Bosnia And Herzegovina Is Investing €700 Million To Upgrade Its Power Grid

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina is investing €700 million to upgrade its power grid and will need 225MW of energy storage to support the integration of 2.5GW of wind and solar power by 2030.

 

Ziyad Bajiramović, Chairman of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Committee of the International Conference on Large Electric Systems, stated that Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to invest over €700 million by 2030 to upgrade its power distribution network to support the integration of renewable energy and growing electricity demand. He noted that the rapid growth of renewable energy has led to congestion in the transmission and distribution system, a challenge common across the region. Furthermore, the electrification of transportation and rising electricity demand for heating and cooling will further strain the grid.

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to build new 110kV substations, complete a full transition to 20kV, ensure power quality, and integrate prosumers, particularly households that combine electricity consumption and production with rooftop solar panels. The integration of large-scale renewable energy brings challenges in balancing, voltage stability, and power quality. Energy storage is seen as a key solution to managing the mismatch between generation and consumption. Battery systems can store excess power during periods of low demand and release it during periods of high demand. Calculations indicate that connecting 1,500 MW of solar and 1,000 MW of wind power to the transmission network would require 225 MW of battery capacity and 450 MWh of energy storage.

 

Ziyad Bajiramović emphasized that some utility companies' distribution charges have not been adjusted for more than a decade. Raising network charges could provide funding for grid upgrades, 20 kV expansion, and the implementation of new technologies. At the same time, a grid component fee should be established to require electricity producers to pay for the use of transmission and distribution infrastructure.