Last week, Serbian Government adopted a decision on the development of the Spatial Plan of the special purpose area for pump-storage hydropower plant Bistrica and hydropower plant Potpec.
The deadline for drafting the Spatial Plan is 12 months from the day the decision enters into force, and the funds for drafting the Spatial Plan will be provided by state-owned power utility EPS.
The Law on Spatial Plan of the Republic of Serbia envisages the upgrade of the existing HPP Bistrica within the HPP system on Uvac and Lim, with the dam Klak downstream from the existing dam and reservoir Radoinja, as well as the possibility of increasing production by upgrading HPP Potpec.
Also, Serbian Energy strategy until 2025 with the view to 2030, proscribes that the construction of pump-storage HPPs will significantly increase the technically available potential of renewable energy sources, due to expanding the possibility of balancing forces in the system.
In late 2021, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Serbia will invest between 600 and 700 million euros in the construction of pump- storage hydropower plant Bistrica. The plant will be located in the Lim river watershed, near the existing HPPs Uvac, Bistrica and Potpec, and will have four units with combined installed capacity of 680 MW. President Vucic said that the financing of the project for the construction of the country’s second pump-storage HPP (the existing one is HPP Bajina Basta) is already finalized. The new pump- storage HPP is essential for balancing out the oscillations in the output of wind and solar power plants. He expects that by 2028, Serbia will produce enough electricity to become a net exporter .
