Serbian Chamber of Commerce: Biomass to Become Most Important Renewable Energy Source

Power plant Kostolac (Beta/Emil Vas)

Biomass has the potential of becoming the most important renewable source of energy in Serbia, home to 35 biogas facilities with a total electric capacity of 34.2 megawatts, a representative of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Verica Raznatovic, said on May 10.

The biogas plants have been granted the status of privileged producers, selling electricity at privileged prices (a feed-in-tariff applies). The provisional status of a privileged producer has been granted to another 80 power stations, whose total electric capacity has reached 76.4 MW, Raznatovic explained. The senior advisor for renewable energy sources at the Chamber’s Energy and Mining Association explained for BETA that a new cycle of investments in the sector could be expected in the coming period, because amendments to the Law on the Use of Renewable Energy Sources should pave the way to the first auctions.

“A decision to introduce feed-in-tariffs in 2010, and particularly the most encouraging 30% tariff increase permitted in 2016, created a favorable business setting for investors. The biogas sector recorded positive growth until 2020, nearly reaching a target prescribed by the National Action Plan for Serbia to expand the biomass capacity to 30MW,” the advisor stated.

Speaking about the potential of biomass energy, Raznatovic underlined that Serbia was among the states that could rely on considerable biomass potential, in terms of biological diversity and distribution.