The Government of Serbia has expressed interest in taking over the Plandište wind farm project, currently owned jointly by the Oil Industry of Serbia (NIS) and the Swiss-based MET Renewables. This announcement followed a recent meeting of the NIS Board of Directors, during which a new president and vice president were elected.
According to the official statement, the state’s potential involvement would be in collaboration with MET Group from Hungary, with the goal of expanding Serbia’s renewable energy capacities in line with its energy transition strategy. However, no specific details were provided about the terms or structure of the potential takeover.
The Plandište wind farm project began in 2019, when MET Renewables acquired a 50% stake from third parties and partnered with NIS. At the time, it marked the first wind power project for both companies, and the first renewable energy investment by MET outside the European Union.
MET Renewables AG, fully owned by the Swiss MET Group, became an official shareholder on March 19, 2019. The joint venture, named NIS-MET Energowind, is structured with an equal 50-50 ownership split.
The wind farm, located in the municipality of Plandište, is designed to have an installed capacity of 102 megawatts (MW), capable of supplying electricity to approximately 85,000 households. Initial plans anticipated the start of construction in 2019 and full operational status by 2021.
An updated construction permit was issued in 2023, outlining plans for 17 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 6 MW. The facility will be connected to Serbia’s transmission network via a new transformer station and the existing 110 kV power line.
As of July 2023, installation of the wind turbines was scheduled for the second and third quarters of 2024, with the wind farm expected to become operational in early 2025.
