The Government of Serbia has issued a public call to companies from the United States of America to express interest in participating in the implementation of the project Pumped Storage Hydropower Plant Đerdap 3, according to the US Embassy in Serbia.
The public call for expression of interest for participation in the procedure for the selection of a supplier that would become a partner in the implementation of the Pumped Storage Hydropower Plant Đerdap 3 project was published on the website of the US Embassy in Serbia.
Serbia has identified Đerdap 3 as a project of strategic importance for the energy security of the country. It is currently developing another pumped storage HPP project – Bistrica.
According to the embassy, the call has been issued by the government through the Ministry of Mining and Energy. It is based on the agreement between the Serbian government and the government of the USA on strategic cooperation in the field of energy, confirmed by the law on the ratification of the deal, which entered into force on March 28, 2025.
The call is in line with the Rules of Procedure of the Government Working Group for Supplier Selection.
Two phases of the procedure
The selection of the supplier is carried out within the framework of the implementation of the agreement, the call reads.
This call represents the first phase of the procedure in line with the agreement, following the identification of the project by the working group.
Companies that submit a letter of interest in line with this call shall form the “pool of economic operators 2” to whom an invitation to participate in the next phase of the procedure will be sent.
This phase will be organized and conducted by the working group in line with special rules defined by the agreement and the rules within the framework of the Public Procurement Law of Serbia.
The deadline to submit letters of interest to the ministry is June 25, according to the call.
The implementation of the project will be completed by 2036
The project will be located in eastern Serbia, upstream of the Đerdap 1 hydropower plant, operated by state-owned power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), on the section of the Danube river which is the state border with Romania. It is conceived as an open system connecting the Danube with one or more upper reservoirs located in the mountainous massif of Northern Kučaj, on the right bank of the river.
The document shows that the implementation of the project is planned for completion by 2036.
The project was initially conceived with multiple variants of installed capacity and operating regimes, the call reads.
The final configuration, number of units, installed capacity and size of reservoirs will be defined in the next phase of development, through the preparation of the feasibility study and FEED documentation, the document reads.
The selected supplier will have a possibility to deliver the construction works on the project
The development of documentation within the initial contracting phase (FEED phase) envisages various documents, including conceptual design, preliminary design with feasibility study, basic expert reports (geotechnics, hydrology and construction planning), environmental impact assessment studies (EIA and ESIA).
As part of the further procedure, discussions will be held with candidates who enter the next round of negotiations regarding the financing model for the FEED phase, including the possibility of pre-financing certain activities, as well as the method and conditions of cost reimbursement, according to the call.
The duration of the FEED phase contract is approximately 36 months.
The selected supplier will have the possibility to deliver the construction works on the project, subject to final agreement in that respect.
Upon completion of the FEED phase, it is envisaged that further negotiations with the selected supplier will be initiated with a view to potentially concluding a construction contract, the call adds.
