Electricity in Serbia in 2023/2024

Over the past 12 months, from October 2023 to September 2024, Serbia's electricity consumption has leaned heavily toward fossil fuels, with more than half coming from coal alone, accounting for roughly 60%. Gas contributes a small portion of electricity generation at approximately 2.5%. On the cleaner side, Serbia sources 36% of its electricity from low-carbon energy types. Hydropower is the dominant clean source, providing a bit more than 32% of the total electricity. Wind energy, though promising, only contributes about 3%. This data highlights the predominant reliance on coal and the need for diversification toward more sustainable energy sources.

Suggestions

To increase its low-carbon electricity generation, Serbia can learn from countries that have successfully integrated significant amounts of low-carbon energy types into their grids. France, Slovakia, and Ukraine have achieved high percentages of nuclear energy in their electricity mix, from around 55% to 67%. This suggests that nuclear energy could play a crucial role in Serbia's strategy to lower its fossil fuel dependency. Meanwhile, Denmark and Uruguay demonstrate the potential of wind energy, generating well over 30% of their electricity from wind. Thus, Serbia should focus on building and expanding its nuclear capacity while also investing in wind farms to ensure a balanced, resilient, and sustainable energy mix.

History

Historically, Serbia's low-carbon electricity generation has seen variable contributions from hydropower with some notable fluctuations. In the early 1990s, hydropower saw increases such as in 1991, when it contributed an additional 2 TWh but also experienced declines in years such as 1993 and 1997. The early 2000s were unstable, with a significant drop in 2000 by 2.1 TWh followed by a partial recovery between 2003 and 2004. More recent years feature marked fluctuations: a 3.2 TWh drop in 2011, periods of growth reaching a peak in 2021 with an increase of 2.3 TWh, but a sharp decrease again in 2022. This pattern indicates variability in hydropower due to factors like water flow and climate conditions, further emphasizing the need for diversified low-carbon investments like nuclear and wind to stabilize and enhance Serbia’s green energy portfolio.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

Maximum Imports

Data Sources