Serbian president: Serbia will shut down its coal power plants when Poland does

Serbia is under pressure to lose its energy security, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić said, adding he would not allow the country, which is now an exporter of electricity, to become the biggest importer. Serbia has lignite and it will not give it up, while coal power plants will be shut down when Poland does the same, Vučić claimed.

Aleksandar Vučić, the President of Serbia, said ecology has become the number one topic in Serbia, although that there are many more important topics for him. The change demonstrates that people live better, he asserted, but added that Serbia is under additional pressure to lose its energy security.

When Poland is forced to shut down coal-fired power plants, then Serbia will do the same, the president said. Serbia now produces 34 TWh of electricity per year, and consumes 32 TWh, while the rest is exported, he noted.

The construction of HPP Đerdap 3 is being considered

Vučić revealed Serbia is considering the construction of the Đerdap 3 hydropower plant and underscored that he doesn’t see a reason for the project to be opposed by anyone over environmental damage to the Danube river.

The president said Serbia secured additional quantities of natural gas with a new pipeline and added he would not allow the country to become the biggest importer of electricity.

If Serbia aims to become completely clean, it implies losing domestic electricity and power prices that would be several times higher

If Serbia wants to boast of being completely clean, it implies the country would be left without electricity and power prices would be several times higher, while currently it is the cheapest in Europe, Vučić said.

He pointed out that Serbia would sign an agreement with Chicago-based UGT Renewables for the installation of solar panels in order to increase the production of green energy.

Vučić announced all landfills would be remediated within the Serbia 2025 project and that sewer network would be built on the territories of 140 municipal units.

Vučić claims he wouldn’t accept the green agenda context to be used as a way to force independent countries to give up their resources

The president said he wouldn’t accept the green agenda context to be used as a way to put independent countries under pressure to give up their resources.

Serbia has lignite, it doesn’t have gas or oil, so it will not give it up, in his words. Vučić said anyone who wants to tell miners they would lose their jobs is free to do so.

At the end of May, Serbia decided to stop the construction of the Kolubara B thermal power plant, which could be seen as the first serious step in the energy transition. Shortly after that, the Government of Serbia established a council for the decarbonization of the energy sector to make plans for the period through 2050 for the operation of coal-fired power plants.

Poland has decided to phase out coal by 2049.