RES Serbia 2022: We Need at Least 5 GW of Energy from Renewable Sources by 2030 – Dreaming of Djerdap 3

Serbia should have at least 5 GW in RES by 2030. The money is there, so it’s only a matter of will and the decision which direction Serbia is to go in – that is the conclusion of the panel held at last week’s RES Serbia 2022 conference.

The plans of EPS for wind farms and solar energy, what Serbia can do to secure energy independence, whether there is energy self-sufficiency at all – these are some of the topics discussed by the participants in the panel titled “The Impact of the Security, Economic and Energy Crisis on the Development of RES Projects”.

Ministry of Energy: Our dream is the Reversible Hydro Power Plant Djerdap 3

The state secretary at the Ministry of Mining and Energy, Jovana Atanackovic, pointed out that the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine had shown how important it was for us to be energy independent.

– The fact is that we are not self-sufficient at the moment and that, because of the low quality of coal, we can’t realize the full capacity. Our youngest thermal power plant is 30 years old, and the oldest one is 70 years old. We also have to rely on other capacities – Atanackovic emphasized.

According to her, it is precisely the state of emergency that the world is in that is forcing us to find solutions.

– It’s not a question of whether we like something or not, but of facing reality. Solutions exist, but we need to start implementing them. The plan is to have 47% of RES in the final consumption by 2030 and that is why we have to build new capacities. We should have at least 5 GW in RES by 2030 and we can no longer wait. We need to work simultaneously in several fields. Our dream is the Reversible Hydro Power Plant Djerdap 3 and we know how to do that – Atanackovic said.

Prosumers important for electric energy saving

Commenting on the green plans of EPS on the development of solar projects and wind farms, Atanackovic pointed out that EPS needed to have its own renewable sources.

– We are looking forward to the new projects that EPS is announcing. EPS should be a pillar and have its own renewable energy sources and it should enter strategic partnerships with the private sector.

As one of the most important projects when it comes to saving electrical energy, Atanackovic highlights the prosumers, producers-consumers of electrical energy.

– A total of 3.8 MW of solar capacities are installed at the moment, whereas 37 MW are in the process of being connected, which is the result in only 6 to 7 months that the institution of a prosumer is being implemented. In the process of transition to RES, the role of citizens is very important – Atanackovic reminds.

Bylaws are ready

Despite the criticism of the expert public about the legal process in the field of RES not being complete, Atanackovic emphasized that the legislative process for the development o RES was not a problem.

– The bylaws are ready. When we know what we want, this will be solved. Money is the smaller problem, the bigger problem is the will, the desire and the decision as to what to do. We can’t be passive. We can’t leave these problems for the future generations to solve – she emphasized.

The deputy director of the Energy Community Secretariat, Dirk Buschle, talked about the importance of joint auctions in the region.

– This may be an unpopular opinion, but energy independence does not exist. Of course, we need to increase the resilience and the autonomy, but through joint forces, and in that sense, we need to consider joint auctions between countries, because it is the regional level that is important – Buschle concluded.

The RES Serbia 2022 conference was organized by the RES Serbia association, with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the organization WindEurope.

The eKapija portal is one of the media sponsors of the conference.

M. D.

Elektrodistribucija Srbije d.o.o. Beograd

Obnovljivi izvori energije Srbije

EBRD Evropska banka za obnovu i razvoj Beograd

WindEurope

Energy Community Secretariat

Dirk Buschle

Jovanka Atanackovic

RES Serbia 2022

solar energy

energy independence

hydro power plant Djerdap 3

electrical energy saving

joint auctions