In 2024, Serbia experienced a notable increase in electricity consumption, coupled with a decline in domestic power generation, leading to a sharp rise in energy imports. Total electricity consumption, excluding internal use, reached 30.8 terawatt-hours (TWh), marking a 2.7% (0.8 TWh) increase compared to 2023.
Among consumers, residential demand grew by 1.7%, while other low-voltage users recorded a 2.4% rise. The most significant increase was seen in medium-voltage consumption, which rose by 5%, and high-voltage consumers saw a 1.6% uptick.
On the supply side, Serbian power plants collectively produced 35.1 TWh of electricity in 2024, a 6.7% drop from the previous year. Coal-fired plants remained the main source of electricity, accounting for 60.5% of the total output, though their production dipped slightly by 1.2%. Hydropower contributed 29.7% of generation but faced a significant 16.8% decline. Combined heat and power (CHP) units supplied 4.8%, a 7.6% decrease. In contrast, wind power rose by 26.3%, accounting for 3.8% of generation. Solar and biomass/biogas sources together provided the remaining 1.1%.
State-owned utility EPS generated 32.9 TWh in 2024—2.7 TWh less than in 2023—falling short of its record output of 35.5 TWh last year, the highest level in a decade. Independent producers, however, continued to increase their contribution. Serbia’s six operational wind farms produced 1,243 GWh this year, while the Pančevo combined heat and power plant and the Vinča waste-to-energy facility together generated 1,116 GWh.
These dynamics between supply and demand led to a 15% increase in net electricity imports. Serbia imported 7.2 TWh of electricity in 2024, 1.1 TWh more than the previous year, while exports dropped by 1.4 TWh to 6.6 TWh. A mild winter and favorable hydrological conditions allowed exports to surpass imports early in the year, but an exceptionally hot summer shifted the balance. Imports exceeded 0.8 TWh in both July and August, and December recorded the highest monthly import volume, exceeding 0.9 TWh.
