Thermal power plants in Serbia will produce electricity obtained from coal until 2050. After that period it will no longer be possible. Until then, it is necessary to maintain those power plants, and when they are no longer operational, it is necessary to find a solution for replacement capacities. A strategy related to this does not exist in Serbia, and it is necessary to come up with it as soon as possible – said Dejan Stojčevski, technical director of the electricity exchange SEEPEX, at a discussion on the state of the Serbian energy sector, organized by the Energy Association and the Center for Local Self-Government.
– In order for there to be investment in the electricity generation sector, it is necessary to establish its market price, which is still a social category in Serbia. Of course, along with determining the market price, the state should provide funds in order to subsidize the accounts of the socially vulnerable population – said Stojčevski.
He added that the state, in order to ensure sufficient electricity in the future, should invest in the construction of nuclear power plants in the area, and in the country it encourages the construction of renewable energy sources, primarily solar panels.
The President of the Union of Energy Engineers, Nikola Rajaković, pointed out that in Serbia, in addition to the large power generation systems that already exist, it is also necessary to build smaller plants and that local self-government plays an important role in this segment.
– It is the local self-government that should work on it. On the one hand, plants would be built that would not pollute the environment, and on the other hand, they would be supplemented with the operation of large systems and ensure the production of the necessary amounts of electricity – emphasized Rajaković.
He added that solar panels and wind farms should be built, but small hydropower plants should not be abandoned either.
He pointed out that the construction of such facilities would enable the local self-government to produce up to a quarter of the electricity needs in Serbia. He also stated that micro plants can be built to produce electricity, for example in resorts and nano plants, for example in residential communities.
Ilija Batas Bjelic, from the Institute of Technical Sciences, SANU, stated that lignite dominates electricity production in Serbia, but that it will not be around forever, and that it needs to find an adequate replacement. In this sense, the development of small power generation facilities at the level of local self-governments is also important. His recommendation to the new Minister of Energy, Dubravka Đedović, is that the emphasis in work should be on the development of renewable energy sources and raising the level of energy efficiency, Danas writes.
