Starting from July 1 this year, the Vinča Thermal Power Plant officially commenced energy production from waste collected across 15 municipalities in Belgrade, announced the operating company.
Under a public-private partnership agreement signed with the City of Belgrade back in September 2017, a consortium including the French Veolia Group, Japanese ITOCHU, and the pan-European fund MARGUERITE from Luxembourg formed Beo Čista Energija to manage the facility. This partnership oversees the design, construction, financing, and operation of the new waste management center in Vinča, dedicated to handling municipal and construction waste.
According to the announcement, Beo Čista Energija, in collaboration with the Belgrade Environmental Protection Secretariat and support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the Development Bank of Austria (OeEB), has established several new plants. These include facilities for communal waste management and thermal treatment, aimed at generating green electrical and heat energy from up to 340,000 tons of municipal waste annually (equivalent to 43.6 tons per hour).
“This initiative will supply electricity to five percent and heat energy to ten percent of households in Belgrade,” stated Beo Čista Energija.
Beyond energy production, the waste treatment process is expected to substantially reduce landfill deposits. Coupled with efforts to collect and purify leachate from landfills and reuse processed construction and demolition waste, the project aims to improve environmental conditions in Belgrade significantly. It is projected to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 210,000 tons of equivalent carbon dioxide (CO2) annually.
“By gearing up for EXPO 2027, Belgrade has now joined other European capitals in taking responsibility for its environment,” emphasized Ivana Vilotijević, Secretary of the Secretariat for Environmental Protection. “As of today, the City Administration of Belgrade is harnessing municipal waste to produce heat and electricity, demonstrating its commitment to citizens, the city, and the Republic of Serbia.”
General Directors Vladimir Milovanović, Aleksandar Obradović, and Katsuhiko Hošikava of Beo Čista Energija highlighted the project’s challenges during construction but stressed its environmental benefits. They noted that these advanced waste treatment and management facilities position Belgrade as a leader among cities in the region.
