Agro-biomass stock centre may lure energy investment

The construction of a regional public depository for agricultural residues and pellet is financed by Serbia’s province of Vojvodina with RSD 142 million (EUR 1.15 million). The Municipality of Apatin provided and equipped a nine hectare site in Prigrevica for boxes to stockpile the biomass, according to media reports. Instead of burning the residues or leaving them to the elements, farmers will be able to store the fuel at the centre and supply agro-pellet factories.

The area west of provincial capital Novi Sad has 200,000 hectares of arable surface, producing one million tonnes of raw biomass. The warehouse will have the capacity of 37,500 cubic metres and it is estimated it will be able to absorb a third of residues from farming. The warehouse project could bring 50 jobs.

Municipality head Živorad Smiljanić said he expects the first unit to be finished within four months. He added the move will enable the establishment of a pellet factory, while that the local authority got an offer for a big energy producing facility which would use excess hot water in 20 hectares of greenhouses. Biomass is Serbia’s petroleum, said Bojan Pajtić, prime minister in the provincial government.