Serbia’s power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) signed a contract for the modernization of its Vlasina hydropower plants with Energotehnika – Južna Bačka.

The contract for the reconstruction and modernization of the Vlasina (Vlasinske) hydropower plants (HPPs), with a capacity of 129 MW, was signed by Dušan Živković (sitting first from right), Chief Executive Officer of Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), and representatives of Energotehnika Južna Bačka – Marko Iskrin (second from left), Executive Director for Technical Affairs, and Nikola Labus (first from left), Deputy Executive Director for Financial Affairs.

Of note, in mid-July, Hungarian state-owned energy company MVM became the majority owner of Energotehnika – Južna Bačka.

The total value of the project is estimated at EUR 109.7 million. It envisages the reconstruction and modernization of generation units, auxiliary systems, and hydromechanical equipment. The main equipment suppliers are Andritz Hydro and Gamesa Electric, EPS said.

Financing has been secured through a EUR 67 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a EUR 15.4 million grant from the European Union via the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), and EPS’s own funds in the amount of EUR 27.2 million.

The capacity of the Vlasina HPPs would be increased by 8 MW

“On the day when the Vlasina HPPs celebrate their 70th anniversary, we officially start the project of their modernization. The result would be an increase in the installed capacity by 8 MW and reliable operation for the next three to four decades,” Dušan Živković underlined.

He recalled that the Vlasina HPPs are unique plants in the EPS portfolio. They operate in a cascade system, generating electricity four times one after the other and representing a significant source of peak energy.

The Vlasina HPPs began operating in 1955

According to Milan Aleksić (second from left in back row), advisor to the Minister of Mining and Energy for capital projects, investments are key to securing an electricity supply amid growing demand and the need to rely more on renewable energy sources.

Vlasina started its operations on November 6, 1955, with the commissioning of the first unit at the Vrla 1 hydropower plant.

The system consists of the Vlasina lake – reservoir, four cascade run-of-river hydropower plants, and the Lisina pumping station with the Lisina reservoir. Since the start of operation, the plants have produced more than 17 million GWh.

The signing was also attended by Francesco Corbo (first from left in back row), Regional Head of Energy for the Western Balkans and Croatia at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).