The Sixth Energy Summit (SET) opened in Trebinje, where Milan Aleksić, Advisor for Capital Investments at the Ministry of Mining and Energy, announced that Serbia has entered a new phase of energy sector development, as stated by the ministry.
“With the adoption of the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan for the period up to 2030, with projections until 2050, we have defined the ‘roadmap’ for the energy transition process. In line with the imperative of decarbonization, the most significant changes are expected in electricity production, where the goal is to significantly increase capacities that use renewable energy sources. Our target is to provide an additional 3.5 GW of green energy from solar and wind power plants by the end of this decade, meaning that nearly every second megawatt-hour of electricity produced will come from renewable energy,” said Aleksić.
He emphasized that coal will gradually be replaced with capacities that also utilize domestic energy sources, such as wind power plants, solar power plants, and pumped-storage hydroelectric plants.
“In light of the increase in renewable energy production, Serbia will secure balancing capacities through the construction of new pumped-storage hydroelectric plants. For the RHE Bistrica with a capacity of 650 MW, the project and technical documentation is in the final stages, and construction is expected to begin by the end of this year or the beginning of the next. Additionally, the planned construction of the RHE Đerdap 3 would position Serbia as a regional leader, ensuring long-term energy security and providing balancing and storage capacities for both domestic and regional needs,” Aleksić stated.
He emphasized that to fully phase out fossil fuels, which is the vision for Serbia’s energy sector by 2050, it is necessary to secure sufficient base-load energy capacities, which is why the possibility of introducing nuclear energy has been considered.
Aleksić also pointed out that, alongside the sustainable development of the energy sector, the social component is equally important, which means that the energy transition must be planned responsibly and fairly for those who depend on the energy and mining industries.
“By the end of the year, we will adopt an Action Plan for a just transition, but we will need access to European Union financial funds, as we, along with EU member states, have committed to similar goals,” he concluded.
