Energy

MANAGERS OF THERMAL POWER PLANT ”NIKOLA TESLA” AND ELECTRIC POWER DISTRIBUTION OF SERBIA ATTENDING PROFESSIONAL TRAINING IN JAPAN
The Biggest Environmental Project in the Balkans
Construction of the plant for desulfurization of flue gases in this giant power plant in Obrenovac will be realized with assistance provided to Serbia by the government of Japan, through its national agency for international cooperation. The value of this work is EUR 250 million. This is one of more important prerequisites for EPS to meet the standards of environmental protection prescribed by the European Union

Social responsibility and environmental protection are among the basic principles in business operations of Thermal Power Plants ”Nikola Tesla”. This is also reflected in the fact that preparations for, as they say, the biggest environmental project in Serbia and the Balkans are currently. This project – construction of the plant for desulfurization of flue gases– will be realized with assistance provided to Serbia by the government of Japan.
The first steps have already been taken. An intergovernmental agreement was signed by Serbia and Japan. It is expected that, in late March 2012, an agreement will be signed with a selected consultant in the preparation of the main tender. The process of preparation and invitation to tender for delivery and conducting of works on the plant for desulfurization of flue gases in Thermal Power Plant ”Nikola Tesla A” for three hundred megawatt blocks 3, 4, 5 and 6 will also begin at that time.
The loan agreement concluded between Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Electric Power Distribution of Serbia (EPS) will be signed on November 24 this year. This is a so-called ODA loan (Official Development Assistant Loan) worth EUR 250 million. Actually, it is a loan approved under concessional terms and conditions, in this case a loan approved by JICA. Terms and conditions are very favorable, with interest rate of 0.6 percent, with repayment period of 15 ears, and five year grace period.
Within preparation for tenders and the realization of desulfurization project, a group of experts from TENT and EPS, direct participants in this project, visited Japan. During this visit, organized at the invitation of the leaders of JICA, they attended a ten-day long training on the rules that will be applied in accordance with Japanese procedures.
– The training program in Tokyo, from September 26 to October 5, was very intensive, everyday in the morning and in the afternoon, and lecturers were experts from Japan International Cooperation Agency – says Đorđi Biljanovski, Deputy Director of the company Thermal Power Plants ”Nikola Tesla”, the leader of this team. – Lectures covered a series of business segments, especially in the area of finances. Primarily, managing the process of ODA LOAN (in yens), and within this the procedures of disbursement-repayment. Lectures were also dedicated to standardization of documentation for tenders from development assistance, procedures for realization of tenders, environmental protection measures and project management. After the completed training, we received JICA certificates with the signature of its Director, Sadata Ogata.

COLLATERAL FOR FUTURE OPERATIONS

Within this advanced-specialist training visit to Japan, the team from Thermal Power Plants ”Nikola Tesla” and Electric Power Distribution of Serbia also visited one of the most state-of-the-art thermal power plants in Japan, which operates within ”Electric Power Distribution Chugoku”, near the city of Hiroshima. The power plant is using coal, with one block of 1,000 megawatts. In the words of our host, and the guests were able to confirm this, id is a ”masterpiece of modern technology”. It is equipped with the most advanced environmental protection devices, has been in operation since 1998, and has about 240 employees.
– In a cordial atmosphere, we exchanged experiences with the management of this thermal power plant – says Biljanovski. – Their approach to business operations is completely different from ours. They have unified operating segments within the entire electric power distribution system, and are largely relying on their business partners, using their services to the highest extent. Both the exterior and the interior of this power plant are impressive, spotlessly clean and neat. In addition to high production results achieved by it, it is equipped with the most advanced desulfurization plant. Its operation is highly reliable, practically with the degree of desulfurization of 90 percent. Also interesting is the data that this thermal power plant has had as many as 280 thousand visitors. They explained to us that they are fully open to public, because they think that all people have the right to see the way in which the power plant is working and how much they invest in environmental protection. A special office within this company is in charge of realization of such visits, and is doing this very successfully.
Construction of a desulfurization plant in Thermal Power Plant ”Nikola Tesla” in Obrenovac, we may repeat, is certainly the biggest environmental project in the Balkans. The leaders of this electric power distribution giant from Obrenovac have additional motivation for the realization of this project. In As people from Japan International Cooperation Agency say, their readiness to finance other big projects in Serbia will also depend on this.

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Memory
– During our visit to Hiroshima, of course, we also visited the local Memorial Centre. It is very heart stirring, impressive and magnificent at the same time, with what degree of piety the Japanese people are remembering the victims of the atomic bomb thrown on this city, sending peace messages to the entire world with dignity and warning people that something like this should never happen again – says Đorđi Biljanovski.

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Pursuant to the Directive
The Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive (IPPC) was included in the legislation of the European Union in September 1996. It regulates environmental protection in general (water, air, soil...). Every potential solution must be prevented or minimized to the level of satisfactory environmental protection.
Pursuant to the Law on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution from 2004, as well as applicable secondary legislation, this Principle was also introduced in Serbia. For the operation of new and already existing plants, an integrated permit will have to be obtained by 2015. In certain cases, this permit can be related to cessations of business activities of polluters.
Thermal Power Plant ”Nikola Tesla”, whose plants belong to the group of thermal energy plants, with heat input of 50 megawatts, must submit application for integrated permit by 2013. It is expected that the permit will be obtained by 2015.