Serbia’s budget fund for improving energy efficiency in 2019 will be worth RSD 500 million (about EUR 4.22 million), which was the fund’s overall value over the past four years, Minister of Mining and Energy Aleksandar Antić said today at the signature of agreements with 14 local governments on budget fund allocations for energy efficiency projects in 2018.

The budget fund was worth RSD 125 million (around EUR 1.06 million) in 2018 and RSD 400 million (some EUR 3.38 million) in the previous three years, and the funding for improving energy efficiency in public buildings is set to swell in 2019, said Antić, according to a statement from the Ministry of Mining and Energy.

“This is an invitation to all of you to prepare for next year, as we will have major tendering procedures. We will be able to cover a large number of municipalities and projects,” said Antić, noting that a return on such investments can be expected within two to three years and that energy efficiency measures implemented in public buildings have produced good results so far, resulting in an average 40% decrease of energy consumption.

Antić also announced that the Energy Efficiency Fund will be formed and have EUR 10 million at its disposal annually, plus EU funding, according to the statement.

Energy efficiency measures have so far been implemented in 39 public buildings in Serbia, soaking RSD 415 million (about EUR 3.5 million) in investment.

14 local governments receive RSD 180 million

The overall value of agreements signed with 14 local governments today is around RSD 180 million (about EUR 1.52 million). The Ministry of Mining and Energy has secured RSD 125 million (some EUR 1.06 million) of the total, with the local governments contributing the rest.

Ministar @AAnticBG potpisao Ugovore za projekte energetske efikasnosti vredne 180 mil.RSD sa predstavnicima 14 lokalnih samouprava
Bela Palanka, Svilajinac, Kanjiža, Irig, Knjaževac, Bosilegrad, Kragujevac, Osečina, Ljubovija, Gadžin Han, Kraljevo, Ćuprija, Krupanj i Velika Plana pic.twitter.com/GMBwYIv6Eo

— mre (@MiningEnergyRS) November 8, 2018

The local governments’ projects, financed from the budget fund for energy efficiency for 2018, were selected as part of a public call that saw 39 local governments apply for funding.

The agreements signed today concern projects implemented by Ljubovija, Gadžin Han, Osečina, Krupanj, Irig, Kraljevo, Kragujevac, Ćuprija, Velika Plana, Svilajnac, Kanjiža, Bela Palanka, Knjaževac and Bosilegrad.