The potential of wind power for the development of renewables in Serbia is tremendous. And Serbia is just starting to tap into it.
On the banks of the Danube in east Serbia, a new energy facility is rising – the Kostolac Wind Farm. According to B92, the wind farm should be completed in September 2024 and integrated into the electricity grid in early 2025.
The wind farm project was announced in February, on the occasion of the signature of EU’s 165 million euro energy support package for Serbia, by EU Ambassador to Serbia Emanuel Giaufret: “The benefits Serbia will derive from this tranche of EU funds are manifold and include a new wind farm in Kostolac and reconstruction of Vlasina hydroelectric power plant, among others, as part of long term objectives towards green energy.”
The wind farm will be covered with 20 wind turbines, each producing 3.3MW of electricity for a total of 66 MW. The wind farm is expected to produce 184 million kWh yearly; enough electricity for around 30,000 households.
“This is the first project of its kind in the history of EPS. We’re about to have our first wind farm. And in as many as four locations,” said Predrag Đorđević, project manager at EPS. According to him, the wind farm will cover areas in four locations: Drmno, Petka, Ćirikovac and Klenovnik.
Currently, preparatory work for the Kostolac Wind Farm is underway on exhausted surface mines and landfills of the thermal power plant of the same name.
According to WindEurope data from yesterday, wind power accounted for 15% of European electricity production. The share goes up to 35%, with wind farm development experiencing considerable momentum in European countries.
Đorđević said that the delivery of the main equipment will start in January and run for four and half months. Wind farms can run for as many as 25 years before their first general overhaul, according to Đorđević. The wind generators will be 179 meters tall, consisting of a 117-meter pole with a turbine of 62 meters in diameter on top.
The project also envisages a transformer station, installing transmission cables, and constructing access roads. Four internal access roads have already been constructed while obtaining permits for connecting the internal to state roads is underway.
New Kostolac Wind Farm is financed with EU funds (over 31 million euros), and grants and a loan from KfW (81.8 million euros).
The project aligns with Serbia’s renewable energy goals, laid out in the 2025/2030 Energy sector development strategy of the Republic of Serbia, which seek to increase the share of renewables in gross final energy consumption.
Since 2000, the EU has supported Serbia’s energy sector with over a billion euros. Many flagship projects are already underway or are expected soon. The Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor – a project implemented jointly by KfW, the EU, and the Serbian Government – will connect Serbia with Italy and secure a new, more stable and efficient green energy network. The new gas interconnector with Bulgaria will diversify Serbia’s energy sources, making it less dependent on Russian gas. The EU is currently working to improve energy efficiency in several hospitals in Belgrade, including the largest of them – the Military Medical Academy. So far, the EU has secured non-refundable funding to improve the energy efficiency in 200 buildings in Serbia, ranging from kindergartens to schools to major hospitals and state institutions.
