ENERGY 2021
NIKOLA RAJAKOVIĆ PH.D., PROFESSOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE FACULTY OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY, PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF ENERGY SECTOR SPECIALISTS
INTERVIEW
WE'RE INCREASINGLY READY FOR ENERGY TRANSITION The key factor in the success of implementing energy policies and plans is the accepting of the paradigm shift in the development of the energy sector among key social actors - policymakers and political decision makers. Joining the EU Green Deal enables the region’s countries to develop a modern, environmentally friendly, competitive and regionally integrated energy system, and to attract foreign direct investment in industrial production, especially production intended for export.
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he countries of the Western Balkans lag behind in energy transition, and now - with the establishing of the European Green Plan - the European Union has set them the new challenge of harmonising their own national energy and climate plans. How ready is Serbia for that challenge at this juncture? Serbia is, in my opinion, increasingly more ready for the challenges imposed by the objective situation in an electricity sector that’s dependent on lignite, on the one hand, and, on the other, more ready to the activities arising from the Green Deal, which should result in a new National Energy and Climate Plan. The reasons for this mild optimism are primarily in the domain of changing prevailing attitudes and considerations in both professional circles and the wider social sphere. Until just a few years ago, only isolated individuals were speaking about the necessity of decarbonisation (abandoning fossil fuels, primarily meaning lignite in our country), or the need to switch to Renewables. This is no longer an individual opinion , but rather, I would say, the dominant reasoning. Shifting consciousness in the
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energy sector is an imperative due to the poor quality of air in cities and revelations about the negative impact of the operations of thermal power plants on the health of the population and on the environment as a whole. An additional reason for optimism is provided by the regulatory framework, as
a set of new laws in the energy sector has put a meaninhgful limit on future contours in this sector. And finally, the last reason is the growing interest in constructing renewable sources among investors. And in spite of declarative commitments in international forums, energy transition still hasn’t been broadly accepted as the backbone of the energy strategy in Serbia. The results of the 2020 survey of the World Economic Forum, in which the Energy Transition Index (ETI) ranks the readiness of countries to implement the decarbonisation process, indicate a low level of readiness to implement this complex process among the countries of the region. Of the 115 countries ranked, Serbia is in 100th place, and it can thus be seen that the decarbonisation process isn’t recognised as a development opportunity. The key factor in the success of implementing energy policies and plans is the accepting of the paradigm shift in the development of the energy sector among key social actors - policymakers and political decision makers. Joining the EU Green Deal enables the region’s countries to develop a modern, environmentally friendly, competitive and regionally integrated energy system. The construction of this kind of energy infra-
