Two mini hydro projects in southeast Serbia need no impact assessment

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Serbia said there is no need for environmental impact assessments for small hydropower plants Topli Dol 1 and Selište.

The first system should be installed on Rekitska river within the Stara planina nature park in the municipality of Pirot in the country’s southeast. The expected capacity is 350 kW, and the developer is Gornjak d. o. o. from Belgrade. The same company also filed for the Selište facility of 500 kW on Kaluđerska river in Pirot.

Both developers are obligated to apply all procedures and measures prescribed by law and observe environmental standards for their activity, respecting deadlines, the documents said. The measures include protection from erosion, minimum water flow, and enabling migration of fish. The nature park is a significant habitat of butterflies, plants and the brown trout.