Earlier this year, Minister of Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlovic said that state-owned power utility EPS will invest 500 million euros in the construction desulfurization facilities at its coal-fired TPPs.
Serbian Ministry of Environmental Protection said that coal-fired thermal power plants are among the biggest polluters in the country, however, the installation of desulfurization facilities can significantly reduce emissions of sulfur-dioxide.
The first such facility was installed at TPP Kostolac B in 2017 and the Minister of Environmental Protection Irena Vujovic claims that SO2 emissions of B1 unit were reduced by 115 times and those of B2 unit by 40 times.
Minister Vujovic said that the construction of such systems brings Serbia closer to EU standards, since the facilities are built according to all European standards and has all the necessary approvals from the Ministry of Environmental Protection, significantly reducing air pollution in Serbia. She added hat the reduction of pollution from obsolete and large plants is in line with the National Emission Reduction Plan (NERP) adopted by the Government last year.
The project for the installation of desulfurization facility at Serbia’s largest TPP complex Nikola Tesla. The project for TPP Nikola Tesla A is expected to be completed in mid-2023, while the project for TPP Nikola Tesla B has been launched in late 2020. The installation of desulfurization unit is also planned for TPP Kostolac A.