Elektroprivreda Srbije’s (EPS) first wind farm, Kostolac, has begun trial operations and has already produced its first megawatt-hours of electricity, the company announced today.
“After receiving the grid connection permit, voltage was activated in the substation and four power circuits, after which the blades of Wind Turbine 1 started turning. This marked the start of trial operation for the new generation facility,” EPS said in its statement.
EPS General Director Dušan Živković described the launch as a historic milestone for the company, noting that EPS now has its first wind-generated electricity on the grid, alongside energy from water, coal, and solar.
“This is 66 megawatts of new capacity and a major step toward increasing the share of renewable energy and advancing the sustainable development of not only EPS, but the entire Serbian energy sector,” Živković emphasized.
He added that the Kostolac wind farm is just the beginning of a broader expansion of green capacities within EPS, and highlighted the significance of building the project on a former mining overburden site, giving the area a new, sustainable purpose.
“The construction of the wind farm was a major challenge, but also an important opportunity for EPS’s experienced engineers and younger staff to gain valuable knowledge and experience for future projects,” Živković said.
Energization of the remaining wind turbines at the Kostolac wind farm—located in Drmno, Petka, Ćirikovac and Klenovnik—is currently underway. The planned annual output is 187 million kilowatt-hours, enough to supply green electricity to around 30,000 households, EPS stated.
The project is financed through a €110 million loan from the German development bank KfW, with €30 million in EU grant funding provided through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), while EPS secured the remaining portion of the investment.
