District Heating System
The Serbian heating system consists of the decentralized heating sources located in 50 cities and towns in Serbia. These are primarily fuelled by natural gas, with an installed thermal capacity of 6,597 MWt and have functional distribution networks. The heating system is managed by local self governments that are also responsible for their financing and operation.
Very few Serbian households are connected to the district heating system (according to data from 2007 only 22% of Serbian households are). The existing heating system is outdated (for example, more than 60% of the existing distribution network infrastructure is over 20 years old) and it is badly in need of repair. This causes significant problems in the supply of heat to consumers. This has forced many consumers to turn to alternative sources of heat, primarily electrical energy. For this reason, one of the main priorities of the development of energy sector is the revitalization and modernization of the existing central heating system, and an increase in the number of users (according to the Energy Program 100,000 new consumers should be connected to the heating system by 2012).
