Investors Still Waiting for First Auction for Production of Energy from RES – “Power Plants Are Not Built Overnight”

Despite the announcements, the first auction for power generation from renewable energy sources has not yet been held. Although the legal framework has been adopted, it’s still not possible to say that a private partnership has been initiated, the state secretary at the Ministry of Mining and Energy, Zoran Lakicevic, said at the opening of the conference on RES.

What Serbia and the region are doing when it comes to power generation from RES was discussed at the conference on renewable energy sources which is being held in Belgrade today. The latest events in the world have made energy the main political and economic topic.

According to Milos Colic, the chairman of the RES Serbia association, new power plants using RES can no longer wait to be built.

– Power plants are not built overnight, it takes time. The state should adopt the regulations as soon as possible. Renewable energy sources are an opportunity to exit the energy crisis – he said at the opening of the conference.

Green transition a task for the whole society

As he emphasized, the idea is to include all actors, financiers, developers, representatives of public and private companies, as well as markets, because green transition is a task for the whole society.

Although the first auctions have not yet happened, despite the announcements, as Colic emphasized, several days ago, the association filed the initiative for a change in the methodology and for the calculation of the maximum purchase price of the Energy Agency.

According to the state secretary at the Ministry of Mining and Energy, Zoran Lakicevic, we could say that energy security is also national and economic security.

– What we started last year has helped us go through this winter without power cuts. Because you know what the country is facing when it comes to the import of energy. All the indicators show that the price of energy will go further up this year – he said in the introductory speech.

According to him, although no auction has yet taken place, all the regulations are there. No private partnership has been initiated, but what could be done has been done, which is the question of prosumers, households.

– Concrete things are being planned and already implemented in the field and, at the moment, we are saving energy. At the household level, in the past 3 months, 230 agreements have been signed with prosumers. Those people can produce electricity from renewable energy sources. By 2030, the production of 41% of the energy from renewable sources is projected – Lakicevic clarified.

As he said, in order for this to come true, what’s needed are investments and for everybody to be ready. Through the National Plan for Climate and Energy, the Ministry can give better guidelines.

According to Lakicevic, “from October 1, the national plan will be up for a public discussion. We expect the plan to be adopted as well by the end of the year”. Energy security costs us EUR 2 billion, which is how much needs to be set aside for the import of electricity, plus a billion for the import of gas.

Green energy for heating plants in 10 Serbia cities

The state secretary announced that the signing of the program of the introduction of RES in heating plants in 10 cities in Serbia with the EBRD was planned for the next week.

The regional director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for the Western Balkans, Matteo Colangeli, said that the bank participated in the financing of RES projects. Other activities of the bank include the digitization of the processes in RES projects. Also, according to Colangeli, it is up to us all to reduce the pollution and for countries to switch to renewable sources at an accelerated pace.

Climate change makes energy crisis even worse

According to Giles Dickson of WindEurope, we couldn’t even assume that the crisis would be that strong.

– We took things for granted and we didn’t think about where our gas would come that winter and the next one. Each government needs to face these questions. On the other hand, there’s a climate change crisis, which makes the energy crisis even worse. The rivers are overheated. Nuclear power plants are struggling, because river water levels are low – he emphasized in a video speech.

According to him, the only way to fight climate change is to reduce our impact and switch to renewable sources. He highlighted Germany as a good example and added that the expansion of renewable sources was one of the main interests of the European Union.

Investments up to EUR 700 million planned in next 8 to 10 years

As emphasized by Jelena Matejic of Elektromreze Srbije, EMS is not against renewable sources, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be.

– The contribution of EMS to the development of RES is 40%. Our big Djerdap is a renewable source of energy, and we sorely need new RES projects – Matejic said in the introductory speech.

As she says, the biggest percentage lies in the hydro potential. All development plans include the developmental needs of RES, also solar and wind power.

– In the past 9 years, EMS has realized investments worth a total of EUR 330 million. In the next 8 to 10 years, investments in the power transfer system will amount to nearly EUR 700 million – she emphasized.

As she added, 4 wind farms are connected to the system as well, and their installed power is 392 MW.

– In the coming days, energy will have the greatest value – Matejic concluded in her speech.

The conference is held at Hotel Metropol Palace, and one of the media partners is eKapija.

S. M.

Ministarstvo rudarstva i energetike Republike Srbije

EBRD Evropska banka za obnovu i razvoj Beograd

EMS ad Beograd

Ministry of Mining and Energy

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

EBRD

Elektromreža Srbije

EMS

WindEurope

RES Serbia

Miloš Colić

Zoran Lakićević

Matteo Colangeli

Giles Dickson

Jelena Matejić

Đerdap

hydro power plants

connection to power transfer system

power generation from RES

renewable energy sources

RES