T he Nikola Tesla Thermal Power Plants (TENT) are a critically important pillar of Serbia’s energy system and a major stakeholder in Southeastern Europe. With a total capacity of 3,429.5 megawatts, TENT produces more than half of Serbia’s electricity, ensuring supply stability and security.
A branch of Elektroprivreda Srbije known as TENT includes four thermal power plants and a railway transport division. One of these is TENT A in Obrenovac, which has six units and a capacity of 1,765.5 megawatts. Beyond its essential role in electricity supply, TENT is now positioning itself as a participant in environmental initiatives, a unique stance for a thermal power plant.
Clean Energy
Change is underway in the traditional thermal energy sector as a new era of electricity production begins. The Nikola Tesla A plant complex will initiate green energy production by building the first photovoltaic plant within a branch of Elektroprivreda Srbije.
Solar panels will be installed on five of the most suitable external structures at TENT A and TENT Railway Transport—on the storage facility for hazardous and non-hazardous waste, the Remote Traffic Control Center, and the storage area for machinery and spare parts.
The first kilowatt-hours of clean energy from this 948-kilowatt solar plant are expected by early December, and annual production is anticipated to exceed 1 GWh. All generated energy will support the plant’s internal consumption, contributing to significant energy savings and reducing the complex’s environmental footprint.
The plant will host over 1,400 solar panels manufactured by Swiss Solar, each with an individual power output of 670 Wp. The project is being managed by a consortium led by MT-KOMEX, with Čačak-based Elektrovat and subcontractor DB Kop Josipović. IMP Automatika is handling the implementation of the supervisory control system.
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“When this project is completed, it will provide several benefits. The primary benefit is improving the energy performance of the entire complex. We will generate green kilowatts to meet our internal needs, which will reduce emissions and positively impact the overall carbon footprint of TENT’s energy production.
This solar plant will generate green energy in a sector traditionally impacted by fossil fuel use. Our public image is changing significantly, and we continue working on this every day. Besides this project, numerous other projects are underway, both here in the thermal power plants and across Elektroprivreda Srbije, aimed at improving energy performance and reducing environmental impact,” explained Saša Đorđević, Head of Energy Efficiency. This solar plant, which will begin producing clean electricity this year, is the first in a planned series to be built at other branches of Elektroprivreda Srbije in the future. Constructing a renewable energy facility on the roof of a thermal power complex signals a clear shift toward the energy transition Serbia is undergoing.
Environmental Transformation
TENT A’s flue gas desulfurization plant, inaugurated this year, is one of the most significant environmental projects in European thermal power plants. It was achieved through the collaboration of Serbian and Japanese experts.
This plant significantly reduces annual sulfur dioxide emissions, bringing them in line with European standards. The project employs wet flue gas desulfurization technology using lime as the primary material. A key feature of this technology is that it produces gypsum as a by-product. Instead of being released into the atmosphere, sulfur dioxide is converted into gypsum through an absorber process, advancing TENT A towards a circular economy. Annual gypsum production is expected to reach approximately 250,000 tons.
Construction of a similar plant is also underway at the TENT B location. The same technology will be implemented for both units, extending emission reduction and recycling strategies to other parts of the thermal power complex.
Prepared by Milica Vučković
Read the whole story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine ECOLOGICAL TRANSPORT
