The project, financed by the EC with a total budget of 937,060 EUR, was finalised in May 2009 by a consortium composed by EPTISA, NIPSA and SOCOIN.

The project titled “Renewable Energy Feasibility Studies” managed by the EC Delegation to the Republic of Serbia, aimed, among others, to produce the pre-feasibility studies for Small Hydro-Power Plants (SHPP) and to prepare on behalf of the Ministry of Mining and Energy of the Republic of Serbia, important changes in the legal framework related to renewable energy in order to promote and facilitate investments in this sector.

Through the line of actions, EPTISA and the other consortium partners successfully fulfilled all the project tasks, aimed at assisting the Serbian authorities to increase the share of renewable sources in the production of electricity. The project was divided into two main components: Technical Support to the Ministry of Mining and Energy and Renewable Energy Project Development.

The first component, entirely coordinated by EPTISA, was undertaken by a team of experts that performed the following activities:

  • Analysed the legal framework in Serbia related to renewable energy and concessions and compared it against the current EU Directives and the European best practice;
  • Provided advice on changes in the secondary legislation so to create an investment friendly legal environment;
  • Assisted the Serbian authorities to prepare the feed-in tariffs model for all the renewable energy sources (wind, solar, biomass, hydropower, etc.);
  • Prepared a model of agreement for power purchase;
  • Developed a full concession package.

With regards to the second component, the team of experts performed the following activities:

  • Developed a list of locations for small HPP and selected sites to be studied in detail;
  • Performed hydrological, geological, and topographical studies for the 15 highest ranked locations;
  • Prepared Prefeasibility Studies (including basic civil and electromechanical design) for these 15 shortlisted locations;
  • Produced preliminary Environmental Impact Assessments for the proposed locations;
  • Prepared the Economic and Financial Analysis of the potential sites.

During the final meeting, representatives from the EC Delegation and from the Ministry of Mining and Energy emphasised the benefits and practical applicability of the project outputs as a confirmation of the successful implementation of the project.