Serbia's EPS Producing Less Power, Relying on Imports, Party Claims

Serbia's state-owned power utility, Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), is facing a significant decline in electricity production, forcing it to rely on imports, according to the Srbija Centar (SRCE) party. SRCE's energy and mining committee cited data from EPS's own technical yearbooks, showing a nearly 15% drop in production between 2023 and 2025.

Despite the launch of a new 350-megawatt Kostolac B3 thermal power unit during this period, production fell from 34,720 gigawatt-hours in 2023 to 30,356 GWh in 2025. SRCE attributes this decline to several factors, including the collapse of the "Kolubara" open-pit mine, which reduced daily coal delivery to the "Nikola Tesla" thermal power plant from around 100,000 tons to just over 60,000 tons. The quality of the remaining coal has also reportedly diminished.

SRCE rejects justifications based on weather or increased consumption, instead pointing to what they describe as mismanagement of mines, delayed plant maintenance, poor planning, and issues with developing new production capacities. The party claims that EPS leadership is operating in the interest of private companies connected to the ruling structures, and that Serbian citizens are bearing the cost through their electricity bills.

The party directly blames the ruling Serbian Progressive Party and President Aleksandar Vučić for the problems plaguing EPS, accusing the government of institutional failure in the face of escalating issues within the energy sector.

“

problemi u EPS ne mogu opravdavati vremenskim prilikama i povećanom potrošnjom, već da su posledica, kako tvrde, lošeg upravljanja kopovima, kašnjenja remonta postrojenja, neadekvatnog planiranja i problema sa izgradnjom novih proizvodnih kapaciteta.