The first solar park of Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), named “Petka”, located in Kostolac, is expected to be connected to the grid within the first quarter of 2025, announced Serbia’s Minister of Mining and Energy, Dubravka Đedović Handanović, during her visit to the construction site. She also highlighted that EPS’s first wind farm will begin operations next year, as reported by her ministry.
The “Petka” solar park is being built on a former mining dump, and more such projects are planned, with the minister stressing that these renewable energy sources are transforming Serbia’s power sector.
In addition, Minister Đedović Handanović revealed that a major solar project, with a total capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW) and 200 MW of battery storage, is under development. This project is expected to significantly alter the production portfolio of Serbia’s energy sector.
The minister also recalled the successful completion of the new Block B3 at the Kostolac thermal power plant, marking the first new production capacity built in nearly 35 years, and noted that the benefits of this project are already being felt.
“The new projects we are developing are green energy sources that depend on weather conditions, which makes it crucial to maintain base-load capacity, such as gas power plants,” said Đedović Handanović.
She pointed out that two years ago, Serbia had only around 20 MW of solar power, but now that figure has increased to 163 MW. The number of customer-producers has grown from about 400 to nearly 4,000, with their combined capacity rising from six MW to more than 78 MW.
Dušan Živković, General Director of EPS, explained that solar panels are being installed on an area of 11.6 hectares at the “Petka” site, with a maximum installed capacity of 9.75 MW. The park is expected to produce around 15.6 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually.
Živković confirmed that, according to the current work schedule, the project is on track to be completed by mid-February. This new solar facility is set to play a key role in diversifying EPS’s energy mix and enhancing the security and stability of Serbia’s electricity supply.
