Serbia’s state-owned power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) has launched a new procurement procedure for the planned 660 MW Bistrica pumped-storage hydropower plant, bringing the project closer to an international construction tender. EPS is looking for a consultant to review and harmonise the project’s tender documentation and align it with procurement requirements of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The deadline for submitting offers is October 6, with the selected consultant expected to complete the assignment within 10 months. The Bistrica investment has been estimated at approximately €1.2 billion and is intended to provide Serbia with large-scale electricity storage alongside flexible generation capacity.
Procurement Preparation Under JICA Rules
The consultancy contract does not represent a construction award. Instead, it concerns the procurement framework required before EPS can select construction contractors under procedures acceptable to potential Japanese financing institutions. The project is being developed as Serbia increases its focus on electricity-system flexibility amid expanding wind and solar capacity across the country and the wider Balkans. Pumped-storage hydropower allows electricity to be used to pump water into an upper reservoir when supply is abundant, with the stored water later released through turbines when additional generation is required.
Bistrica’s Role in Serbia’s Power System
The technology would provide a different form of flexibility from other projects being developed in Serbia. Battery storage can deliver rapid balancing and short-duration services, while the proposed gas-fired power project near Niš would provide dispatchable thermal generation.
Bistrica would be capable of shifting larger quantities of electricity over longer periods while also providing system reserves and grid-support functions. EPS and the government are simultaneously advancing battery-storage projects and additional renewable generation, while the transmission system is preparing for higher volumes of wind, solar and standalone battery capacity.
Large-Scale Construction and Financing Requirements
The scale of the €1.2 billion Bistrica project means that its development involves complex civil engineering, environmental permitting, financing and international procurement. The 10-month consultancy assignment also provides an indication of the procurement sequence. The review and harmonisation of tender documentation alone is scheduled to extend over most of a year, meaning the main international tendering process could continue into 2027 before construction commitments are finalised.
The project will also require allocation of geological, civil-engineering and performance risks between EPS and future contractors. For JICA and other prospective lenders, procurement documentation will establish how construction and performance risks associated with the project are distributed. The latest procurement procedure does not award construction work, but it advances Bistrica from project preparation toward a structure suitable for financing and contractor selection. As Serbia expands renewable generation and prepares its electricity network for higher volumes of variable output, the 660 MW Bistrica project remains one of the country’s major planned investments in electricity-system flexibility.
