Serbian state-owned power utility EPS has launched the tender for the preparation of the investment-technical documentation for the construction of hydropower plants on the Ibar river.
According to tender documentation, the river Ibar, with a drainage basin area of 8,000 square kilometers and a flow of around 275 kilometers, is one of the most significant unused hydro potentials in Serbia. EPS plans to finance the project using loans from international financial institutions.
The deadline for the submission of bids is 12 April.
This marks the revival of the project for the construction of ten hydropower plants on the river, initially proposed more than a decade ago.
In 2010, EPS established a joint venture with Italian company Seci Energia for the construction of ten small hydropower plants with the combined installed capacity of 103 MW on the Ibar river.
The cost of the project was estimated to 285 million euros, with annual electricity generation of about 420 GWh. The construction of the first power plant was supposed to start in 2012, with the completion of the project expected in 2025. However, the project never moved from the planning phase.
However, faced with the energy crisis and mismanagement of its electricity generation capacities, the state-owned company finds the project financially viable again.
