Vienna summit highlights energy projects, networking

Four regional power grid projects and three key measures for cooperation have been adopted at the Western Balkans Summit in Vienna on August 27, said Janez Kopač, Energy Community Secretariat’s director. He told Serbian portal Euractiv.rs that the European Union pledged EUR 200 million for this year for projects in energy and transport infrastructure.

The interconnection endeavours are the Serbian part of Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor, one of its sections in Montenegro, and two projects for Albania and Macedonia, Kopač stated, adding that the Višegrad–Bistrica line in Bosnia and Herzegovina didn’t make it to the list.

Governments of the Western Balkans agreed to immediately start participating in cross-border power capacity allocation auctions in the Coordinated Auction Office (SEE CAO) in Podgorica, and the activity will be tied to deadlines and access to European funds, he underscored. According to the head of Energy Community, the governments promised to work on the establishment of a regional power and balance power markets, including obligations concerning price deregulation and abolishment of some legal and technical obstacles.