The Energy Community Secretariat said that it expects that the Serbian section of the TransBalkan Electricity Corridor will be completed in 2018.
On the one-year anniversary since the start of its construction, the Secretariat welcomed the progress achieved on the Serbian part of 400 kV overhead interconnection line between Serbia and Romania, a key component of the Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor. It is envisaged that the corridor will link Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Romania via a 400 kV transmission line and Montenegro and Italy via a submarine cable.
The first suspension towers, which will connect the power transmission systems of Serbia and Romania, were already construction and Serbian section should be completed by 2018, while the entire corridor is expected to go live in 2022.
Last month, Serbian electricity transmission system operator EMS has signed an agreement with German KfW Bank on a loan for the construction of a part of Trans-Balkan corridor, namely Kragujevac-Kraljevo section. The loan worth 15 million euros will provide funds for the second section of the first phase of Trans-Balkan corridor construction in Serbia. The loan repayment period is 12 years, with a grace period of three years, while the guarantees are provided by the Government of Serbia. At the same time, an agreement on a grant of 6.5 million euros under the Investment Framework for Western Balkans (WBIF) was also signed. The remainder of the funds needed for the construction of this section will be provided by EMS.
Meanwhile, Italian company Terna announced that the laying of the entire submarine DC cable between Montenegro and Italy, namely between the Balkans and the European Union, has been completed. The complete project for electricity connection between Italy and Montenegro should be completed by the end of next year. The total length of the cable between Pescara in Italy and cape Jaz in Montenegro is 455 kilometers, of which 433 kilometers are underwater. Terna started the laying of 136 kilometers of the cable from the Italian coast in the beginning of 2015, while the laying of 157 kilometers of cable from the Montenegrin side has been completed in December 2016.
The Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor will improve the functioning and reliability of the overall electricity system in the region and facilitate integration of energy from renewable sources.
