Gradiška municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina utilizes biomass for district heating since last year through a concession, proving that the technology increases energy independence, stimulates employment and attracts investment, while cutting carbon dioxide emissions, participants at a regional workshop learned, Euractiv.rs reported.
The event named ‘How to Strengthen the Usage of Bioenergy in the Balkans Region’ was organised by Serbian Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection and the international cooperation organization GIZ from Germany and its programme ‘Development of a Sustainable Bioenergy Market in Serbia’ (DKTI). The example of Gradiška shows heating can be provided at the same price from domestic resources, however no facilities in Serbia use biomass for such a purpose, participants said.
The purpose of the regional workshop was to enable regional policymakers and professionals to identify regional advantages for bioenergy utilization in Balkans, to elaborate on common challenges and propose necessary activities and measures for the improvement of the framework conditions for the usage of bioenergy within the region, according to DKTI.
The event gathered representatives of the state administration, municipal authorities and the private sector, those interested in the development of the bioenergy market in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Croatia, Serbian National Biomass Association – SERBIO reported.
Thomas Michel, DKTI programme leader, said the goals of its activities are to support heating plants to switch to biomass, and to help more efficient use of wood as fuel in households.
