Home News Conference: Use of Biomass for Energy Purposes – the Road to Business Success

Conference: Use of Biomass for Energy Purposes – the Road to Business Success

The conference “Use of Biomass for Energy Purposes – the Road to Business Success” has been taking place on October 13^th 2016 in the framework of 12^th Belgrade Energy Fair in the Ceremonial hall of the Administration Building. The conference is jointly organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Belgrade and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia with the support of the Ministry of Mining and Energy of the Republic of Serbia. This conference aims at promoting and supporting investments in biomass energy in Serbia. It will also contribute to successful cooperation between the Slovakia and Serbia in related fields. This event gathers relevant actors in energy and agriculture sectors, including competent authorities, donors, banks, investors and biomass suppliers.

Working in close partnership with the Serbian Ministry of Mining and Energy, as its lead partner, and with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, the UNDP is implementing a 4-year project “Reducing Barriers to Accelerate Development of Biomass Markets in Serbia”. The project is funded by the Global Environmental Fund and UNDP. The objective of the Project is to increase the share of energy from renewable sources in the energy mix of Serbia, namely the share of biomass in power generation, by creating a vibrant and resilient biomass market.

The Project supports a variety of actors in coordinated efforts to turn biomass from an attractive opportunity into reliable energy source, by:

Improving institutional and regulatory frameworks;
Enhancing the capacity of all relevant stakeholders to develop, finance, construct and operate bankable biomass energy projects;
Implementing investment support mechanisms, such as grant schemes to support the construction of selected combined heat and power plants (CHP biogas plants).

Project results, such as those related to the public call for awarding grants for the construction of biogas CHP plants which has been successfully implemented by the Ministry of Mining and Energy in cooperation with UNDP, will be presented at the Conference. Six biogas CHP projects have been selected with total installed capacity of 6.35 MW and total investment of US$ 22.6 million. Individual grants per project make up to 15% of the investment value, or the maximum of USD 275,000, while the investment value of each project exceeds US$ 1.2 million. In November 2015 contracts totalling US$ 1.6 million have been signed by the Minister of Mining and Energy of the Republic of Serbia. New projects will increase the total installed capacity of biomass/biogas CHP plants in Serbia by 130%.

In its capacity as a co-organizer of the conference and project partner, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia will present its activities in the field of renewable energy as well as the “Green Energy” web portal along with a biomass e-trading platform.

As a third co-organizer of the conference, the Slovak Embassy in Belgrade will present Slovak experiences in the implementation of financial mechanisms to support projects on energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.

The conference has been held in the Ceremonial hall of the Administration Building at the Belgrade Fair. Mrs Stana Bozovic, State Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, first addressed the audience followed by Mr Milos Banjac, Assistant Minister of Mining and Energy, Mr. Miroslav Miletic, Vice President of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, Ms Helena Mravikova, Head of Economic and Commercial Affairs in Embassy of the Slovak Republic and Ms Irena Vojáčková-Sollorano, UNDP Resident Representative in Serbia who also welcomed participants and gave the floor to speakers coming from two countries. The conference was divided in two sessions – ‘The Enabling Framework’ and ‘Biomass Business Opportunities’.

Conference agenda:

Presentations