Czech Republic

Index rank 29

Energy Sustainability Index Rankings

 2010  2011  2012  Trend
Energy Performance  19  25  31 
Energy Security  14  38  15 
Social Equity  26  27  32 
Environmental Impact Mitigation  46  32  61 
       
Contextual Performance  35  31  32 
Political Strength  24  18  18 
Societal Strength  30  29  29 
Economic Strength  64  60  59 
       
Overall Rank  22  26  29 
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Fossil Fuel Resources

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Key Metrics

Industrial sector (% of GDP) 38.1
TPEP / TPEC  (net energy importer) 0.66
Emission intensity (kg CO2 per USD) 1.26
Energy affordability (USD per kWh) 0.19
GDP / capita (PPP, USD); GDP Group 26,122 (B)
Energy intensity (million BTU per USD) 0.02
CO2 emissions (metric tons) / capita) 9.07
Population Access to Electricity (%) 100.0
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Index Commentary

The Czech Republic drops by three places in the Index ranking with up and down movements in different dimensions. It shows close to no changes in its contextual dimensions, among which economic strength is weakest (rank 59). Substantial improvements in energy security are driven by an increase of the wholesale margin on gasoline and a decrease of energy consumption, reversing last year’s positive growth rate. Environmental performance decreases substantially despite a decrease in energy intensity per capita, as the Czech Republic underperforms in mitigating its environmental footprint when compared to peer countries with a similar level of energy intensity.

Trends and Outlook

The most recent policy development is the completion of the update of the national energy policy “State Energy Concept of the Czech Republic – SEK”, which is expected to undergo public review by technical experts and professionals and subsequently considered by the Government by the end of 2012. The policy is based on the following pillars: 1) construction of new electricity generation units in the existing sites of nuclear power plants; 2) gradual transition from largely extracted lignite deposits towards natural gas and renewable energy sources as the main sources for electricity and heat production; however, domestic coal remains a stable segment of the country´s energy mix (decrease from today´s 45% to a perspective of less than 20% in the coming decades); 3) medium-term stabilizing of combined heat and power (CHP), provision of coal / fuels for central heating; 4) significant efficiency increase in energy production sector and reaching considerable economies in use of all kinds of energy; and 5) reconstruction and development of network infrastructure (electricity, gas) to ensure system integration of decentralised production, operational reliability, as well as ancillary and transit services. Key issues to be considered by policymakers are 1) diversification of imported fuels (oil, gas) and enlargement of transport routes and capacities; 2) acceleration and simplification of project administrative approval and permitting procedures for modernising and new constructions of energy infrastructure; and 3) strengthening international cooperation in the process implementing EU Internal Energy Markets and, creating common regional markets, especially for electricity and gas.