EPS to Shut Down 10 Blocks by 2035 – Investments of EUR 4.8 Billion in Renewable Sources Planned

Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) intends to shut down 10 blocks with a total power of 1,094 MW in its thermal power plants from 2025 through 2035, according to the company’s “Go Green Road” plan, Vladimir Spasic writes for Balkan Green Energy News.

The shutting down of the 10 blocks will entail the full termination of the operations of TPP Morava, TPP Kolubara A and TPP Kostolac A and continued operations at a reduced capacity of TPP Nikola Tesla A (TENT A). That means that, by 2035, EPS will reduce the capacity of the existing thermal power plants, which now provide two thirds of the local power generation, from 5,171 MW to 4,077 MW, but in the meantime, the third block, with a power of 350 MW, will start operating in TPP Kostolac B, so the thermal power plant will have a power of 4,427 MW.

The plan for the shutting down of the thermal blocks was presented by Vladimir Siljukut, the adviser to the director of EPS for the business system, who said at the conference organized by the Energija Balkana website that coal should ensure the energy security of Serbia and play a role in the green transition.

– In all the scenarios presented in the “Go Green Road” plan of EPS, the use of coal is to be reduced – he emphasized.

TPP Morava and TPP Kolubara A to be shut down first

Siljukut said that TPP Morava and TPP Kolubara A would be shut down by the end of 2024, that TPP Kostolac A would be shut down by the end of 2028, and that TENT A1 and TENT A2 would be shut down by the end of 2027.

TPP Morava has one block of 125 MW, TPP Kolubara A five blocks with a total power of 239 MW, TENT A1 has 210 MW, TENT A2 has 210 MW and TPP Kostolac A has two blocks with a total power of 310 MW. In total, the power amounts to 1,094 MW.

Shutting down of blocks to substantially lower CO2 emissions of EPS

According to Siljukut, the shutting down of the blocks will result in the reduction of the emission factor from 0.86 tons of CO2 per MWh in the base year of 2019 to 0.51 tons in 2035.

He reminded that the Plan entailed investments of EUR 8.5 billion, of which EUR 2.2 billion in the reconstruction of the capacities for the production of electrical energy and coal, EUR 5.8 billion in the construction of replacement and new capacities, and EUR 500 million in environmental protection. EPS plans to invest EUR 4.8 billion in renewable energy sources.

Coal as main energy source until 2050

The participants in the conference said that, within the green transition, coal should ensure the energy security and national security of Serbia and that they expected coal to remain the main energy source until 2050.

The shutting down of blocks in the thermal power plants of EPS was announced back in 2017. Six blocks in TPP Kolubara A and TPP Morava are within the opt-out mechanism, which entails a limited operations period.

At the ash disposal sites of TPP Morava and TPP Kolubara A, EPS has already started preparing projects for the construction of solar power plants, and there’s also an idea for TPP Morava to shift to gas.

Elektroprivreda Srbije ad Beograd

EPS

Vladimir Šiljkut

Go Green Road

shutting down of 10 blocks of EPS

TPP Morava

TPP Kolubara A

TPP Kostolac A

TPP Kostolac B

TPP Nikola Tesla A

TENT A

reduction of capacities of existing thermal power plants

reduction of use of coal

reduction of CO2 emissions of EPS

switching of TPP Morava to gas

construction of solar power plants