The Minister of Mining and Energy, Dubravka Đedović Handanović, stated today, at the Kopaonik Business Forum, that Serbia has irreversibly started the process of green transition, but that we must be aware of certain limitations and said that there is no talk of closing the thermal power plant overnight, because that would endanger supply of citizens and the economy and brought our country into energy dependence.
At the “Path to Energy Transition” panel, the Minister pointed out that the process of transformation of EPS and other large state-owned energy companies has begun and will be continued, in order to introduce professional management and greater efficiency of their operations through reforms.
“We managed to turn the story around and change the context and regulatory framework, as well as start an irreversible green transition process in our country.”
But we have to do it responsibly and be aware of the limitations and starting position, which is still ungrateful in terms of our energy mix, because more than 60 percent of us rely on energy from coal”, stated Đedović Handanović.
She said that the goal was to speed up the energy transition, but in a responsible way, so that the process would not come at the expense of energy independence and stability. The minister said that it is therefore important to continue working on alternative routes and sources of supply.
“We initiated reforms in the energy sector, in large public enterprises, regarding management, organization and transformation that cannot happen overnight. You cannot transform a large system in five months, but we have started it.
We need to have energy companies that are professionally managed, but that follow state policy. This is the path we paved through the reform of the EPS, which will be continued”, stated Đedović Handanović. She emphasized that the transition must not endanger the energy supply.
You can’t close thermal power plants overnight because then you have to import energy, and you don’t know what could happen and what the prices will be on the market, added the minister. She said that if you exclusively opt for renewable energy sources, then you become dependent and expose citizens and the economy to market risks.
