Construction of EPS’s First Solar Power Plant Petka to Start – Stisko Polje 1 and 2 Planned Too, with Power of 500 MW Each

The selection of the contractors for the construction of the solar power plant Petka and the signing of the agreement are expected in August, and the realization of that part of the project is expected in early September. The first solar power plant in EPS’s branch TE-TO Kostolac will be built at the external disposal side of the Open-Pit Mine Cirikovac. The installed power will be 9.75 MW, and the planned annual production is 15.6 GWh.

The construction of the Solar Power Plant Petka is one in the range of projects through which the capacities of EPS for the production of green energy are increased, writes the EPS Energija publication.

– The preparatory works have been completed and the surface on which the power plant is to be built has already been cleared. The workers of Privredno Drustvo Rekultivacija i Ozelenjavanje from Kostolac have developed the 15 hectares designated for the power plant – said Jovan Tosic, the head of the project of the construction of the solar power plant Petka. – The active surface of the panels will be on 11.62 hectares. The planned value of the investment is RSD 1.36 billion, and it will be financed from the funds of EPS. Six bids had been sent for the tender for the selection of the contractor, which were opened on May 23.

The examination and the rating of the bids, the decision on the most favorable bid and the signing of the agreement with the selected contractor are to follow. The planned deadline for the realization of the project is 15 months from the possession of the site.

– The signing of the agreement is expected in mid-August, and the possession of the site is expected until the end of August or in early September and 15 months after that, in late 2024, the solar power plant Petka should be connected to the network – Tosic estimated.

According to him, Petka will serve as EPS’s example for bigger structures.

– The plan is for a solar power plant to be built at Srednje Kostolacko Ostrvo (SKO) after the closing of the ash disposal site, which would most probably have a power of 200 MW. The rough plan is for the cutting of the trees to start in January 2024 and last for 15 months, until March or April 2025. The beginning of the phase of the closing of SKO is planned after that and it will take three years. After that, in 2029, the construction of a new and much bigger solar power plant would follow. Within the green transformation of EPS, the construction of two solar power plants, Stisko Polje 1 and Stisko Polje 2, is planned, each with a power of 500 MW – Tosic announced.

Let us remind that, in April, EPS opened a new, second tender for the construction of the solar power plant Petka in Kostolac.

This solar power plant with a power of about 10 MW, planned at the Cirikovac surface mine tailings dump, has been announced since 2017.

At the beginning of last year, a tender for construction was finally announced, and the most favorable bidders were selected, but it was eventually suspended due to, as per the official explanation, "lack of available funds for this purpose".

– Due to the situation in the region and with the client (EPS), and especially bearing in mind the prices of oil, oil derivatives, coal and electricity, EPS will allocate all available funds to maintain production, i.e. to procure goods, services and works necessary for production energy and coal exploitation – this was stated in the explanation for the suspension of the tender in May last year.

Elektroprivreda Srbije ad Beograd

EPS

Jovan Tošić

solar power plant Petka

TE KO Kostolac

solar power plant Petka Kostolac

Cirikovac surface mine tailings dump Kostolac

Ćirikovac Kostolac

Petka Kostolac

solar power plants

construction of solar power plants

open pit mine Ćirkovac Kostolac

Stiško polje