Bistrica Hydropower Plant: 1,242 Plots Under Expropriation
For the Bistrica hydropower plant, 1,242 plots in Nova Varos and Priboj are under expropriation. Preliminary works start this year, main construction begins in late 2027.
A total of 1,242 cadastral plots in Nova Varos and Priboj are covered by expropriation proposals for the construction of the Bistrica reversible hydropower plant, Mining and Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said on August 16. The proposals were filed by Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), Serbia’s state power utility, and close to 300 have been submitted so far.
The legal basis for the proceedings lies in decisions of the Serbian government. Since March 2026, five decisions have been adopted establishing public interest for the expropriation of real estate, covering the territory of three municipalities in the Zlatibor District: Nova Varos, Priboj and Prijepolje. The minister described the scope of the process this way:
“Since March 2026, the Government of Serbia has adopted five decisions establishing public interest for the expropriation of real estate in the municipalities of Nova Varos, Priboj and Prijepolje. EPS has so far filed close to 300 expropriation proposals, covering a total of 1,242 plots in the cadastral municipalities of Nova Varos and Priboj. Expropriation proceedings are well underway, and a large number of decisions have already been issued.”
For landowners in the area, this means the process is no longer at the announcement stage, but at the stage of decisions being issued. Expropriation is proceeding in the following cadastral municipalities:
- Radoinja, Rutosi, Senista and Celice, Nova Varos municipality
- Kratovo and Pribojske Celice, Priboj municipality
The ratio between the two figures shows how the workload has been split: close to 300 proposals for 1,242 plots works out to just over four plots per proposal. The government’s public interest decisions also cover Prijepolje, but the expropriation proposals filed so far relate only to cadastral municipalities in Nova Varos and Priboj.
What a Reversible Hydropower Plant Does
A reversible hydropower plant functions, in essence, as an electricity storage facility. When there is a surplus of power in the system, pumps move water into an upper reservoir, and when there is a shortage, that same water is released back down through turbines to return energy to the grid. The minister described this type of facility as storage for surplus electricity, kept in reserve for moments of shortage so the energy system can keep running without interruption.
Bistrica is being built on the Uvac river system, linked to the existing hydropower system on the Uvac and Lim rivers. The project includes four pump turbine units, with total installed capacity of around 661 megawatts and expected annual output of about 1,600 gigawatt hours.
As an argument for building such facilities, the minister pointed to this year’s experience with the existing reversible plant on the Drina:
“Had we not had the Bajina Basta pumped storage plant, rehabilitated over the past two years and running at full capacity this summer, we would have had major supply problems in this situation with the low water level of the Danube.”
Bajina Basta, she said, was rehabilitated over the past two years and is running at full capacity this summer. Bistrica would play the same role in the system, with roughly 661 megawatts of installed capacity.
When Construction Begins
The construction site is in the Zlatibor District, and the new plant will connect to the hydropower system already operating on the Uvac and Lim rivers. The minister described Bistrica as one of Serbia’s most significant strategic energy projects, arguing it will help secure reliable electricity supply.
Preliminary works begin this year. Construction on the main facility is planned to start in late 2027, in line with requirements set by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, with which Serbia plans to sign a loan agreement for the project next year.
The deadline for connecting the Bistrica hydropower plant to the grid is 2030, or 2031 at the latest. On that timeline, the property proceedings across six cadastral municipalities are running ahead of both the loan signing and the start of construction on the main facility.
The next verifiable milestone for the Bistrica hydropower plant project is the signing of the loan agreement with the Japanese agency, planned for 2027. Until then, progress is measured by the number of expropriation decisions issued in Nova Varos and Priboj.
