Serbian oil company NIS installs 6.8 MW solar power plant

Gazprom-owned Serbian oil refiner and service station chain NIS commissioned its ground-mounted 6.8 MW solar power plant. It is one of the biggest in the country.

The new solar power plant within the oil derivatives storage complex in Novi Sad, Serbia, is delivering its entire output into the power distribution network for commercial sales, NIS said after putting the facility into operation. It is expected to generate 8.7 GWh per year, which is equivalent to the needs of 2,000 households.

The oil company revealed that the peak capacity is 6.8 MW. With the new unit, NIS has tripled its overall photovoltaic capacity.

There are 78 on roofs of its petrol stations in Serbia. The solar power plant at NIS’s drinking water plant Jazak has 620 kW in peak capacity. One part is on the ground and the other on the roof.

The new unit’s entire output is for commercial sales

Rooftop PV systems in the oil derivatives storage complex have 585 kW in peak capacity. The one on the office building in Arse Teodorovića street, also in Serbia’s second-largest city, has a 100 kW peak. The system on the roofs of six structures within the company’s oil refinery in Pančevo has 610 kW in peak capacity.

The projected annual production of the entire 11.3 MW in peak capacity is 13.5 GW. Greenhouse gas savings are estimated at 15,000 carbon dioxide equivalent per year, NIS said.

Its newest solar power plant is one of the largest in Serbia. It consists of nearly 12,000 modules, on ten hectares. The facility has 18 inverters of 330 kW each, translating to almost 6 MW in maximum delivery of alternating current into the network.

“With the materialization of this project, NIS is continuing with the diversification of its operations and the implementation of its strategic commitments regarding the green agenda. It is expanding its activities in the energy efficiency segment and taking significant steps in the energy transition process,” NIS’s Energy Manager Rastislav Kragić stated.

Of note, Gazprom is in talks with MOL on selling its majority stake in NIS. According to Serbian officials, the Hungarian company would run it under a joint venture with Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC).