Wind energy in Serbia, call for local projects near wind farm Kovavica

Electrawinds K-Wind Doo is preparing to analyze applications by nonprofits from Kovavica, in a rare program for local support. The operator of the largest wind park in Serbia, located north of capital Belgrade, is granting as much as EUR 5,000 per project.

Organizations active in the municipality can fill the form by December 15 for environmental protection and upgrades, infrastructural improvement, education, youth support, sports, promotion of renewable energy sources and innovations. The company said in the public call that it would “support as many quality projects as possible.” They should contribute to the quality of life next year and in 2021, according to the announcement.
Tender only for entities registered before 2019

Eligible are all organizations founded by any department of the local self-government, as well as all citizens’ and sports associations and clubs. The condition is that they have been registered in the Serbian Business Registers Agency or APR before this year.

Furthermore, applicant entities mustn’t have any due and unsettled tax obligations, Electrawinds K-Wind added. It instructed them to submit only one project each. The form is available at the wind power producer’s website. The description of the planned activities must be detailed, per the propositions.
Public call includes due diligence review of decision

The firm’s committee and its legal advisors are responsible for picking the beneficiaries of the program, with a discretionary right. Apparently, no appeal process has been envisaged. However, the decision will undergo a due diligence review, the rules of the public call revealed.

The 104.5 MW wind farm is the sixth fully operation built in Serbia. The country’s capacity skyrocketed to 171.6 MW when it formally came online in September. It has been built since 2017 and this year it obtained the privileged power producer status.

The investor in the EUR 189 million endeavor is Israel-based Enlight Renewable Energy. It installed 38 turbines with the help of EUR 142 million in funding which came from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Erste. The latter was backed by Germany’s credit export agency Euler Hermes.