The use of renewable sources and the production of wind energy in Serbia began almost a decade ago. According to Danijela Isailovic, manager of the Association “Renewable Energy Sources of Serbia”, which was founded by the companies owning WPP Cibuk 1, Kovačcca and Alibunar, with the financial support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, eight wind farms with a total capacity of 398 MW have been built so far.
– The first turbine with a capacity of 0.5 MNJ was built in Tutin in 2012, and all other wind farms in our country are located in Vojvodina, in the municipalities of Alibunar, Kovin, Kovacica, Vrsac and Kula – says Danijela Isailovic. – The total value of the built wind farms is around 800 million euros, and the investors are large world companies: “Masdar” from the United Arab Emirates, “Taaleri” from Finland, “Englicht” from Israel, “Elicio” from Belgium, as well as Serbian-Italian MK Fintel.
She also points out that these investors, satisfied with the investment environment, are developing new projects, and that the Israeli company “Englicht”, which recently obtained an energy permit for the wind farm “Pupin”, which will be built near the Kovacica Wind Farm, has reached the farthest.
– There is a huge interest in the development of wind farms in Serbia, and it is estimated that there are as many as 4 GW projects in development, ie ten times more wind farms than there are now. Of course, it is not realistic for everyone to be built, but considering that this is a very expensive business, these data show that Serbia is a good place to invest in this area – says Danijela Isailovic.
Our interlocutor points out that the construction of a wind farm in Plandiste should be expected in the near future, and that JP Elektroprivreda Srbije should start the construction of a wind farm in Kostolac, with a capacity of 66 MW.
– Apart from green energy, the construction of the Kostolac wind farm will be an excellent message from the state and PE EPS to take care of environmental protection and green energy production – Isailovic points out.
According to our interlocutor, the Kosava area of South Banat is the most interesting for investors, primarily because of the wind, but also because of the accessibility of the terrain and good road and communal infrastructure. – Vojvodina is still the most desirable place to invest, so new projects are being developed in Pancevo, Alibunar, Kovacica, Kovin, Vrsac and Subotica, but also in the area of Kikinda – Bashaid wind farm. However, it should be noted that the construction of wind farms outside Vojvodina, on the territory of Homolje, can be expected. The Crni vrh wind farm is in development, the Krivasa WPP has all the permits, and there is also the Nika Voda project – points out the manager of the RES Association of Serbia.
Good cooperation with local communities
Wind farms are very useful for the municipalities in which they are built and are therefore well accepted in local communities, says Danijela Isailovic, pointing out that tens of kilometers of local roads have been built that will remain in the permanent ownership of the municipality after the completion of wind farms.
– Thus, for example, the companies owning WPP Cibuk 1, Kovacica and Alibunar undertook to give two percent of their annual profit to the municipalities where they work for the needs of projects in the field of communal infrastructure, health, education, so this winter a boiler was bought and heating repaired in the elementary school “Dusan Jerkovic” in Banatski Karlovac – says Danijela Isailovic. – Also, the property tax from the wind farm flows into the municipal treasury, so Kovacica Wind Farm pays about half a million euros in taxes annually, which is a significant percentage of the municipal budget.
Danijela Isailovic points out that the Law on Renewable Energy Sources, which was recently adopted by the Government of Serbia and which should be confirmed in the Republic Parliament, is important for most new projects.
– The law introduces the concept of auction, which will be regulated in more detail by regulations. In the future, investors will compete at auctions for feed-in premiums, ie there will no longer be guaranteed feed-in tariffs. In practice, this means more risk and less money for investors. However, having in mind that the price of technology has dropped significantly, and that now less money is needed for the construction of the wind farm than in 2017 and 2018, we are sure that there will be interested competitors at auctions – Danijela Isailovic points out, Dnevnik reports.
