Serbia is advancing exploratory drilling for a geothermal district-heating development at Mišeluk in Novi Sad. The municipal utility JKP Novosadska toplana is carrying out the drilling and preparing the associated heat-distribution network. The work is positioned as a test of geothermal heat in the context of reducing reliance on gas-linked heating supply.
Support and institutional framework
The project is supported through the Geothermal Energy in Serbia programme. It is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme, with financing from Slovakia’s Ministry of Finance. Cooperation involves Serbia’s environment and energy ministries.
Exploratory scope before investment decisions
The immediate phase is exploratory rather than a final investment decision. Drilling must establish temperature, flow rate, reservoir sustainability and water chemistry before plant capacity, heat-pump requirements and network economics can be defined. This sequencing links the next engineering steps to confirmed reservoir and fluid characteristics.
District heating demand and system components
The project’s relevance is tied to the demand segment it serves. District heating is described as a major source of Serbian gas consumption, and a viable geothermal system is intended to provide stable local heat without relying on electricity-market prices or imported fuel during each operating hour. Mišeluk will still require pumps, heat exchangers, treatment systems, reinjection infrastructure and backup boilers.
Investment parameters and municipal diversification context
The investment case depends on the temperature delivered at the wellhead and the distance to sufficiently dense heat demand. Alongside geothermal development, the broader diversification model for Serbian municipal utilities includes solar additions that reduce daytime electricity prices, batteries that shift energy across hours, and wind that provides a different generation profile. Geothermal heat is described as displacing gas directly without first converting renewable electricity into thermal energy.
