The Government of Serbia has recently announced the adoption of a decree regarding the selection of a strategic partner for the installation of 1 GW in solar power plants and a minimum of 200 MW in battery storage. Furthermore, they have expressed their intention to promptly launch a public call for this purpose
The decree regarding the selection of a strategic partner for the installation of large solar power plants with battery storage systems outlines the details and procedures for the public call, including participation criteria, bid evaluation, and the method of selecting the strategic partner. The Government of Serbia began the process in early May to choose a strategic partner who will construct the facilities and transfer them to the state-owned power utility, Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), through a turnkey agreement. The selected company will be responsible for operating and maintaining the solar power plants and batteries for a period of two years.
The Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy, Dubravka Đedović, has expressed Serbia’s objective of doubling the capacity for solar energy usage through the ongoing auctions for 50 MW of solar. Additionally, she emphasized that a public announcement for the selection of a strategic partner will be released in the near future.
The new decree states that the government will choose the strategic partner based on the proposal of the government’s working group, which is responsible for preparing a public call, evaluating offers, drafting a contract proposal, and negotiating with the chosen partner.
The regulatory framework for the public procurement procedure and public-private partnership will not be applicable during the public call, as mentioned in the decree.
The deadline for submitting the bids will be at least fifty days from the date of the launch of the public call.
To be eligible for bidding, it is necessary to have a significant level of experience in building power plants with a minimum capacity of 25,000 MW, a workforce consisting of over 5,000 individuals, and a turnover of EUR 5 billion per year for the previous three years.
The bidder is kindly required to demonstrate their successful implementation of at least one contract of the same or similar nature. This contract should have resulted in the development and construction of solar power plants with a total installed power of no less than 300 MW. Additionally, the bidder should also provide evidence of at least one contract of the same or similar nature up to the level of full project development and financing for projects with a total installed capacity of at least 400 MW.
The potential strategic partner must accept the obligation to complete the construction of solar power plants by June 1, 2028.
Four criteria for the evaluation of bids have been defined, which include the business criterion, the bidder’s human resources, the warranty period for key equipment components, and their technical characteristics.
The business benchmark outlines the overall capacity of the battery systems provided by the bidder.
The lowest operating power (for charging and discharging) and capacity have been kindly set at 200 MW and 400 MWh, respectively. As per the decree, the upper limits have been graciously established at 300 MW and 600 MWh.
