Investors can bid to install 100 MW solar power plant in Sokolac in BiH

A commission set up to prepare the process for awarding a concession for the construction of a 100 MW solar power plant in Sokolac in the Republic of Srpska has determined the location. It occupies over 150 hectares of municipal land near the village of Bjelosavljevići.

A commission formed by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining of Republic of Srpska has visited the proposed location for the solar power plan, the Municipality of Sokolac said. The investment in the 100 MW photovoltaic project in the east of Bosnia and Herzegovina is valued at more than EUR 100 million.

The local authority offered 150 to 200 hectares of uncultivated municipal land for the facility. It is near the village of Bjelosavljevići.

A firm called EnerState, headquartered in Sokolac and owned by Enerstate Holding from Graz, Austria, submitted a request to get the concession. It is an affiliate of Profine Group from Germany. Just this week Profine Energy said it would build two solar power plants with a combined capacity of 550 MW in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, with battery storage systems.

In Bulgaria, it is developing a floating solar power project with an expected capacity of 500 MW to 1.5 GW.

The municipality will initiate the concession procedure

The municipality said it would initiate the procedure for awarding the contract. The initiative got clearance from all the responsible authorities so far, leaving only the necessary consent from the Public Attorney’s Office of the Republic of Srpska for the use of land owned by the entity or by the local community, the commission said. Its member Nada Milovčević recalled that the concession fee amounts to 0.28 eurocents per kilowatt-hour and that the municipality is entitled to 95% of the sum.

The Republic of Srpska is one of the two political entities in the country, the other one being the Federation of BiH.

The competent ministry has the authority to sign the contract with the most favorable bidder.

Sokolac Mayor Milovan Bjelica said his administration has been preparing the project for four years. A study on the potential of solar energy in Sokolac, conducted by the Independent System Operator in Bosnia and Herzegovina NOSBiH – the country’s transmission system operator, has shown that up to 140 MW can be installed, but that the local overhead power line can only accommodate a maximum of 110 MW, he added.

The local administration has been preparing the project for four years

A year ago, two consortia expressed interest in the solar power project in Sokolac. The municipality previously negotiated with other potential investors.