NIS piloting solar power project at petrol stations across Serbia

Oil and gas company NIS has launched a pilot project to develop a network of solar power plants, installing photovoltaic panels on eight filling stations across Serbia. The project is valued at RSD 22 million.

By opening a 25 kW solar power plant at its Gazprom-branded filing station Stari Banovci, on the Belgrade-Novi Sad highway, NIS became the third commercial prosumer in Serbia. The contractor that designed and built the solar power plant is Serbian firm Green Energy 360.

NIS estimates that the eight solar power plants will enable it to reduce electricity purchases by nearly 300 MWh a year and deliver some 40 MWh to the grid and cut CO2 emissions by 375 tons annually, according to a statement from the company.

NIS will reduce electricity purchases by 300 MWh a year

The company’s decision to launch the project was driven by sustainable development principles and corporate green agenda goals, which include investing in renewable energy sources to reduce CO2 emissions and global warming.

Solar panels have also been installed at NIS’ Gazprom-branded filling stations Krnješevci, Novi Beograd (formerly Dejton), Preljina 2, Velika Plana-autoput, Kragujevac 7 – Elektrošumadija, Blok 45, as well as its NIS Petrol-branded station Gornji Milanovac 2.

NIS is considering installing solar panels at its oil refinery in Pančevo, office buildings, and storage facilities

NIS is also considering installing solar panels at its oil refinery in Pančevo, office buildings in Belgrade and Novi Sad, and fuel storage facility in Novi Sad.

Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Zorana Mihajlović, who attended the opening of the first of the eight solar power plants at the Stari Banovci filling station, said the project set an example for businesses in Serbia seeking to achieve energy self-sufficiency. She noted that NIS would save up to 15% of energy at this filling station alone.

NIS CEO Kirill Tyurdenev said that by installing the solar power plants, the company continued to pursue its green agenda and invest in renewable energy.

Komatović, Green Energy 360: after five years electricity becomes free

Vladan Komatović, CEO of Green Energy 360, says the company is honored to be a partner of a company like NIS. The Stari Banovci filling station is among NIS’ retail outlets that have become part of the prosumer scheme, he said, explaining that the station is part of a pilot project that involves the installation of eight solar photovoltaic power plants.

Energy prices on the global market are rising, making it the perfect time for businesses to install solar panels and start producing electricity for their own needs, said Komatović. The technology has become cheaper, but Serbia has also completed the regulatory framework needed for such projects, he noted.

More and more companies in Serbia are opting to install solar power plants, Komatović said, adding that such an investment pays off after five years when the investor gets free electricity until the end of the power plant’s operating life.