Photo: Emilija Jovanović
Serbia’s distribution system operator Elektrodistribucija Srbije and the European Investment Bank have signed an agreement on an EUR 80 million loan for the purchase and installation of around 400,000 smart electricity meters.
The loan agreement was signed by Vjekoslav Bobar, Director of the Business System at Elektrodistribucija Srbije (EDS), and Lionel Rapaille, Director of the Department for Enlargement and Neighbourhood at the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Dubravka Đedović Handanović, Serbia’s Minister of Mining and Energy, said the loan would be used to replace around 400,000 existing meters.
“This will create the conditions to additionally reduce electricity losses and introduce more efficient consumption management, which is especially important during heat waves we are experiencing these days when the consumption is above-average,” she said.
More than 360,000 smart meters already installed
The minister added that meter reading errors would be reduced and the integration of renewable energy sources made easier. All firms and households wishing to install solar panels to become prosumers must also install smart meters.
The existing electricity meters will be replaced in Kruševac, Užice, Vranje, Mladenovac, Prokuplje, Leskovac, Jagodina, Valjevo, Smederevo, Šabac, and Lazarevac.
According to Đedović Handanović, the European Union has already donated EUR 110 million for replacing 523,000 measuring devices, with more than 360,000 installed to date.
Households and firms will be able to monitor and manage their consumption
Serbia also secured a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for the installation of more than 600,000 smart meters.
She explained that all data on electricity consumption will be in one place, while households and businesses will be able to monitor their consumption and manage it more efficiently. The system will monitor changes in the consumption and indicate possible malfunctions or problems to help fix them more quickly, the minister added.
According to EIB Vice-President Robert de Groot, the loan is a testimony to the EIB’s commitment to enhancing sustainable connectivity in Serbia, in line with the EIB’s role as the EU climate bank and the country’s green transition goals.
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