Elektrovat preparing second mini hydropower plant on Crni Rzav – Investment worth around EUR 4.5 million, facility to be put into operation by the end of 2018

After putting into operation the first of the three planned mini hydropower plants on the Crni Rzav – Beli Kamen, slightly over a year ago, the Belgrade-based company Elektrovat continues to invest. Preparations for the realization of the second mini hydropower plant, which should be put into operation by the end of 2018, are in progress.

Modern equipment by top-quality global producers was used in raising SHPP Beli kamen, and new water intake and transport technologies, so far not used in Serbia, were implemented. The concept in question features COANDA water intake screens, which reduce as much as possible the biggest problems in water intake. Furthermore, it implements large diameter PVC pipes made on the spot by spiral coiling, allowing for great savings to be made in transport.

SHPP Beli Kamen is a run-of-the-river power plant with 1.68 MW of power. It has been designed to operate without staff. In other words, remote management and supervision have been implemented and can be performed from any location featuring internet access. The power plant has installed volume flow rate of 2.7 m3/s, and the annual capacity is 6.5 GWh. Elektrovat has the status of a preferred producer of electricity. It is connected to the Elektroprivreda Srbije system at the 35 kV voltage level at the power plant gate.

Radomir Milekic, co-owner and deputy manager of Elektrovat, says in his interview for eKapija that negotiations with banks about financing the second SHPP on the Crni Rzav are in progress and that the preparation and realization of the project is one of the company's priorities in 2017.

– The plan is to put the second hydropower plant into operation by the end of 2018. The investment is worth around EUR 4.5 million, and around EUR 400,000 has already been invested in the preparation – our interviewee says.

These are complex projects, making the preparation itself complex as well. Beli Kamen was a remarkable construction endeavor, and the works took about a year. Elektrovat had the roles of investor and contractor, along with the subcontractors, in the Beli Kamen project.

– On average, there were around 20 people on the site, but, at certain points, there were as many as 150 – Milekic explains.

The investment placed Elektrovat among the finalists for the Aurea 2017 Investment of the Year Award, handed out by the business portal eKapija. Along with innovation and financial potential, the criterion was social usefulness as well, and our interviewee notes the importance of this aspect.

– Large sums of money remain within the local community through local services, purchase etc. Local populace was involved in various related activities. Furthermore, by building infrastructure for ourselves, we have built it for others as well. This is an underdeveloped area and each kilometer is extremely important to them – our interviewee says and points out that 40 km of local roads have been built and that the local community and the authorities in Cajetina have supported the project.

The small hydro power plant Beli Kamen is the first of the three planned power plants of Elektrovat on the Crni Rzav. Its construction has provided infrastructural pre-requirements for the construction of other small hydro power plants (35 kV connection, optical cable, access roads...).

Elektrovat is also looking at the construction of the third SHPP, and our interviewee has not specified when. He adds that, as things stand now, they should probably wait until next year to start with the works.

– We intend to enter the third project free of pressure and burden of other endeavors – Milekic says.

The company has been active in the fields of electric energy, automation and production process management for 25 years. A part of their activities is the production of modern electric energy equipment under license from the global giant Schneider Electric.

– We expect big investment projects this year, Schneider's above all, and then ours as well.

Elektrovat is currently engaged in several projects in the field of SHPP, where they are in charge, as contractors and project engineers, of electric installations and control systems.

Experience makes for good engineers

Talking about the state of the local construction industry, our interviewee points out that years of the lack of big projects and new experiences have had a negative impact on companies.

– I'm afraid there will be more and more problems with local contractors in the future. They're losing shape, losing strength... We are now far below the level of, say, 30 years ago. For a number of years, there haven't been big engineering projects in which engineering experience is acquired. From the simplest workers' jobs to the most complex engineering ones, they are all learning through those projects. Still, I hope things will start improving.

M.M.

Elektrovat d.o.o. Beograd

eKapija.com Beograd

Zlatiborske elektrane d.o.o. Čačak

Elektrovat

SHPP Beli Kamen

small hydropower plant Beli Kamen

Crni Rzav

mini hydropower plants Crni Rzav

COANDA screen

Zlatibor power plants

Aurea 2017

innovation

social usefulness

renewable energy sources

electric energy

automation

Radomir Milekic

RES

SHPP Serbia

preferred electricity producer