New 400/110 kV substation: Vranje 4 - Milestone for long-term and reliable electricity supply to southeastern Serbia

The public enterprise Serbian Transmission System and Market Operator (EMS) will start the construction of a new 400/110 kv substation, Vranje 4, in spring 2012, EMS CEO Milos Milankovic announced at the presentation of this facility.

The attendees of this presentation were also addressed by Jose Gomez Gomez, representative of the EU Delegation to Serbia, and Sandra Petrovic, deputy CEO of EMS.

The construction of a new 400 kv substation in Vranje will ensure a long-term secure and quality supply of electric energy to southeastern Serbia. This will also enable a reliable provision of electricity to power distribution grids in Vranje and Leskovac from higher voltage levels.

The total amount of funding required for the project implementation is EUR 19 million, 15.5 million euros of which have already been donated by the European Union, while EMS has contributed the remaining EUR 3.5 million. This project will also include the procurement of a power transformer for Leskovac 2 transformer station.

The construction of Vranje 4 substation was preceded by the construction of a grandiose energy corridor of the Republic of Serbia - interconnective 400 kV long-distance power line between Nis and the Macedonian border. an interconnection 400 kV transmission line from Niš to Macedonian border. This large project paved the way for the construction of Vranje 4 400kV power transformer station and further expansion of Leskovac 2 transformer station which had already been brought up to the 400 kV voltage level in the previous period.

The construction and rehabilitation of these important energy facilities and their connection to the new 400 kV transmission line will enable a reliable provision of electric power and improved living conditions for the citizens of Vranje, Leskovac and other parts of South East Serbia. Also, the implementation of this project, as an integral part of Serbia’s electric power corridor – the interconnection 400 kV transmission line from Nis to Macedonian border, has created necessary conditions for further economic development of South East Serbia and the whole region.

The new power transformer station Vranje 4 is located in Donje Trebesinje, and it meets the highest international technical standards. The conceptual design of the transformer station includes minimum requirements in terms of space, and it is aligned with the urban planning and environmental requirements. EMS started preparatory activities for the construction of Vranje power transformer station in 2007. Design, construction and equipment procurement contracts were signed in December 2011. The commissioning of the future power transformer station is planned for the first half of 2014.

The European Union has invested more than EUR 500 million since 2000 in development and improvement of electrical power system in Serbia. Investments in PE Serbian Transmission System and Market Operator alone amounted to EUR 85 million.