Posted on : 11/5/2018

The new wood chips fired biomass plant in elementary school “Stojan Novaković” was ceremonially put in operation on October 16th, 2018. The City of Šabac is one of the 13 municipalities selected at the Public Call for financing energy efficiency projects in municipalities, which was published in October 2016 by the Ministry of Mining and Energy of the Republic of Serbia. It is also one of the seven municipalities which proposed to switch from fossil fuel to biomass as an energy efficiency measure. As such, the project was ranked on the 5th position among the selected project proposals. Funds for project co-financing were provided from the donation of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), through the UNDP Project “Removing Barriers to Promote and Support Energy Management Systems in Municipalities throughout Serbia” and through the Budget Fund for Energy Efficiency managed by the Ministry of Mining and Energy.

The value of the overall project amounted to 12,288,530, out of which a portion of 4,809,250 RSD was financed from funds of the Global Environment Facility through the UNDP Project “Removing Barriers to Promote and Support Energy Management Systems in Municipalities throughout Serbia“, while the amount of 2,459,281 RSD came from the Budget Fund for Energy Efficiency. The reconstruction of the heating system comprised the following measures:

1. Replacement of the old light fuel oil fired boiler with a new wood chips-fired boiler, with 0.5 MW in power;

2. Installation of efficient VSD circulation pumps;

3. Installation of thermostatic valves on radiators in indoor heating system, and 

4. Installation of heat measuring devices (calorimeters).

Sabac-based company “In tehnik” d.o.o. was the contractor.

The new boiler plant provides heat to elementary school with 650 pupils, as well as to Center for Professional Development.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Mining and Energy, UNDP and the City of Sabac. Before opening of the boiler plant, in the presence of numerous guests and partners on various projects in the Centre for Professional Development, Slobodan Jerotić, the director of public utility company “Toplana” presented measures in the field of energy efficiency that the City of Sabac has been implementing for several years, and emphasized:

“So far 28 tons of liquid fuel have been used in old boiler plant, and from now on I expect it to be around 120 and 130 tons of wood chips. Speaking in terms of money, this is four times less”.

Between 2010 and 2016 the City of Sabac subsidized thermal insulation of residential buildings, which is only one among other active measures in the field of energy efficiency.

“We will continue with the implementation of an active and responsible energy efficiency policy. I am grateful to the Ministry of Mining and Energy and UNDP for their support in the implementation of this project. Rationalization of energy consumption, reduction of costs and the use of renewable energy for the purpose of environmental protection remain our primary goals in this area,” Nemanja Pajić, President of the Assembly of the City of Šabac, reiterated.