Heating without fossil fuels - Serbia expands its network of green heating plants

How far has the transition of heating plants to renewable energy sources progressed, what are the future plans and why is this process crucial for Serbia's energy and environmental system? These are the questions answered by international renewable energy consultant Petar Vasiljevic on the Radio Belgrade First Programme show "In the Spotlight".

From complete dependence to the first successful examples, Vasiljevic recalled that in 2010 almost all heating plants in Serbia - more precisely, 99% of a total of 60 district heating systems - used fossil fuels. The renewable energy implementation programme was launched in 2015 on the basis of calls for applications by the cities themselves.

At that time, the first study was carried out on the basis of calls for applications by the cities themselves. They applied with the desire to introduce renewable energy, and around ten pre-feasibility studies were prepared, which envisaged replacing fossil fuels - primarily fuel oil, coal and possibly heating oil - at that stage with a renewable energy source, namely wood chips - Vasiljevic explains.

The first four cities that made the final selection and successfully completed the project were Novi Pazar, Majdanpek, Priboj and Mali Zvornik, where fossil fuels were replaced with woody biomass.

Ministarstvo rudarstva i energetike Republike Srbije

JKP Beogradske Elektrane Beograd

Ministry of Mining and Energy

Beogradske elektrane

Cerak Heating Plant

EMRD

FAP

Petar Vasiljevic

transition of heating plants to renewable energy sources

reduction of CO2 emissions

reduction of carbon dioxide emissions

consumption-based heating billing

modernization of district heating systems

Lim River

Danube River

Brza Palanka Kladovo

Cerak Cukarica

Power to Heat