The Serbian Government has taken a significant step towards enhancing its renewable energy landscape by declaring a public interest in the expropriation of land for a new solar power plant at the site of the existing Kolubara thermal power complex in Veliki Crljeni. This initiative is part of the country’s broader strategy to transition from traditional coal-based power generation to more sustainable energy sources.
This solar project will be developed under the guidelines of the existing spatial planning documents pertaining to the Kolubara lignite basin. The expropriation process will impact properties within the cadastral areas of Sokolovo, Veliki Crljeni, and Stepojevac, with the state-owned utility company EPS designated as the beneficiary of this land acquisition.
The planned solar facility is integral to a comprehensive redevelopment plan for the Kolubara A site. Public presentations of urban and architectural designs for this facility took place in October 2025. Additionally, the project encompasses plans for the closure and environmental rehabilitation of existing ash, slag, and coal disposal sites within the complex.
Initial announcements regarding solar facilities on former ash dumps at both Kolubara A and Morava thermal power plants were made approximately three years ago. In 2024, EPS initiated a tender aimed at preparing urban planning documentation for solar installations at these locations.
The proposed solar installation at Kolubara A is expected to have an installed capacity of approximately 71 MW, while another facility planned for the Morava thermal power plant site is projected to have a capacity of around 45 MW. These developments are closely linked to Serbia’s ongoing efforts to phase out older coal-fired units.
The decommissioning process for both Kolubara A and Morava TPPs commenced in autumn 2024, coinciding with EPS’s launch of a tender for preliminary conservation designs. Notably, Kolubara A is recognized as Serbia’s oldest operational thermal power plant, having been commissioned in 1956 with a total capacity of 271 MW across five generating units.
This transition towards renewable energy projects underscores Serbia’s commitment to converting legacy coal infrastructure into viable clean energy assets, thereby facilitating a significant shift towards more sustainable power generation practices in the region.
