SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina), January 22 (SeeNews) – Bosnian state-owned power distribution company ZEDP Elektro Bijeljina plans to begin tendering later this year for a smart metering expansion project, to be financed with the proceeds of a loan from the EBRD, the bank said on Monday.
"Tendering is expected to commence by mid-2018," the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said in a statement.
The proposed project, with a total estimated cost of up to 15 million euro ($18.4 million), will require the reconstruction of medium and low-voltage networks and extension of smart metering in the region covered by the company.
In August, the EBRD said it will provide a senior corporate loan of 15 million euro to the company, of which 7.5 million euro will come from its own funds and 7.5 million euro from its Green Energy Special Fund (GESF), a facility established and administrated by the bank with the contribution of the Taiwanese International Cooperation and Development Fund.
ZEDP Elektro Bijeljina services 13 municipalities in the Bijeljina region of the Serb Republic, one for Bosnia's two entities. The other is the Federation.
The company is 65%-owned by energy utility Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske (ERS).
($=0.816182 euro)