The renewable energy pipeline in Serbia’s southern Banat region has advanced with the issuance of an environmental permit for the planned Banat 2 wind farm near Alibunar, marking a significant regulatory milestone for one of the larger wind projects currently under development in the country. The competent authorities of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina approved the Environmental Impact Assessment study for the project, confirming that the development can proceed under defined environmental conditions and mitigation measures.
The environmental study for the project was prepared by the consultancy ECOlogica URBO d.o.o. from Kragujevac, which carried out the technical and ecological analysis required for the permitting process. The project itself is being developed by Vetroelektrana Banat 2 d.o.o. Alibunar, a special-purpose project company established specifically to develop and manage the wind farm.
According to the project documentation, the planned wind power plant will consist of up to 25 wind turbines, each with a maximum individual capacity of 8 megawatts, giving the project a potential total installed capacity of up to 140 megawatts. At this scale, Banat 2 would become one of the larger wind energy installations in Serbia once constructed.
The development concept includes not only the installation of turbines but also the full infrastructure required to support wind farm operations. Each turbine will be installed on a reinforced concrete foundation and connected through an internal medium-voltage cable network linking the turbines across the wind farm area. Access roads will be constructed to allow installation and maintenance of the turbines, while service platforms and operational infrastructure will be built to support long-term plant operation.
Modern turbines of this class typically have hub heights exceeding 100 meters, with total structure heights including blades reaching approximately 200 to 250 meters. These dimensions allow the turbines to capture stronger and more stable wind flows at higher altitudes, improving energy output and increasing the wind farm’s capacity factor.
The Banat 2 project is part of a broader wind energy development zone in the municipality of Alibunar, which has emerged as one of the most attractive locations for wind power generation in Serbia. The flat terrain of the Banat plain, combined with consistent wind flows influenced by the regional Košava wind system, creates favorable conditions for wind energy production.
Earlier planning initiatives envisioned the creation of a wider Banat wind energy complex composed of several wind projects within the same geographical area. Among these is the Banat 1 wind farm, located in the cadastral area of Vladimirovac, which together with Banat 2 forms part of a potential multi-phase renewable energy cluster. The combined capacity of projects planned within the broader Banat development corridor could exceed 300 megawatts once all phases are implemented.
The company responsible for the Banat 2 project, Vetroelektrana Banat-2 d.o.o., was established in 2019 as a dedicated development vehicle. The company is owned by Windfarm Banat 2 Holding B.V., which is associated with the European renewable energy developer WindVision, a company active in wind energy development across several countries in Central and Southeast Europe.
The use of special-purpose project companies is common in renewable energy development, allowing developers to structure project financing, permitting and operational management separately from their broader corporate activities. This structure also facilitates project-level financing, often involving banks, infrastructure funds and institutional investors once construction begins.
Securing environmental approval represents one of the most important regulatory steps in the development of a wind project. Before construction can begin, developers must complete a sequence of permitting procedures including spatial planning approvals, environmental assessments, grid connection agreements and final construction permits. The environmental permit confirms that the project’s potential impact on wildlife, land use, noise and local communities has been assessed and that appropriate mitigation measures are in place.
If constructed at the planned capacity of up to 140 megawatts, Banat 2 would rank among the larger wind farms in Serbia’s electricity system. Existing projects such as Čibuk 1, with an installed capacity of 158 megawatts, and Kovačica, with 105 megawatts, currently represent the largest operational wind farms in the country.
Wind power has become one of the fastest-growing segments of Serbia’s electricity sector. The country currently operates more than 500 megawatts of installed wind capacity, while additional projects totaling several gigawatts are in different stages of development, permitting or grid connection planning.
The concentration of wind projects in the Banat region reflects both favorable natural conditions and proximity to transmission infrastructure operated by the national grid operator EMS (Elektromreža Srbije). Transmission lines crossing Vojvodina provide relatively accessible connection points for large renewable energy installations, allowing electricity generated by wind farms to be transported toward major consumption centers in Serbia and neighboring countries.
The development of wind power capacity also forms part of Serbia’s broader energy transition strategy. The country’s electricity system remains heavily dependent on coal-fired power plants, which historically have provided the majority of domestic electricity generation. Expanding renewable energy capacity, including wind and solar power, is therefore seen as an important step toward reducing carbon emissions while improving long-term energy security.
Projects such as Banat 2 demonstrate the increasing involvement of international renewable energy developers in Serbia’s energy market. Foreign investment has played a major role in the development of the country’s wind sector over the past decade, bringing financing, engineering expertise and project management capabilities required for large-scale renewable energy infrastructure.
With environmental clearance now secured, the Banat 2 wind farm moves into the next stage of development. The upcoming phases will include final technical design, grid connection arrangements and the structuring of project financing necessary for construction. Once these steps are completed, the project could become one of the key additions to Serbia’s growing wind energy portfolio, further strengthening the Banat region’s role as the country’s primary wind energy corridor.
