Serbia’s top hospital to boost energy efficiency in EUR 200 million project

The Ministry of Mining and Energy has signed a contract on a project to improve the energy efficiency of the Military Medical Academy (VMA) in Belgrade with Management4health GmbH, a German firm that will act as a consultant on the project, according to a statement from the ministry. The energy rehabilitation of VMA, which will be carried out in three phases over six years, will cost a total of EUR 200 million.

The energy rehabilitation of VMA is a key project in Serbia’s efforts to improve energy efficiency in public buildings, said Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović, adding that the hospital complex consumes as much electricity as a city with 20,000 inhabitants.

The first phase of the project will cost EUR 55 million, and most of the funding, EUR 50 million, is provided by the German development bank KfW, while the remaining EUR 5 million comes as a donation under the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), the ministry said.

KfW has provided a EUR 50 million loan for the first phase

Funds for the next phases of the project will be secured successively, through KfW, while some of the financing may come from the European Union’s (EU) funds. The consultant will, among other things, prepare the complete technical documentation needed to obtain permits and perform the works, help implement the tendering process, and supervise the works works.

The first phase of the project is expected to reduce natural gas consumption at VMA by up to 40% and electricity consumption by up to 30%, while CO2 emissions are expected to be cut by 24,000 tons a year. “The rehabilitation of the VMA will ensure savings equal to the results of the energy rehabilitation of 150 public buildings with an average floor area of ​​1,500 square meters,” said Đedović.

The first phase will reduce electricity consumption by up to 30% and gas consumption by up to 40%

She noted that VMA is one of the largest hospitals in Serbia, built more than 40 years ago, and that the implementation of the project will not only bring huge energy savings and reduce harmful gas emissions, but also improve the quality of services for patients, more than 90% of whom are civilians.

Colonel Miroslav Vukosavljević, head of VMA, said that this energy efficiency project is certainly one of the largest in the country, given the complexity of VMA’s technical and technological systems. He also said that the jobs on the implementation of the project have been and will be awarded to the best.