Due to a spread of COVID-19 in Serbia, the Government decided to postpone the public debate on the draft spatial plan for the project for the construction of thermal power plant Kolubara B and the event has been rescheduled to an undisclosed date.
In March, state-owned power utility EPS signed a preliminary agreement on cooperation with Chinese company PowerChina on the construction of coal-fired thermal power plant Kolubara B. The preliminary agreement was signed by Acting Director of EPS Milorad Grcic and Director of PowerChina Yang Bo. The construction of this energy facility was originally planned in 1990s and now EPS plans to complete the 350 MW project in cooperation with Chinese company.
The construction of a new unit will ensure Serbia’s sustainable industrial development and will be built in line with the latest EU environmental standards. The new unit represents replacement capacity for ageing TPP Morava and TPP Kolubara A. In 2018, Serbian Minister of Energy and Mining Aleksandar Antic said that EPS will look into the possibility of re-launching the project for the construction of TPP Kolubara B. He said that the Government adopted the decision and that a working group that will coordinate the project for the construction of 350 MW power plant has been established, adding that the project would ensure the long-term stability of the Serbian energy system, especially given the large number of renewable energy power plants that will be built in the near future. The start of construction could be expected in 2021. The construction of TPP Kolubara B, located in the town of Veliki Crljeni, started in the early 1990s, but shortly after was abandoned due to the break-up of Yugoslavia. In June 2011, EPS signed a preliminary agreement with Italian Edison to set up a joint venture for the construction of the plant and in 2012 the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) expressed interest in financing the project. However, in September 2013, the EBRD said it is no longer interested in financing the plant, due to its policy for limiting lending for coal-fired power plants construction projects and in 2014 the project was again abandoned.
