Kostolac wind farm is being built at full speed after many challenges and it is
part of Serbia’s efforts to produce, like other European countries, more clean
energy for its citizens and economy and to reduce dependence on fossil fuels – said
Minister of Mining and Energy, Dubravka Đedović Handanović, during the visit to
the 66 MW wind farm construction site.
She
visited Kostolac WF site with the ambassadors of the European Union and the
Federal Republic of Germany, Emanuel Gioffre
and Anke Konrad, and the General Manager of Elektroprivreda Srbije, Dušan Živković.
- By the end of the decade, almost every second megawatt-hour of electricity
will be generated from renewable energy sources, which is an indication that we
have launched an unstoppable process of energy transition. This was confirmed
by the Energy Community which marked Serbia as a leader in the implementation
of reforms in this area. We are grateful to the European Union for allocating
30 million euros grant, as well as to Germany for favourable credit terms and
additional grant through development bank KfW. Additionally, the old mining
landfill becomes, in this way, a place where clean energy will be produced with
less impact on the environment – said Minister Đedović Handanović.
Speaking about
current progress of the works, the General Manager of EPS JSC, Dušan Živković, said that intensive works were underway at all four locations.
-
Fifteen foundations have
been concreted so far, wind
turbines 7 and 6 have been built, followed by construction of wind turbine 1. Substation,
switchgear and internal cable network are being built,
and the works are planned to be completed in mid-2025. All building
permits have been obtained for the project, as well as all changes to building
permits. The wind farm will produce 187
million kilowatt-hours per year, which is enough to supply about 30,000
households with green energy
– said Živković.
The investment is 144
mlion euros worth and financed from the German Development Cooperation through
KfW Bank loan of 110 million euros, EU grant of 30 million, while a part of the
funds is provided by EPS.
The Ambassador of
the European Union, Emmanuel Goiffre,
stated that Kostolac wind farm is a significant achievement in energy
transition of Serbia and a testimony to
strong partnership between Serbia and the European Union.
-
This project, aligned with the
EU Green Agenda for the Western
Balkans, represents a concrete step towards decarbonization and sustainable
energy development. By using wind energy, Serbia is not only reducing its
dependence on fossil fuels, but also advancing its climate commitments and
ensuring a cleaner future for its citizens. The European Union is proud to
support the transformation of energy sector of
Serbia and it has
invested more than one billion euros in grants since 2000. From improving the energy efficiency to fostering renewable energy
projects, we are committed to helping Serbia build a resilient and modern
energy system. This partnership, based on the
European Green Deal and the Green
Agenda for the Western Balkans, shows that
sustainable growth and environmental protection can go hand in hand, supporting
progress of Serbia towards EU integration
and a greener future, said Gioffre.
The Ambassador of
the Federal Republic of Germany, Anke Konrad, emphasized that Germany is proud to support the construction of the first public wind farm in Serbia
as part of long-term development cooperation on the transition
to green energy in Serbia, which has been ongoing since 2000. Kostolac
Wind Farm Project – supported by German Development Cooperation
through KfW and EU – is helping Serbia to
reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and to
achieve its carbon neutrality goals by 2050
– said Konrad.
