Serbia's EPS Plans to Invest EUR 65 Million to Renovate the 104 MW Bistrica Hydropower Plant

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 25, Serbia's state-owned power company Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) is advancing the modernization of the Bistrica Hydropower Plant, with a project investment of approximately EUR 65 million. The plant has an installed capacity of 104 MW and has been in operation for about 65 years. This renovation will replace core electromechanical equipment and upgrade the control system while keeping the existing installed capacity basically unchanged, with the goal of extending the plant's operating life by at least another 30 years.

The scope of the renovation includes the replacement of generators for two units, replacement of turbines and governing equipment, renovation of intake gates, and reconstruction of 35 kV switchgear. The existing analog relay control system will also be upgraded to a modern distributed control system, and a new central SCADA platform will be built, adding automation, condition monitoring, and operation management equipment to improve unit operating reliability and maintenance efficiency.

EPS expects that after the renovation is completed, the annual power generation of the Bistrica Hydropower Plant can increase from the current approximately 330 million kWh to a maximum of about 350 million kWh, while the actual generation level will still be affected by water inflow conditions. The focus of the project is to use existing water resources to increase power generation by improving unit efficiency and equipment reliability, rather than expanding generation scale through additional installed capacity.

Project financing has basically been secured, including a loan from the European Investment Bank and a EUR 7.5 million grant provided by the Western Balkans Investment Framework. EPS is currently in the final stage of contractor selection and expects that once construction officially begins, the entire modernization project will be completed within 4 years.

Bistrica is one of Serbia's earlier hydropower facilities put into operation. In recent years, EPS has continued to advance the renewal of existing hydropower assets, while also carrying out preliminary work on new hydropower projects such as the Bistrica Pumped Storage Hydropower Plant, in order to enhance the regulation capacity of Serbia's power system and the utilization efficiency of existing clean energy assets.