A major step in strengthening Serbia’s electricity transmission network has been taken as the transmission system operator EMS signed a contract for the upgrade of key infrastructure and expansion of high-voltage capacity.
The agreement, concluded with a consortium led by Energotehnika Južna Bačka and Elnos, covers the transformation of the Bajina Bašta substation into a 400/220/35 kV facility, alongside the installation of new 400 kV equipment at the Obrenovac substation.
These works are part of the third section of the Trans-Balkan Corridor, a strategic transmission project designed to enhance regional electricity exchange capacity. The same phase also includes construction of a double-circuit 400 kV transmission line between Bajina Bašta and Obrenovac. The total value of this segment is €113.5 million, with completion planned by the end of 2028.
Project financing is structured through multiple sources. A €64.5 million loan from KfW is complemented by a €21 million grant from the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), while the remaining funds are provided by EMS itself. The upgrades are expected to significantly increase available transmission capacity and enable integration of new generation assets, including the planned pumped-storage hydropower plant Bistrica, which will play an important role in system balancing.
EMS management stated that the modernization of substations and expansion of high-voltage infrastructure will improve both system reliability and cross-border transfer capacity. Construction of the transmission line is already underway and represents a key element of the project’s implementation phase.
The broader Trans-Balkan Corridor, with an estimated total value of around €221 million, has been developed in stages. Earlier sections include the Pančevo–Romanian border interconnection completed in 2017 and the Kragujevac–Kraljevo segment finalized in 2022.
The next development phase will focus on extending the corridor westward through a new 400 kV line toward Višegrad in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Pljevlja in Montenegro, further strengthening regional electricity interconnections across South-East Europe.
