Germany invested about 400m EUR in Serbian energy sector since year 2000

- The Government of Germany has invested about 400m EUR in the energy projects in Serbia since year 2000 - Wolfram Mass, the Ambassador of Germany to Belgrade, said today (November 9, 2009).

The Ambassador said at conference "Serbian-German Dialogue about Energy Efficiency" that the major share of money had been invested in modernization of infrastructure in Serbia's energy sector.

The Minister of Energy and Mining of Serbia, Petar Škundrić, said that some of the energy projects that Germany had backed in Serbia through German Development Bank (KfW) were: purchase of equipment, reconstruction of steam and hydroelectric power plants, and refurbishment of the remote heating system.

Škundrić also said that the Ministry was preparing the Law on Rational Use of Energy in association with German Organization for Technical Assistance (GTZ), which should enable improvement of energy efficiency.

The investments in the energy sector and improvement of energy efficiency, as Škundrić explained, were necessary for further economic development of Serbia.

The Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning of Serbia, Oliver Dulić, said that energy saving and greater energy efficiency would also be enabled by the rules books that would accompany the new Law on Planning and Construction, which should set the rules for construction of facilities.

Serbian-German Dialogue about Energy Efficiency and the accompanying trade fair are organized within the scope of manifestation "Days of Germany" in Serbia, which is occasioned by the 20th anniversary of the fall of Berlin Wall.

The trade fair gathered the banks and leasing companies that grant the loans for improvement of energy efficiency from the credit lines of German Development Bank, as well as about 15 companies whose products enable saving of energy.