Minister of Mining and Energy: Serbia is Creating Conditions for Accelerated Decarbonization

Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)

Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic-Handanovic said during the 20th Europe Summit in Salzburg that Serbia was progressively aligning its legislative framework with European regulations and developing energy infrastructure, thereby creating conditions for improved supply security, as well as for the accelerated decarbonization of the energy sector.

"The Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan, adopted by the Government of Serbia, prescribes that by 2030, almost every second megawatt-hour of electricity produced will come from renewable sources, which reflects Serbia’s desire to align with European goals in the energy sector," the minister was quoted as saying by her office on Oct. 23.

Djedovic-Handanovic recalled that this year, too, two memorandums for the construction of new gas interconnections were signed, one with Romania (to provide 1.6 billion cubic meters of gas annually) and the other with North Macedonia (securing the annual capacity of 1.2 billion cubic meters), which will allow further diversification of supply sources.

When asked about plans for lithium exploitation, the minister said that it would take at least two years to complete all the studies related to the Jadar project, currently one of the largest mining projects in Europe. The Serbian official underlined that professionals should have the main say in any decision regarding the implementation of the project.