Positive shifts in Bosnia's electricity sector for Q1 2026

Bicakcic, the honorary president of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Committee of Electrical Engineers (CIGRE), based these findings on reports from the Independent System Operator in BiH and the BiH Agency for Statistics.

Favorable hydrological conditions have been a primary driver of this improvement, although chronic issues in thermal power plant operations persist. Specifically, coal shortages and weak operational readiness continue to impact the sector.

The physical volume of electricity exports for the first quarter of 2026 reached 1.63 TWh, a 19 percent decrease from the previous year, while imports dropped 34 percent to 0.85 TWh. In financial terms, exports were valued at 180 million Bosnian marks (approx. €92.03 million), representing a 16 percent decline. Imports amounted to 125 million marks (approx. €63.91 million), a decrease of 47 percent.

The net export volume was recorded at 0.78 TWh, marking a nine percent increase over last year. Financially, net exports reached a positive 55 million KM (approximately €28.12 million), showing significant improvement over last year’s negative financial net export of 21 million marks (approx. €10.74 million), which occurred despite a physical net export of 0.72 TWh.

Production data reveals a shift in energy sources. Thermal power plant production fell to 1.59 TWh, a 28 percent decrease attributed to technical readiness issues and coal shortages. In contrast, hydroelectric production rose to 2.08 TWh, a 50 percent increase compared to the previous year. Additionally, production from wind and solar facilities connected to the transmission grid grew by eight percent to 0.27 TWh, following the integration of new facilities.

Total electricity production in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the first three months reached 3.93 TWh, a three percent increase year-on-year. This growth was sustained by favorable hydrology and renewable energy expansion despite the coal supply challenges. National consumption remained stable at 3.15 TWh, while the current electricity market price is approximately 110 EUR/MWh.