Photo: mike wolf from Pixabay
Power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) plans to build ten hydropower plants on the Ibar river in a 55-kilometer stretch between cities Raška and Kraljevo, in the southwestern part of Serbia. The company has launched a tender for the preparation of investment and technical documentation for the construction.
The construction of ten hydropower plants (HPPs) on the Ibar river is known as the Ibarske Hidroelektrane project. It is not new, and EPS intended to implement it with Italy’s Seci Energia more than 13 years ago. In December 2010, the two companies established the joint venture Ibarske Hidroelektrane for the design, build and operation of the power plants.
Back then the total capacity of the power plant was projected at 103 MW, while the investment was estimated at almost EUR 300 million. The joint venture was closed in April last year.
The Ibar hydropower potential is one of the most important unused hydropower potentials in Serbia
Now, EPS said that the hydropower potential of the Ibar is one of the most significant untapped hydro potentials in Serbia. The deadline for submitting bids is April 12.
The adopted concept of using the potential of the Ibar river implies the construction of ten run-of-river hydropower plants, in line with the Spatial Plan of the Republic of Serbia and the Water Management Foundation of the Republic of Serbia, the company said.
EPS wants to establish the feasibility for the construction of the HPP system on the Ibar
EPS intends to build the following power plants: Lakat, Maglič, Dobre Strane, Bela Glava, Gradina, Cerje, Glavica, Ušće, Gokčanica and Bojanići.
The aim of the preparation of documentation is the create a foundation for the utilization of the hydropower potential of the Ibar river, with the appropriate development and protection of the river as a water, energy, traffic, cultural and tourist corridor, in order to create preconditions for the realization of national development goals.
EPS also wants to determine the spatial, ecological, social, financial, market and economic feasibility of the HPPs’ construction. The results of the studies will enable a decision on the continuation of the project, EPS added.
Construction should be financed with loans from international financial institutions
The prepared documentation will also serve as the technical basis for announcing a tender for the selection of contractors.
The construction contract would include the design and construction, with the starting point being the revised conceptual design, and the current environmental impact assessment study, the tender documentation reads.
EPS stated that it is likely that the construction will be financed with loans from international financial institutions, so the preparation of the documentation will create appropriate studies, which are usually a necessary condition for the loan agreement.
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