Djedovic Handanovic: Energy transition must be sustainable

BELGRADE - As with any other transition, the only postulate energy transition must meet is sustainability, Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said on Tuesday.

"That is why we need to plan the energy transition well to avoid the mistakes made by other countries that have embarked on that process before us," Djedovic Handanovic said at the opening of a conference hosted by the Energija Balkana internet news portal in collaboration with her ministry and power transmission grid operator EMS.

Serbia must plan to build even more power generation capacities relying on renewables, she said.

"However, that must not be at the expense of the security of our energy system - we must develop the system to be able to integrate greater capacities of renewable energy sources. Above all, we are doing that through plans to build new reversible hydropower plants that will have new energy storage capacities, as well as by developing new renewable energy projects with own battery storage," Djedovic Handanovic said.

She said Serbia was making major investments in distribution capacities and expanding its distribution network and transmission system, and noted that decarbonisation would be the most costly process.

However, the minister noted that there would be no swift and irrational closures of coal-based power generation capacities.