Grant agreement on development of the renewable energy web portal along with biomass on-line trading platform signed by the representatives of UNDP and Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia

On July 01, 2015, a Micro Capital Grant Agreement on the Development and Operation of the Renewable Energy Web Portal (BWP) along with the Online Biomass Trading Platform (OBTP) and Biomass e-trading Platform (BetP) was signed by Ms Irena Vojáčková-Sollorano, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Serbia, and Mr Marko Čadež, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia. Launching this platform will enable meeting the biomass buyers’ and suppliers’ needs, establishing the standards, easing the trade and uniting the offer.

BWP will be created as a dynamic information portal that will provide biomass and renewable energy related news, editorial content, digital publications and e-marketing (advertising) of biomass and renewable energy related service providers and equipment/machinery producers/suppliers.

OBTP is a software programme used to perform online biomass trading (making bids, placing orders, accepting bids, concluding the deal, arranging for delivery, etc.), while BetP is a software programme used for electronic trading i.e. for concluding trades and performing financial transactions for biomass trading via internet, as well as other services for biomass trading such as arbitration, control of biomass quantity and quality upon request of traders, etc.

The portal and the platforms will allow biomass purchasers to secure more consistent and reliable supplies and producers to access a wider market and easily offload any unsold stock.

A series of activities will be implemented in course of development and operation of the BWP along with the OBTP and BetP which will be performed in three stages. Each new stage will include upgrading of the previous one, and the actions will range from elaboration of conceptual and detailed design through testing and informing potential users to setting up the BetP to be incorporated and in BWP once the legal framework in Serbia for e-trading is fully established (expected by March 2016).

This can also be considered a regional initiative. Although primary language of the BWP shall be Serbian, at least 30% of its content will be available in English. OBTP and BetP languages will be Serbian and English. As for the geographical area to be covered by the platforms, the supply of the biomass will not be limited to Serbia. Biomass suppliers from neighbouring countries such as Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, etc. will be encouraged to use them.

Establishing a functional web portal and trading platforms is foreseen to lasts until November 30, 2017.

The funding for establishing of the BWP along with the OBTP and BetP is provided by the Global Environment Fund (GEF) and UNDP through the Project „Reducing Barriers to accelerate the Development of Biomass Markets in Serbia“, implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Mining and Energy and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia.