Despite concerns raised by the Greek Institute for Energy of Southeast Europe about the risk of blackouts in the Balkans due to the growing share of renewable energy sources, experts say that Serbia is not facing an immediate threat to its power system.
Jelica Putniković, editor of the portal Energija Balkana, told RTS that Serbia’s power grid remains stable, even during last year’s regional incident that affected Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and parts of Greece.
Serbia was not affected by the blackout and even provided assistance to neighboring countries. Putniković noted that the Electric Power Industry of Serbia (EPS) and Elektromreža Srbije played a key role in stabilizing the system in the region.
She explained that solar and wind energy are only produced under certain conditions, and if generation exceeds consumption, it can put stress on the grid. However, Serbia has experience in quickly responding to disruptions, preventing wider system failure.
Marijan Rančić from the Renewable Energy Sources Association of Serbia also stated that the country is not in danger, although risks are increasing with the growing complexity of power systems.
He pointed to an official report from the Association of Transmission System Operators of Europe about last year’s breakdown, which originated from two transmission line failures in Montenegro and between Greece and Albania, leading to a cascading system failure.
Rančić stressed that while renewable energy can be a contributing factor, it was not the sole cause of blackouts such as the one in Spain. He emphasized the need for balanced systems with adequate backup resources.
According to the Athens institute, Elektromreža Srbije was even described as one of the most stable operators in the region. Both Putniković and Rančić concluded that Serbia currently does not have too many renewable sources to pose a risk, and its energy infrastructure remains reliable.
