The transport of coal from Kostolac to TPP TENT is the least expensive when done by railway and that is why the railroad should be repaired for the transport of coal between Kostolac and Svilajnac.
The statement was made by the president of the Union of Theramal Power Plant ”Nikola Tesla”, Bogdan Vukotić, claiming that the transport that is being carried out by trucks is much more expensive like that and, as he said, somebody wanted to earn some money from the situation.
Experts from TPPNT chose an alternative solution for coal supply during winter. Besides Kolubara, they opted for Kostolac, but the problem occurred with transport, Vukotić explained in Svilajnac where Thermal Power Plant “Morava”, that is an integral part of TPPNT, is located.
“The least expensive solution would be the transport by railroad, since we are talking about millions of tons of coal, however, some groups within EPS insist on coal transport by trucks in which case the private transporters would have to be hired which is far more expensive”, Vukotić said.
He reckoned that “those who opt for coal transport by trucks instead of railway, want to get rich using the terrible floods and, what is even worse, in that way they jeopardize the energy stability of Serbia for the sake of their own profit.”
Vukotić noted that TPPNT is about to call a tender for the transport of 250,000 t of coal from the mines in Kostolac and Kovin to TPP “Morava” in Svilajnac, the dynamics of which should be 1,000 t a day.
“If that coal is transported by trucks, it will cost a million EUR more, and it takes just a half of that money to repair 14 km of the railroad between Kostolac and Svilajnac,”Vukotić said.
That is how the coal could be shipped not only to TPP “Morava” in Svilajnac, but to TPPNT B in Obrenovac (350 MW) as well, Vukotić added and reckoned that “Serbia would then have sufficient quantities of electricity for the entire winter and we would not have to import expensive electricity, the railway would be employed and the TPPNT employees would have secure wages.”
The experts from TPPNT, headed by the director Čedomir Ponoćko, concluded that that is the solution for TPPNT’s supply with coal in winter until the production is recovered in the flooded mines of Kolubara, Vukotićexplained.
He pointed out that thermal power units of TPPNT are ready for production, but the question is whether Serbia and EPS are ready to implement the solutions which guarantee the energy stability and satisfactory working, social and economic statusof the employees.