Minister Antić: Serbia’s power sector balancing between coal and renewables

Serbia is going to have to invest between EUR 700 and 900 million in the power facilities it plans to continue using after the year 2020 in order to get its energy sector in line with all European Union directives, Serbian Mining and Energy Minister Aleksandar Antić said. Speaking at the Green Forum “Power companies and green energy “, he recalled that Serbia’s energy system relies heavily on coal which is used in most of the existing facilities.

Antić said that Serbia has to reach the level of high efficiency facilities with environmental protection systems and added that filters have been installed on all boilers which will continue operating after 2020.

The minister said that the debate on whether to use coal or not is senseless. We have to realize that the current energy system relies on coal which provides the stability of the system but that our future is an active approach to renewable energy sources, he said.

Antić said Serbia’s power system would get the first 100 MW of power from renewable sources and that by the year 2020 the national power grid will have some 600 MW from renewable source plants which are under construction and 350 MW from coal-powered plants. I think that is the message about Serbia’s direction, he said.

Of the total of 600 MW from renewable sources, 500 MW will be come from wind farms and the remaining 100 from plants powered by biomass which will also be used to produce heat, Antić said.

He recalled that there are 205 renewable source power plants operating in Serbia with a total installed capacity of 97.5 MW. The figurewill rise to 100 MW in September when the third windfarm becomes operational.

Primary investments in renewable energy sources have to be from private sources since it is clear that the state cannot be the sole investor, the minister said and added that the state provides a clear legal framework and transparent contract on the purchase of power from renewable sources.

The state offers stimulation without limits for all forms of power except solar and wind power, Antić said. He specified that stimulative purchase prices are limited to 500 MW for windfarm power and 10 MW for solar farms. The ministry is considering raising those quotas, especially for solar power because it was set when the cost of producing solar power was high.

Antić said the ministry is also considering green certificates for power plants.