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Prague, 2 June 2000
- Today the Czech office of Greenpeace points out once more to the fact, that the electricity company CEZ exports electricity against a price that is 200 Czech Crowns lower than the costs of production. This export dumping is a disadvantage for the consumers in the Czech Republic. Greenpeace today sheds doubt on yet another assertion from CEZ, which should prove that the export of electricity is not dumping.
"Exporting electricity under the cost price causes disadvantages for consumers in the Czech Republic," says Jan Haverkamp of Greenpeace. "In the end they will have to pay from their pocket the "cheap electricity" for consumers abroad. Czech companies in this way support involuntary competitors, which negatively influences their own competitiveness."
CEZ counters the suspicion of dumping with the claim, that they have a credible document that denies the allegations. According to CEZ's press speaker Ladislav Kriz, this document is a letter from the Austrian Ministry of Economy, which apparently proves that the export of CEZ is not dumping and that the company therefore may export electricity to Austria (see for instance the press release over CTK on the 25. of May 2000).
"All facts speak for it, that Kriz's call on this apparent document is not justified," states Haverkamp. "Austria allowed CEZ the import of only 30 MWh, which is an almost negligible amount of electricity. We demand therefore from CEZ, that they publish their document."
Greenpeace Austria and the Austrian Parliament already approached their Ministry of Economy with this doubt (1). The answer from the Austrian Ministry speaks completely unambiguously: CEZ indeed received in January 2000 permission to export 30 MWh electrical energy in four days to Austria.
The permission for this export was given on the basis of the claim from CEZ, that the import would come from excess capacity of waterpower stations (2).
The Austrian Greenpeace office furthermore believes that the electricity does not originate from waterpower installations, but rather from the nuclear power plant Dukovany. The import from nuclear power plants is at present in Austria forbidden by law (3).
"CEZ now desperately seeks to cover up its export policy. Greenpeace therefore today calls on the president of the board of CEZ, Teodor Dvorak, to publish the letter of the Austrian Ministry," informs Haverkamp.
According to all available information, CEZ at present already exports more electricity than will be produced by the Temelín nuclear power plant when it goes on line. The largest part of the exported electricity goes at present to neighbouring Germany (4).
"When CEZ only wants to start up a dangerous Temelín to export all its electricity under price to Germany, that is really madness," emphasises Haverkamp.
Václav Vašku
press speaker Greenpeace CZ
Further information:
Václav Vašku
tel.: +420.2.24 31 96 67
internet: http://www.greenpeace.cz
or
Jan Haverkamp
tel.: +420.604.257 822
Notes for the editor:
(1) The questions from the Austrian parliament to the Ministry of Economy on the import of electricity from the Czech Republic:
http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/pd/pm/XXI/J/texte/004/J00408_.html
(2) The answers from the Austrian Ministry of Economy to the Parliament:
http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/pd/pm/XXI/AB/his/004/AB00444_.html
(3) the Austrian law on Energy: EIWOG, par. 13.:
http://www.bmwa.gv.at/positionen/elwogtxt.doc
(4) Radko Pavlovec e.a., Zpráva o exportu spolecnosti CEZ a.s. - Podezrení z cenového dumpingu, kveten 2000:
http://www.temelin.cz/dumping/
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