Energy transition of Belgrade to start in Batajnica – Heating plant to switch to geothermal energy, first borehole by end-year

Geothermal energy, as one of the most promising sources of renewable energy, is becoming increasingly important in energy transition strategies worldwide. Stable and reliable, it does not depend on the weather conditions and has huge potential for the heating of urban areas, especially in regions with suitable geological characteristics - like Belgrade.

It is precisely there that, in cooperation with the Faculty of Mining and Geology at the University of Belgrade, the PUE Belgrade Heating Plants has started exploring the geothermal resources in several locations in the capital city. The preliminary results indicate the existence of a considerable potential, and Borca, Danube and Batajnica are among the most promising locations.

The first concrete step has already been made in Batajnica, where the Government of Serbia has adopted the decision on determining a public interest for the expropriation of immovable property to the end of building facilities for the production of heating energy from geothermal sources. The plan also entails the forming of a single building parcel for the reconstruction of the existing facility of the Heating Plant Batajnica (TO Batajnica). The expropriation is to be carried out by the City of Belgrade, for the needs of the PUE Belgrade Heating Plants.

This location is especially important because, according to the previously published study of the Faculty of Mining and Geology, it is precisely in Batajnica that it is possible to replace as much as 90% of the annual quantity of the fossil fuel that is currently used in the heating plant. This is also confirmed by a scientific analysis which has determined the potential of the geothermal water at five to 20 megawatts per system.

First borehole in Batajnica by end-year

As the PUE Belgrade Heating Plants told eKapija, the plan is to, this year already, establish an exploratory borehole within the TO Batajnica, which would play the key role in confirming the parameters of the geothermal capacity and defining the next steps. The public procurement plan for 2025 envisages the procedure of the selection of the contractor, and if the dynamics of the procedures are suitable, the works might begin by the end of the year.

Aware of the fact that the world reserves of fossil fuels are limited and that they are getting depleted rapidly, the Belgrade Heating Plants are accelerating the implementation of renewable energy sources, the company says for eKapija. One of the most important steps in that direction, as they point out, is the exploration of geothermal resources in the locations of city heating plants, in cooperation with the Faculty of Mining and Geology at the University of Belgrade.

– The preliminary exploration results have shown that there is considerable potential for the use of geothermal energy in several heating plants, and in the next phase, the plan is to build an exploratory borehole in the complex of TO Batajnica. This borehole will play the key role in confirming the parameters of the geothermal capacity and be the basis for defining the next steps in implementing renewable energy sources. In addition to that, the intention of the Belgrade Heating Plants is to enable experts from the Faculty of Mining and Geology to carry out exploratory testing and for us to thereby give our contribution to science – they say at the PUE Belgrade Heating Plants.

This exploratory borehole, they add, is the key step toward confirming the conclusion of the scientific study which points to the possibility of a considerable reduction of the use of fossil fuels at TO Batajnica. Upon the completion of the testing of the geothermal source, a decision on the further phases of introducing geothermal energy into the existing facility will be made.

– Within the procurement plan for 2025, the Belgrade Heating Plants plan to carry out the public procurement procedure for the selection of the contractor for the construction of an exploratory borehole in the TO Batajanica complex. The beginning of the works depends on the dynamics of the implementation of the procedure and the harmonization with the Law on Public Procurement, and it is expected that the contractor might be selected and that the works might begin this year – they say.

The project does not envisage the construction of a new heating plant in Batajnica, but a reconstruction of the existing facility, which should encompass the construction of side facilities and the modernization of the equipment for the exploitation of geothermal energy.

Although it is difficult at this moment to estimate the size of the investment in the next phases of the project, relevant financial parameters, they say, will be defined in the Feasibility Study, which will be prepared upon the completion of the exploration of the geothermal source.

Plans for Borca and the Danube as well

In addition to the complex in Batajnica, the PUE Belgrade Heating Plants plans similar exploratory activities in other promising locations, including Borca and the Danube, and documentation for the public procurement procedure is already being collected.

– This exploration is an important step toward a more sustainable energy future of Belgrade, with potential to contribute to a reduction of the use of fossil fuels and the development of geothermal infrastructure. That project will contribute to a wider vision of the energy independence of the city, along with the construction of the out-of-city heating pipeline Obrenovac-New Belgrade and the taking of heating energy from the waste incinerator in Vinca – they say at the Belgrade Heating Plants.

I. Zikic

Vlada Republike Srbije

JKP Beogradske Elektrane Beograd

Rudarsko geološki fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu

geothermal energy

Heating Plant Danube

Heating Plant Batajnica

Heating Plant Borča

Obrenovac New Belgrade heating pipeline

geothermal energy heating plants

reconstruction of heating plants