EPBiH to install 30 MW solar park near Podveležje wind farm

Power utility Elektroprivreda Bosne i Hercegovine (EPBiH) plans to install a 30 MW solar park where the Podveležje wind farm will be put into operation at the beginning of next year. It is the third utility-scale solar power plant in the pipeline in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnia and Herzegovina doesn’t have large solar power plants state-controlled and private companies intend to boost the country’s solar photovoltaic capacities up to 163 MW within a few years. Apart from the investment announced by EPBIH, the Republic of Srpska recently awarded two concessions for the construction of solar power plants – to privately-owned energy trader EFT (60 MW) and state-owned utility Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske (73 MW).

EPBIH is preparing a preliminary design for a solar power plant at the location where the Podveležje wind farm is currently being built

Nermin Džindić, Federal Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry, revealed EPBiH is preparing a preliminary design for a 30 MW solar power plant to be installed on the Podveležje plateau.

EPBiH started building its first wind farm – 48 MW Podveležje wind farm in May at the same location. Džindić said the EUR 74.1 million investment is close to completion and that the start of production is planned for the first quarter of 2021.

As infrastructure for the Podveležje wind farm is already built, less money will be needed for the construction of the solar park

Džindić said the wind farm is one of the most important projects of EPBiH, considering that BiH and, with it, the Federation of BiH, is a signatory of the Energy Community Treaty, implying a commitment to increase the production of electricity from renewable sources.

EPBiH is thus preparing the preliminary design for the said solar park, which will be placed in the same area as the wind farm so that all access roads and other infrastructure built for the construction of the Podveležje wind farm could be used, he said.

It will lower the necessary investment in solar power plant, estimated at between EUR 15 million and EUR 25 million, according to Džindić.