Belgrade offers coal-for-power swap to Prishtina

Belgrade will offer electricity to Prishtina in exchange for coal, but otherwise it is ready to pay for coal, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić said.

Serbia is doing everything to secure sufficient quantities of coal for the production of electricity in thermal power plants operated by the power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS). The Government of Serbia has allowed the company to import four million tons by the end of 2023, and contracts have already been signed with the Montenegrin Pljevlja mine and the Banovići mine in BiH.

Now President Aleksandar Vučić says that he would offer Priština a barter arrangement for the delivery of lignite in exchange for electricity, but added that Serbia could also pay for the fuel.

The agreed deliveries of coal from the Banovići mine are enough to produce electricity for five days

Serbia is ready to talk about it, Vučić added.

He recently stated that the daily coal production was 60,000-62,000 tons, but that up to 95,000 tons are needed in the winter. Now he noted that the delivery of 100,000 tons has been agreed with the Banovići mine, saying it would be enough for five days in wintertime as it means that domestic production of 70,000 tons would be increased by 20,000 tons.

Serbia is offering food to everyone, Vučić stated, arguing no one has it in sufficient quantities like his country.