A loan of 50 million euros for the replacement of boiler rooms with fossil fuels

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced that it had reached an agreement with the Government of Serbia on a loan for modernization heating system through the replacement of obsolete boiler houses in six cities of Serbia - Belgrade, Niš, Valjevo, Novi Pazar, Zaječar and Smederevo, writes Nikola Zdravković on the portal klima101.rs.

According to the EBRD, these cities are recognized as pollution hotspots in Serbia.

There, old boiler houses, which still use fossil fuels such as coal and fuel oil, should be replaced by modern and more environmentally friendly solutions, such as heat pumps, the use of waste heat and the development of district heating where feasible.

Emissions of harmful substances, especially PM 2,5 particles that are dangerous to health, should be significantly reduced by these measures. These toxic particles stay in the air longer than heavier particles, increasing the chance that people or animals will inhale them and lodge them in the lungs.

Outdated boiler rooms are only part of the problem

However, the replacement of old boiler houses is only the first step in solving the serious problem of air pollution in Serbia.

Independent scientific research indicates that the two main sources of pollution in the country are actually thermal power plants and individual fireplaces in households.

"The most significant source for suspended particles PM 10 and PM 2,5 are thermal power plants of less than 50 MW and individual furnaces... 61 percent of all national emissions of suspended particles PM 10 and 77 percent of suspended particles PM 2,5 originate from this sector," it says in the report of the Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) for 2023.

According to SEPA, for PM 2,5 particles, after individual combustion plants, the biggest emitters are road traffic (10 percent) and industry (6 percent), and "the smallest contribution to the total emissions of suspended particles (PM 10 and 2,5)... is given by the sector Production of electricity and thermal energy (from 3 to 5 percent).

In other words, SEPA states that households are the absolute dominant source of PM 2,5 pollution in Serbia, and that the share of coal-fired thermal power plants is almost negligible.

But this picture does not show the reality of the situation in Serbia. If during an extremely polluted day you wonder where so much PM 2,5 pollution comes from**,** the data offered by SEPA is not the right answer, it says klima101.rs.

Independent scientific research from Serbia and abroad shows, on the contrary, that the primary source of PM 2,5 particles in Serbia are coal-fired thermal power plants, especially large thermal power plants such as TENT A and B.