As part of the Ministerial meeting of the High-level Group on Energy Connectivity of Central and Southeastern Europe (CESEC) in Budapest, Serbia’s readiness for winter was discussed.
On that occasion, Dubravka Đedović Handanović, Minister of Mining and Energy, said that although Serbia is energetically ready for the winter, events on the natural gas and electricity market, which are a consequence of events in Ukraine, lead to concerns about gas prices and availability.
According to her, in the last few weeks the price of gas on the TTF increased by about 15 percent and reached 42 euros per megawatt-hour, while the issue of availability is also important for the entire region, especially due to the impact on the growth of electricity prices.
“This summer, we witnessed drastic jumps in electricity prices with a simultaneous shortage of available megawatts, due to the channeling of resources to the supply of Ukraine. Precisely because of this and the announcement that the winter before us will not be as mild as the previous one, I believe that we need a detailed analysis of all possible scenarios and a proposal for measures to protect ourselves from fluctuations in energy and energy prices and their availability. We have to take into account the prices citizens pay and the competitiveness of the economy. The Central and Southeastern Europe region needs a plan and measures today, not in three months,” the minister stressed.
As stated in the official announcement of the ministry, the construction of the gas interconnection with Bulgaria created preconditions for the diversification of supply sources, not only for Serbia, but also for the region and the EU.
The minister pointed out that the development of regional projects continues and that she believes that gas connections with Romania and North Macedonia, with which memorandums of understanding have been signed, will be completed in the next few years. She added that two major challenges remain for Serbia, firstly financing, because it is necessary to consider gas as a transitional energy source, and then ensuring the availability of adequate quality gas in satisfactory quantities.
She announced that by the end of the year she expects the adoption of amendments to the Law on Energy, which, among other things, are important for the merger of the electricity market.
“Serbia is working with its neighbors to strengthen and increase transmission capacities of electricity. The “blackout” that hit the region this summer, but not Serbia, clearly showed the limitations of transmission capacities and the necessity of better regional connectivity. Also, together with our neighbors, we are working on the development of projects in the hydro sector, first of all I am thinking of HPP “Buk Bijela” with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and HPP “Đerdap 3” with Romania. I want to emphasize that the construction of “Đerdapa 3″ would have a much wider regional significance for the integration of RES energy, because it is the largest potential capacity for balancing variable green megawatts,” Minister Đedović Handanović stated.
During the CESEC Ministerial Meeting in Budapest, representatives of the European Commission expressed their satisfaction with the fact that Serbia adopted the National Energy and Climate Plan, and praised the development of the electricity search engine and the regional stock market, as well as the efforts that Serbia invests in the development of RES projects and new storage facilities, it was stated. in the announcement of the Ministry.
When it comes to investments in new production capacities, the minister pointed out that Serbia recently signed an agreement on the construction of solar power plants with a capacity of 1 GW with 200 MW of storage, which will significantly change the image of Serbian energy in the coming years.
“In addition, in 2026 we will have new RES power plants online as a result of the first auctions,” said the minister.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Minister Đedović Handanović spoke with the Hungarian Minister of Energy, Čaba Lantoš, and the Deputy Director of the General Directorate for Energy of the European Commission.
Energy portal
Source: energetskiportal.rs
