Serbia’s transmission system operator Elektromreža Srbije (EMS) has received a EUR 8.5 million grant for the construction of the fourth section of the Trans-Balkan Corridor. The donation will speed up the completion of the project, aimed at connecting the power systems of Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, BiH and Montenegro and increasing electricity transit.
Jelena Matejić, director of EMS, said that the grant from the European Union (EU) under the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) is a big step in the development of the fourth section of the Trans-Balkan Corridor for electricity transmission.
The Trans-Balkan Corridor, which she called the largest in the history of EMS, is worth EUR 200 million, with two sections completed so far, while the construction of a third is to start during the next year.
The fourth section will be financed by KfW loan
The fourth section involves the construction of a 400 kV interconnecting transmission line from the Bajina Bašta substation to the borders with BiH and Montenegro. The start of works is expected in the first half of 2025, and completion in 2027, EMS said.
Matejić stressed the importance of the corridor for Serbia, the region, and the EU, and reminded that on December 30 last year, a loan agreement for financing the fourth section was signed with the German development bank KfW worth EUR 30 million.
The Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović said the construction of the final section of the Trans-Balkan Corridor is another step towards increasing energy stability and the security of supply for citizens and companies in Serbia.
The Trans-Balkan Corridor is also important for the construction of RHE Bistrica
According to Đedović, the project is also important for the construction of pumped-storage hydropower plant RHE Bistrica, an investment in the pipeline. She announced that additional investments in the transmission system are planned – the construction of the Pannonian corridor through Vojvodina, and the strengthening of the grid in the central part of Serbia and interconnections with Bulgaria and BiH.
Apart from minister Dubravka Đedović and EMS director Jelena Matejić, the donation contract was signed by Minister for European Integration Tanja Miščević and director of KfW Office in Belgrade Rudiger Hartmann.
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