Serbia’s plans to implement 3.5 gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy projects in the next 5-6 years could provide a great opportunity for Turkish energy investors, Serbian Energy and Mining Minister told Anadolu.
There is a need for more regional integration and cooperation for energy transition as well as energy security, said Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic, Serbian energy and mining minister, speaking on the sidelines of the İstanbul Energy Forum, organized by Anadolu under the auspices of Türkiye’s Energy and Natural Resources Ministry.
Serbia set climate targets with the Paris Agreement in 2015, and the country will focus on renewable energy investments in line with its carbon neutral targets, Handanovic explained.
Meanwhile, commenting on the Turkish companies operating in Serbia, Handanovic said that there are strong companies in the Serbian energy market.
‘We are pleased to host them in our country. Achieving Serbia’s renewable energy target is not easy and we will need a lot of support from our regional partners,’ she said.
Türkiye is a country that has largely integrated renewable energy into its system.
Emphasizing that Turkish companies are especially strong in the hydropower sector, Handanovic said that Serbia is planning to build recycled hydroelectric power plants.
‘Of course, Turkish companies have knowledge and can contribute to this process and the rehabilitation of our existing hydroelectric power plants,’ she added.
– Challenges should be overcome for energy security
Handanovic said that due to the presence of many ministers from a wide region, the İstanbul Energy Forum would bring regional cooperation.
In order to reach energy security as well as for energy transition, we need more regional integration and cooperation, she said and added that in Serbia’s case with the construction of Balkan and Turkish gas stream pipeline, the country receives gas thanks to the pipeline from Türkiye and Balkan stream.
‘And this gas goes all the way to Hungary, to Austria, to Slovakia. So it also helps the Central and Eastern European countries through this stream to receive gas,’ she said.
Handanovic explained that in the situation of geopolitical uncertainties, tensions, conflicts, all these issues are to some extent put in a question and in a doubt.
‘But we need to talk, we need to find solutions. We need to overcome challenges in order to have safer energy supply to our citizens,’ she concluded.
