Executive Director for Electricity Trading at stateowned power utility EPS Dragan Vlaisacljevic said that Serbia is not planning to build a nuclear power plant on its territory because their construction has been prohibited under the law from 1989.
Vlaisavljevic said that this is the reason why nuclear power is not envisaged in any of the country’s energy development strategies, adding that EPS could easily survive on the market by only using domestic resources – coal, water and renewable sources like wind or sun for electricity generation.
According to him, the increase in electricity production in the next 15 years could be covered with the construction of two power plants and that some obsolete coal-fired unit will have to be shut down, but it will be offset by the modernization of existing coal-fired units and the construction of a new 350 MW unit at TPP Kostolac B.
He stressed that oil company NIS is planning to build combined cycle power plant in Pancevo, whilst the construction of another coal-fired thermal power plant in the Kolubara basin would be beneficial, adding that it is necessary to increase the rate of coal utilization, since coal is the most efficient energy resource.
Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Aleksandar Antic said earlier this week that large investments in the energy sector have been launched and Serbia will have new 1,000 MW in installed capacity by the end of 2020. He reminded that the last major energy facility in Serbia was commissioned over 30 years ago, adding that due to aggressive investment policy in the energy sector, over 3 billion euros will be invested in this investment cycle. According to Antic, out of 1,000 MW currently being built, over 500 MW is in renewable sources, mostly in wind energy – 450 MW. 250 MW of installed capacity in wind energy is expected to be commissioned by the end of this year: 48 MW in Alibunar wind farm, 105 MW in Kovacica wind farm and 105 MW in Cibuk wind farm, while additional 250 MW in wind power will be commissioned in 2019. By 2020, the new coal-fired 350 MW unit at thermal power plant Kostolac B should be commissioned as well.
