Kostolac solar power plant begins trial operation

KOSTOLAC - The Petka solar power plant in Kostolac, eastern Serbia, was ceremonially put in trial operation on Monday.

Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said it was the first renewable energy source for the national power company EPS and that it would contribute to production of clean and green energy, as well as to energy stability and security.

She noted that Kostolac had been known for energy production since as early as 1870, when coal mining began in the area.

"There are no big projects and small projects. What is very important is to fight for every new megawatt, and to complete the projects we have begun and to launch new projects," Djedovic Handanovic said after putting the plant in trial operation.

Clean energy sources on mining disposal sites demonstrate that new value and new jobs can be created on those locations, she said.

"Once these propellers behind us start rotating - hopefully in a month - and the wind farm starts releasing the first quantities of power into the grid, we will reach 35,000 households thanks to the sun and wind, not only in this area but beyond it as well," Djedovic Handanovic said.

She announced a warranty period for the Petka solar plant was due to begin soon, after which the wind farm would be connected to the grid.

"We will get an additional 76 MW and, with the new B3 unit at the Kostolac coal-fired power plant, that means 426 new megawatts. It is important that we have a combination of base and renewable energy," Djedovic Handanovic said.

"I expect that we will start building a Bistrica reversible hydropower plant in 2026, as well as a large 1,000 MW solar power plant, with 200 MW of battery storage," she also said.