As emphasized, the goal of the meeting was to familiarize all interested parties with the further development of the electricity market in Serbia, the movement of wholesale prices in the previous period and expectations for the next period, presenting modalities for the active participation of industry and RES in the electricity market, types and methods of application PPA contracts, as well as the objectives of the European Union in light of the new design of the market.
According to Miloš Mladenović, general director of SEEPEX, by directly purchasing electricity obtained from renewable energy sources through PPA contracts, i.e. without intermediaries, a better price can be achieved than on the open market.
– If signed for a longer period, such contracts can provide loans for RES investors as well as lower electricity prices. Contracts are signed for 10 to 20 years, but there are also short-term ones that are valid for a period of four to five, or six years. The convenience for the customer is that the price he pays in the contracted period is fixed and does not depend on changes in electricity prices on the market – emphasized Mladenović.
To be able to sell electricity in this way, the RES producer must register as a supplier or hire a company that will deal with that segment of business for his needs, that is, organizing the transmission of electricity from a green source to the industrial company that will use it.
– To achieve a more favourable electricity price, several consumers can join together and act together, and it should be emphasized that for the responsible operation of the industry, it is important to know that the energy used comes from green sources. By the way, the company that procures the most electricity in the world based on the PPA contract is Jeff Bezos’ Amazon – Mladenović pointed out.
At the meeting, it was also emphasized that liberalization increased the efficiency of power systems, the possibility of choosing suppliers, higher standards of services, improvement of safety and security of supply, and as a final result, raising the competitiveness of the economy.
Industrial consumers played a key role in that process. It is evident that the opportunities and advantages provided by the electricity market, and especially the organized electricity market, are insufficiently used by industry in Serbia, so there is a need for additional education and capacity building of all interested parties in that area.
