The Republic of Serbia has expressed interest in taking over the Plandište wind farm project, currently owned by Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) and MET Renewables. The project has been in development for over a decade.
The 102 MW Plandište project was discussed at the latest session of the Board of Directors of NIS, during which Serbia’s Minister of Mining and Energy, Dubravka Đedović Handanović, and Gazprom Neft Executive Board Chairman, Alexander Dyukov, addressed the meeting.
Aleksey Urusov was appointed as the new Chairman of the NIS Board of Directors, while Dragutin Matanović was named Deputy Chairman — the first time a Deputy Chairman has been appointed from among the Board members by the Government of Serbia, the Ministry announced.
Serbia Aims to Expand Renewable Energy Capacity
“During the meeting, it was concluded that the Republic of Serbia is interested in jointly taking over the development of the Plandište wind farm with the Hungarian company MET, in order to increase renewable energy capacity in line with the country’s strategic energy transition goals,” the Ministry stated.
No further details were disclosed. The current owners of the project are NIS and Swiss-based MET Renewables.
Plandište is among the projects that received feed-in tariffs from the Ministry under the first 500 MW quota for wind farm construction in Serbia. All other projects under this quota — totaling 397 MW — have long since been completed, including Čibuk 1, Kovačica, Košava 1, Alibunar, Kula, Malibunar, and La Piccolina.
Original Completion Date Was 2014, Later Postponed to 2021
The project was initially developed by Energowind, a company founded in 2005 by private investors. In late 2012, NIS acquired a 50% stake and the company was renamed NIS Energowind. The partnership agreement was signed by then-NIS CEO Kirill Kravchenko and Goran Novaković, Director of Energowind and former Minister of Energy in the Serbian Government.
At the time, the wind farm was expected to be completed by 2014, and groundbreaking work began in September 2013. However, little progress was made until March 2019, when MET Renewables — a Swiss-based company with Hungarian ownership — acquired the remaining 50% stake from private investors. The joint venture was then renamed NIS MET Energowind.
Construction Permit Updated in 2023
Shortly thereafter, the new owners announced a revised completion target of 2021.
The project company, Wind Park Plandište, received the status of privileged electricity producer from renewable sources in 2015, entitling it to a 12-year feed-in tariff agreement. This status was extended multiple times, most recently in 2018 until 2020, according to the Ministry’s register of privileged producers.
According to the project company’s website, a construction permit revised in 2023 allows for the installation of 17 wind turbines with a capacity of 6 MW each. The Detailed Regulation Plan, amended in 2022, allows for the construction of up to 20 turbines, each with a capacity of up to 7 MW.
Source: Balkan Green Energy News