The amendments and supplements to the Decree on the Conditions of Delivery and Supply of Electricity, entering into force on 30 May 2026 (Decree), establish the detailed conditions under which active customers (ACs) may connect to the transmission, distribution, and closed distribution systems in Serbia.
The Decree sets out the conditions an end customer must satisfy to qualify as an AC, the procedural steps for connection, applicable deadlines, bank guarantee requirements, and study fees. The headline points are as follows:
- Installed capacity: The installed capacity of the power plant or storage facility connected to internal installations cannot exceed the approved capacity of the end customer for the direction of electricity consumption.
- Minimum capacity: The installed active capacity of the power plant on the internal installations must not be less than 150 kW.
- Secondary reserve obligation: An AC whose power plant uses variable renewable energy sources with approved capacity of 5 MW or more must secure capacity within Serbia for the provision of secondary reserve ancillary services. This capacity must be offered to the transmission system operator for the entire duration of the AC’s connection to the transmission system.
- Intervals for preparation of the studies: Connection studies for both transmission and distribution system connections are prepared in two annual windows: between 1 March and 30 June and between 1 September and 31 December.
- Fees for preparation of the studies: The deposit for a transmission system connection study is EUR 50,000 for power plants up to 50 MW and/or a storage facility, with a per-MW uplift above that threshold. For transmission system connections without injection rights, a reduced flat deposit of EUR 15,000 applies (technical conditions only). For distribution system connections, the deposit is EUR 3,000 for power plants up to 1 MW and/or a storage facility, again increasing per MW above the threshold.
- Bank guarantees: The Decree specifies the bank guarantee amounts payable to the system operator, differentiated by connection type and capacity (either EUR 12,500/MW or EUR 25,000/MW).
- Contractual penalty for the distribution system operator: The agreement on provision of connection services must contain a contractual penalty payable by the system operator if it fails to comply with the contractual deadlines for reasons not attributable to the fault or omission of the potential AC or to delays by competent authorities, amounting to 0.1% of the connection cost for each day of delay.
- Group of ACs: The Decree introduces the concept of a Group — end customers within the same multi-unit building acting jointly as a single AC, whose internal installations share connection to a power plant and/or storage facility via individual, common, or dedicated metering points. Group members bear joint and several liability for all obligations towards the system operator.
The legal scaffolding is up. Now comes the hard part.
The information in this document does not constitute legal advice on any particular matter and is provided for general informational purposes only.
