MK Biogas, a subsidiary of MK Group, intends to invest EUR 8.1 million in a 2.4 MW biogas power plant, which should be eligible to receive feed-in tariffs. The project design is under way, while the launch of construction of the plant near the City of Vrbas is planned for September and the beginning of operation for February 2020.

At the moment, Serbia has a remarkable potential when it comes to renewable energy sources as there are only 12 biogas-powered facilities.

“Companies like Sunoko, a member of MK Group, which produce a lot of farm and meatpacking waste, as well as byproducts from sugar beet, can use that waste to generate electricity,” – says Predrag Bozic, Director of MK Biogas.

He adds that, with these innovative investments, MK Group is contributing to environmental protection, but also more efficient and sustainable operations of such a system.

The total estimated value of the investment in the biomass power plant is EUR 8.1 million, and MK Group will implement a solution devised b the German company Wabio Technologie GmbH on this project. The German company has been creating advanced, sustainable solutions for biogas for a quarter of the century now.

It is estimated that the annual production of the Vrbas plant will amount to around 20,000 MWh, which meets the annual needs for electricity of around 5,000 households.

Biogas is the only RES suitable for the production of power, heating, gas and liquid fuels. It is produced from renewable resources such as maize, wheat, grass, organic waste from the food industry and fertilizers. The production of this resource reduces the amount of organic waste and the emission of CO₂, which contributes considerably to the reduction of the greenhouse effect and the environmental protection in Serbia.

Serbia is one of the countries that have great potential when it comes to biomass, but that potential is untapped in our country. MK Group supports Serbia’s goal of having 27% of the total energy consumption coming from RES by 2020.

MK group has also validated this strategic orientation toward RES primarily through its partnership with the Italian company Fintel Energia SpA. The cooperation, which began in 2007, led to the two companies making a pioneering move in Serbia in the production of green energy via wind farms and solar panels.

Just under half a decade ago, MK Group opened the first wind farm in Serbia with its Italian partner, the Kula wind farm, which supplies 5,000 to 8,000 households with power, contributing to the total energy security, the press release says.