The investment plan made by our ministry includes projects in mining and energy worth 17 billion euros, because a large thermal or hydroelectric power plant has not been built in our country for three decades.
The current energy crisis in Europe and the world has not bypassed our country either, but the situation in Serbia is stable because we have enough energy to supply citizens, as well as industry. At the moment, the problem is the prices at which we will procure natural gas and electricity in the coming months, said Zorana Mihajlovic, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mining and Energy.
“Forecasts are that there will be similar disturbances in the coming years, and it is important that we learn lessons from this crisis and that our public companies understand that they must be more efficient and more responsibly plan repairs of existing capacities and investments, as well as energy procurement. It is known that the rise in the price of gas started in May. This means that there was enough time for “Srbijagas” to provide additional quantities of gas, at least for the period until the end of this year, and under far more favorable conditions than the current ones, because we would save gas in the storage in Banatski Dvor. It was also known that the overhaul in the Thermal Power Plant “Nikola Tesla” B1 would follow, and it was realistic for EPS to think earlier how to provide energy during the overhaul works – either by production in its power plants or through contracts with other producers and suppliers under more favorable conditions that are now on the market,” says Minister Mihajlovic.
What is planned in Serbia to improve such a situation?
The investment plan made by our ministry includes projects in mining and energy worth as much as 17 billion euros, because no large thermal or hydroelectric power plant has been built in Serbia in the last three decades. We need new large and medium-sized hydropower plants, gas power plants, as well as significantly greater use of renewable energy sources in order to be energy safe.
What is the significance of the opening of the Cukaru Peki mine?
The deposit Cukaru Peki upper zone is one of the richest deposits of copper and gold ore in the world, and “Zijin mining has invested 474 million dollars in the new mine near Bor. It will be the first green mine in Serbia, with the application of the most modern technologies and the highest standards in the field of environmental protection. Thus, at some point, Serbia will become the second largest producer of copper in Europe, right after Poland, and our share in the production of this ore will increase from five to 18 percent. And in terms of gold production, we will get closer to Finland, which is the largest producer of this precious metal in Europe. In addition, it should be known that copper, together with lithium, is one of the critical mineral raw materials that will be used in all new technologies that include decarbonization. Our country has huge reserves of these strategically important metals and is important for Serbia’s positioning in the world in the future. This especially refers to lithium, where the goal is for Serbia not only to be an exporter of raw materials, but to develop the entire production chain, including electric batteries and electric cars.
A large number of citizens still heat with electricity in the winter months. Can our energy system withstand that?
At the moment, Serbia is about four times less energy efficient than the EU average, which means that we throw the entire production of one thermal power plant “out the window” every year. Increasing energy efficiency is important for every household, because that way you reduce your bills, just as the industry has to take into account energy consumption. Through the energy efficiency program, by the end of the year, carpentry will be replaced in 67 municipalities, insulation will be improved or new heating boilers will be installed. At the beginning of next year, a new public call will be announced for the replacement of carpentry in all other local governments, and in almost 40 municipalities, citizens will be able to install solar panels with the support of the state and become buyers – producers of electricity. If we continue to invest, in three years we can expect to reduce the consumption of electricity and heat in Serbia by as much as 20 percent.
Do citizens rightly fear that the transition to green energy will mean the shutdown of existing energy capacities?
The essence of all our laws, strategies and investment plans in the energy sector is for Serbia to be energy secure. We must prepare for the future, in which the energy of the sun, wind, as well as green hydrogen will play a much more important role. Due to energy stability, new gas power plants, reversible hydropower plants and energy storage facilities will also be needed. That is the path that the whole world is taking and that Serbia should follow, if we want to develop and live in a healthy environment. Of course, that does not mean that we will give up other energy capacities, especially not overnight. If we do not want to lag behind as a country, we must jump into the “train” of green energy transition as soon as possible, Politika reports.
