Serbian state-owned power utility EPS has launched a tender to prepare a comprehensive long-term coal extraction program, defining operational plans up to 2035 and development projections extending to mid-century. The assignment, valued at around €650,000, is divided into two segments covering the Kolubara and Kostolac coal basins, with the objective of establishing a unified development framework for all EPS mining assets.
In the Kolubara basin, the program will center on significant capacity expansion. Two new conveyor-based transport systems for coal and overburden are being installed at Field E, and once fully operational by the end of 2026, annual production is expected to rise to 10–12 million tons. Mining at Field G will conclude in 2026, after which equipment will be transferred to other active sites, primarily Tamnava–Zapadno polje and the fast-growing Radljevo mine.
Radljevo is emerging as one of the key growth hubs, with coal extraction starting in 2025. The introduction of additional bucket-wheel excavator systems in the second half of 2026 should allow production to increase steadily, reaching around 7 million tons per year within three to four years. The long-term plan will also tackle operational efficiency and environmental management, including coal blending and quality improvement, as well as enhanced handling of ash, slag and gypsum from thermal power plants.
In the Kostolac basin, mining continues at the Drmno open pit, while production at Klenovnik and Cirikovac has already ended. Focus is now turning to the future West Kostolac mine, currently in the preparatory phase with work underway on spatial planning, feasibility studies and the main mining design. The program will further define development pathways for Drmno, assess overburden disposal capacities, refine waste management solutions and outline new geological exploration campaigns to improve the classification and certainty of coal reserves.
The tender is open until 5 February and follows recent Government decisions declaring public interest for land expropriation in the Burovo cadastral area, enabling the expansion of Kolubara’s eastern mining zone, as well as earlier EPS procurement procedures related to exploratory drilling in the same field.