Chinese companies Linglong and HBIS are about to become the first core active electricity users in the Serbian electricity market. After obtaining this qualification, industrial terminal enterprises can independently complete operations such as electricity production, self use, storage, and sales. At present, two companies have submitted grid access applications to the Serbian transmission system operator EMS, and are the first batch of local enterprises to apply for this qualification.

Dual directional upgrade of electricity usage mode

In the past, industrial enterprises used to consume electricity in a one-way manner, but now they have officially switched to a new mode of two-way regulation. According to the relevant project plan, the 39.9-MW photovoltaic power station laid out by Linglong Tire at the Zrenjanin factory is expected to be connected to the grid and put into operation in 2027. The Smederevo photovoltaic power station of HBIS Serbia has been approved to connect with a capacity of 63 megawatts, with plans to achieve power generation by 2028. The total installed capacity of the two photovoltaic power stations exceeds 103 megawatts.

The installed capacity is considerable in the local power system of Serbia. At present, the maximum peak capacity of the photovoltaic park that has been put into operation in Serbia is only 26 megawatts. In comparison, the 100 megawatt industrial supporting photovoltaic projects of Linglong and Hegang have significant advantages, and both power stations are directly connected to the internal power supply system of the enterprise's own factories.

This layout marks the complete departure of large-scale industrial projects from a single one-way electricity consumption model, forming a new energy system of independent power generation, production and self use, and market participation. Industrial factories are no longer just a simple electricity load side, but have also become a potential source of electricity supply. While ensuring the stability of their own production and electricity consumption, they can also participate in the supply and demand regulation of the electricity market based on relevant rules.

New regulations unlock new opportunities for electricity consumption

The core basis for enterprises to achieve the transformation of identity and electricity consumption patterns is the Energy Law Amendment issued by Serbia in November 2024. This revision has added the qualification of active electricity users, and implemented a series of supporting mechanisms such as dynamic electricity prices, electricity aggregation, auxiliary service markets, electricity balance responsibilities, and power purchase agreements.

According to the new regulations, active electricity users can independently use and store electricity produced by their own facilities, sell electricity to the outside world, or participate in flexible power regulation, energy efficiency optimization and other related services, and these business activities do not need to be bound to the core business of the enterprise. For industrial enterprises, building new energy equipment is no longer just a tool to save electricity costs, but also a high-quality asset that can participate in electricity market transactions.

However, the implementation of the new regulations is not achieved overnight. Although the 2024 Energy Law has established the legal identity of active electricity users, the supporting implementation rules have long been vacant. Until May 2026, the Serbian government revised the "Electricity Delivery and Supply Conditions Law", supplemented the practical rules, and the relevant qualification applications and project grid connection will be considered as meeting the landing conditions. Keywords:Photovoltaic new energy information,Photovoltaic new energy news,Photovoltaic New Energy Latest News Network,solar energy storage projects

This also gives Linglong and HBIS' declarations symbolic significance. This is not an ordinary application for grid connection of new energy power stations, but the first complete transmission and access application submitted by a large industrial user in Serbia to the national power grid operator as an active electricity user, creating a new situation for the marketization of local industrial electricity.Editor/Gong Ziwei