Serbia’s distribution system operator plans comprehensive restructuring

Serbia’s distribution system operator, Elektrodistribucija Srbije (EDS), plans a comprehensive restructuring to improve financial stability, operational efficiency, and investment planning capacity, in line with the country’s stand-by arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

EDS has launched a tender to select a consultant to develop a restructuring plan. The deadline for submitting bids is set for November 28.

The consultant’s job will consist of two phases. The first phase involves analyzing the existing business model and designing and developing a new sustainable model. In the second phase, the consultant will support the implementation of the recommendations defined in the first phase, as well as the guidelines arising from the proposed financial restructuring plan, EDS has announced.

The consultant is to develop a restructuring plan and support its implementation

During the first phase, the consultant will analyze EDS’ current operations, including its financial position, key business processes, management structure, and IT systems. Based on the analysis, a target business model and a financial restructuring plan will be developed, including scenarios and stress tests to assess the company’s resilience to potential challenges.

The second phase will focus on implementing the recommendations and the proposed model, including coordination with internal teams, monitoring progress, evaluating the effectiveness of changes, and supporting employee training. Special attention will be given to digitalization, business process optimization, and customer service improvements.

The project should help digitalize business processes

Some elements of EDS’s operations that are expected to be improved include meter issuance and reading, as well as electricity loss management. The consultant’s job also involves mapping IT systems and projects that support the automation and digitalization of business processes, according to EDS.

The consultant will also be expected to develop a comprehensive implementation plan, including timelines, resource allocation, and project risk management strategies, and provide regular progress reports highlighting challenges and proposing steps to address them.

A final report on the restructuring efforts will also be required, including lessons learned and recommendations for future initiatives, according to EDS.

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September 10, 2025

by AEA in News

Croatia installs one million smart meters, Serbia reaches 650,000

Croatia has so far installed one million smart meters, while Serbia has reached 650,000. They make up 40% of all power metering devices in Croatia, compared to a 17% level in Serbia.

Digital or smart meters offer numerous advantages for consumers and distribution system operators (DSOs). The devices are a cornerstone of future distribution networks – smart grids that will allow consumers, including many prosumers, to both draw electricity from the network and inject it. Smart grids also enable consumers to provide various flexibility and demand response services.

The smart meters rollout in Croatia is being implemented across the country, with about 40,000 new devices installed per month. Croatia’s DSO HEP-Operator Distribucijskog Sustava (HEP ODS), a subsidiary of state-owned power utility Hrvatska Elektroprivreda (HEP), has previously announced that it intends to replace all 2.5 million devices by the end of 2029.

Nearly all users in the business category have received new devices

Installation of new meters is completely free of charge for customers. It takes about twenty minutes. HEP underlined that smart meters offer a range of benefits – enabling simpler and remote reading of consumption, more precise consumption management, better planning, and savings.

Danijela Žaja, chief of the metering and market support sector of HEP ODS, told RTL that more than one million smart meters have been installed so far for households and firms. In the business category, almost all meters have already been replaced, she said, Poslovni Dnevnik reported.

In her words, new devices help consumption management.

Serbia is financing new meters with loans

According to Ana Pavlović, head of the electricity markets support sector of neighboring Serbia’s DSO Elektrodistribucija Srbije (EDS), so far the company has installed almost 650,000 smart meters.

EDS plans to set up another 200,000 units in the next round, financed by a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), she said at a conference organized by Energija Balkana.

Out of the 200,000 meters, the cities of Čačak and Kraljevo are earmarked for 30,000 each, and 140,000 are for consumers in Niš. The next project is the installation of 400,000 smart meters, to be financed by a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Niš will be one of the first cities in Serbia to be almost entirely covered by smart meters, Pavlović stressed, as quoted by Tanjug.

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