The European Commission has unveiled a EUR 3.2 billion investment package to support 21 transport, digital, climate and energy connectivity projects in the Western Balkans, writes Balkan Green Energy News
It is the first major package of projects under the European Union’s ambitious Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, adopted in October 2020, the commission said. The countries of the region reached an agreement on the Green Agenda Action Plan to enable access to the funds.
The financial package comprises EUR 1.1 billion in EU grants from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance 2021-2027 (IPA III), additional bilateral contributions from EU member states and Norway, and favourable loans from international financing institutions. The EUR 3.2 billion investment package is being channelled through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), an EU-led multi-donor investment platform and the primary financial vehicle for implementing the Economic and Investment Plan in the areas of public infrastructure and private sector competitiveness.
The total project cost for the five projects endorsed in 2022 in the clean energy sector amounts to over EUR 127 million. These are the projects:
- Vau i Dejës Floating Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant
- Oslomej 1 Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant
- Oslomej 2 and Bitola Photovoltaic Power Plants
- Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor: Serbia – Montenegro – BiH 400 kV Interconnection
- Advanced System for Remote Meter Reading.
