Biological fuel for power generation - Biogas plant at Blace-based Lazar dairy in operation as of May 10th

A biogas power plant at the dairy farm of Lazar dairy, situated in the village of Gornja Dragusa near Blace, will be ceremoniously put in operation on 10 May 2012.

The dairy company Lazar has so far invested USD 2.6 million in the procurement and installation of a technological equipment that utilizes biogas and is produced in the USA. Lazar will use the power plant to process biodegradable waste from its farm and dairy facility, thus utilizing waste to produce biogas as a biological fuel for power generation.

Installation of this biogas power plant represents not only one of the largest domestic investments in the south of Serbia, but also a significant technology transfer in the fields of agriculture and renewable energy. Aside from enabling Lazar to turn waste into profit, this investment can also serve as an example of the direction that the development of cattle breeding and dairy business in Serbia should take in the future.

This technology transfer was initiated through a program of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), whose aim is to promote renewable energy sources in the Serbian agriculture, while the Agribusiness Project of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) played a crucial role in the introduction of this technology to the dairy industry and cattle breeding in Serbia.

Lazar dairy was put in operation in 1994, employing only two workers at the time. Today this company employs 180 people and produces 80,000 liters of milk daily. Over 2,100 households from the region supply raw materials to the company.