First small hydroelectric power plant in Serbia in operation as of autumn - EPS finishes Prvonek hydroelectric power plant

Representatives of the Electric Power Company of Serbia (EPS) and the Republic Directorate for Waters have visited the building site on the Banjstica river near Vranjska Banja spa where the first of many hydroelectric power plants in Serbia is under construction by the EPS. It has been announced that the works will be finished in autumn.

Dr. Dejan Divac, director of the Institute for Dams within Jaroslav Cerni Water Power Institute, said that the construction of the mini hydroelectric power plant on Prvonek dam was a pilot project of great significance.

- The hydroelectric power plant that is being built on Prvonek dam and will be named after that dam has the capacity of 2.95 gigawatts (GW). All required permits for these works have been provided and the power plant is expected to be finished on time, that is, in late autumn. What is significant is that the power generated by this plant will be supplied to certain number of people, but what is even more important is that this will be the first project on a dam in Serbia - said Divac.

The funds for the construction of small hydroelectric power plants on the facilities similar to Prvonek dam all around Serbia are provided from a loan of the World Bank, whereas the construction of the first such hydroelectric power plant in Serbia, on the Banjstica river, is financed by the EPS from its own sources.

Complete technical documentation was prepared in April, and the EPS has already started the procedure for the procurement of required equipment, turbines and generators for the 900 kW hydroelectric power plant. These works will be carried out by Subotica-based ATB Sever and Slovenia's AHE, while the total value of works is EUR 1.5 million, which are provided by the EPS - said Zoran Manasijevic, assistant to the EPS CEO.

Miroljub Stojcic, mayor of Vranje, expressed his satisfaction with the fact that the first small hydroelectric power plant was situated in Vranje.

- To be the first in Serbia is of great importance. I don't want to elaborate on what the construction of this mini hydroelectric power plant means to the Electric Power Company of Serbia, but I want to stress that it is definitely important to us since it will make this place interesting to all passengers, students on a school trip, tourists staying in Vranjska Banja, and I also think it will be very significant for the development of tourism in this area – said Stojcic.

The first mini hydroelectric power plant in Serbia is expected to be finished until September. The price of electric power generated by such type of the power plant should be much lower than the current price of electricity.