Electric Power Industry of Serbia and the Chinese company CMEC started erection of the modern ECS system, bucket wheel excavator, on the open pit mine Drmno in Kostolac, thereby starting the second phase of modernization of thermal power plant Kostolac, a project worth USD 715.6 million.
Works on the installation of bucket wheel excavator, which is part of the construction project of the third unit in Kostolac B thermal power plant of 350 megawatts, began in the presence of the Minister of Energy and Mining, Mr. Aleksandar Antic, who pointed out that this is an important day for Serbia and for the energy system of our country, as well as this would be the first large power unit that Serbia will get after three decades.
Unit B should be completed by 2020. It is about VI ECS system – a bucket wheel excavator worth USD 123 million, which will create conditions for the improvement of coal production on the open pit mine Drmno from the current nine to twelve million tons of coal per year.
The complete job is led by the Chinese company CMEC with their subcontractors including Krupp from Germany, Sandvik from Austria and Serbian companies in the field of electric and mechanical engineering.
Mr. Milorad Grcic, EPS Acting General Manager said that EPS opens new development chapter in the Kostolac coal basin, which is of great importance for the energy stability of Serbia.
The total value of the second phase of Kostolac modernization Project, which involves the construction of a new unit and the capacity expansion of Drmno open pit mine is USD 715.6 million, out of which USD 608 million is financed from China Exim Bank loan, and the remaining money is provided by EPS from its own funds.
