Djedovic: Energy transition, energy independence our main tasks

BELGRADE - Energy transition and energy stability and independence are our two main tasks in the energy sector, Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic said on Monday.

We must pave the way for cleaner energy sources as well as ensure energy security and independence, Djedovic said at the opening of Belgrade Energy Forum 2023, hosted by the Balkan Green Energy News web portal.

"We greatly rely on energy generated from coal and we will have to strengthen our hydropower potentials in the future as economic production in our country is rising and we will need to generate as much electricity from domestic capacities as possible to meet the needs of businesses as well as citizens," she said.

Djedovic said Serbia was working on several fronts and that one of them was the adoption of a plan of priority energy sector investments worth over 15 bln euros, including new energy generation capacities worth over 10 bln euros.

She said this would be done with strategic partners from the EU, the US, China and the region, and added that the projects included high-capacity self-balancing solar power plants of up to 1 GW, the construction of a new Bistrica hydropower plant and a review of plans to build a Djerdap III hydropower plant.