energy trade mission that came through Bratislava and several other Central European posts. The strong interest in this trade mission by both the government and the private sector illustrated the increasing focus in developing the potential for renewable energy sources in Slovakia. The WIREC 2008 conference provides a great opportunity to build on this renewed interest by allowing top Slovak government officials to engage with their counterparts from around the world. ¶6. (U) Proposed Official WIREC Ministerial Delegation: Minister of Economy Lubomir Jahnatek, Head of Delegation Alena Zakova, Director, Department of International Relations, Energy Section Ministry of Economy Olga Algayerova, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Amb. Jaroslav Chlebo, Director of International Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Palsa, State Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture Ondrej Rohon, Department of Renewable Energy Sources, Ministry of Agriculture. VALLEE