Bosnia’s state-owned power utility EPBiH will start to gradually withdraw its coal-based electricity generation capacities and coalmines and by 2050, the majority of electricity should be produced by hydro, solar and wind, said Ajla Merzic from the development department of the company.
She reminded that Western Balkans countries have signed the Sofia Declaration and have certain obligations in terms of decarbonization and achieving carbon neutral electricity generation. Coal-fired thermal power plants Tuzla and Kakanj are still dominant in EPBiH’s generation portfolio, which could pose a serious problem in the future because they have to be closed.
Therefore, in the next decade, EPBiH turns to the construction of new electricity generation facilities using renewable energy sources. It has already completed wind farm Podvelezje with annual generation of 130 GWh, while another two wind farms – Vlasic and Bitovna are in preparation.
EPBiH will also invest in solar power plants. As it already announced, it will develop a solar power plant on the location of the existing Podvelezje wind farm, while it plans to develop a number of solar plants at the locations of its coalmines, which should be closed in the future, around TPPs Tuzla and Kakanj. Merzic said that EPBiH already agreed to shut down some units of TPP Tuzla and TPP Kakanj i 2023 and in order to replace this capacity and keep employees from closed units and mines, the company should turn to renewable energy.
