The Council for Sustainable Energy was established
Improving the regulatory framework for sustainable energy production and consumption, working on pilot projects in the field of green initiatives, establishing a dialogue for coordinated action and raising citizens' awareness through the promotion of good practices and education will be the key priorities of NALED's Council for Sustainable Energy, the start of which was made official today with the signing of the Charter of Establishment.
The council was formed within the NALED Association for Property and Investments, with the support of the Government of Sweden, within the project "More efficient public procurement and sustainable supply chains for improving competitiveness" and represents a new unique platform that will bring together representatives of institutions, business, civil society, the academic community and international partners with the common mission of accelerating the green transition and responsible management of energy resources in Serbia.
Serbia managed to almost double the capacity of energy production from renewable sources compared to the capacity of two years ago, but it still lags behind many countries in the European Union.
Adviser to the Minister of Mining and Energy for renewable sources, Rada Mrdak, said that the line ministry follows practices and trends in Europe and pointed out that private power purchase agreements (PPA) can be a substitute for the state system of incentives, although that process is still at the beginning.
- In the RHE "Bistrica" reversible hydroelectric power plant that EPS is developing, we see a chance for Serbia to become a regional leader when it comes to this type of energy storage facility. An example for us is Norway, which helps balance the energy system of the Northern Europe region - said Mrdak and pointed out that preparations are being made for changes to the Law on the Use of Renewable Energy Sources, which should be on the agenda next year.
The executive director of NALED, Violeta Jovanović, pointed out that our energy system faces numerous challenges - from energy security and dependence on imports to climate change and the need for modern infrastructure.
- We are establishing the Council in order to respond to all these challenges through the joint and coordinated action of all sectors. Our goal is to gather experts, decision-makers, companies, civil society organizations, because that's the only way we can achieve quick, high-quality and sustainable results - said Jovanović.
Ann Charlotte Malm, head of the Department for Development Cooperation at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden, said that sustainable energy is a matter of a common future, economic development and protection of natural resources.
- The Council for Sustainable Energy is a continuation of NALED's efforts to improve the regulatory environment and conditions for investments in the field of energy. We believe that the Council will lead to concrete steps towards an energy-independent, clean and efficient Serbia, in accordance with ESG principles - said Malm.
Data show that in 2024, renewable sources accounted for 32% of global fuel production, and fossil fuels for around 60%. The situation is similar in Serbia, with the share of energy production from coal being 70%. When it comes to energy from renewable sources, it is mostly obtained from hydroflows in Serbia, although energy from solar systems is also on the rise.
In the task of more efficient use of energy, one of the key roles is played by local governments. The City of Požarevac, in cooperation with the Ministry of Mining and Energy, concluded about 100 contracts last year and this year alone for replacing coal-fired boilers, installing solar panels and improving the energy efficiency of buildings.
- We replaced the lighting in two sports halls, in Požarevac and Kostolac, the investments were not big, and the electricity bills are now 200 thousand dinars lower per month. We are planning to implement similar projects in kindergartens and facilities of public companies within the framework of IPA. If we replaced the city lighting with led lamps, we would have savings of one million euros on electricity bills - concluded the mayor of Požarevac, Saša Pavlović.
