Bosnian power utility seeks consultants for wind park development
SARAJEVO – Bosnia’s second-biggest power utility ERS issued a tender on Tuesday seeking consultants to advise it on developing a 48 megawatt (MW) wind park to help the Balkan country diversify its energy sources and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The Hrgud wind park in Berkovici, southeastern Bosnia, will comprise 16 wind turbines with a capacity of 3 megawatts (MW) each. In 2015, ERS won a 50 year concession to build and operate the park with a help of a 60 million euros ($75 million) loan from German state-owned development bank KfW.
The total cost of the project is seen at 65 million euros and ERS will provide the reminder of the financing.
Potential consultants are invited to assist ERS in preparing an environmental and social scoping statement, an environmental and social impact assessment report and an environmental and social management plan.
The winner will also help develop stakeholder engagement and land acquisition plans and support the utility during consultations with the local population. Potential bidders should apply by March 30.
The wind park, the first in the Serb Republic – one of Bosnia’s two postwar autonomous regions – is projected to be connected to the grid in four years and to produce 126 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity a year.
Bosnia generates 40 percent of its electricity from hydro and the rest from coal-fired plants and plans to increase the share of renewable energy to 43 percent by 2020.
Unlike other Balkan countries that rely on power imports to cover much of their demand, it is able to export power largely thanks to its hydro capacity.
Bosnia’s other autonomous region, the Bosniak-Croat Federation, has given approval to three companies to start building wind farms with combined capacity of 138 MW.
Several developers are seeking to add a further 320 MW in wind capacity in Bosnia over the coming years.
Source: Reuters
