What the new Law on Electric Energy in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina brings

(Patria) - The new Law on Electric Energy of the Federation of BiH, recently adopted, brings a series of improvements to the functioning of the energy sector, as well as to citizens and investors, the Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry announced.

One of the most significant novelties is the simplification of procedures for building power plants. The law has reduced administrative burden and simplified the procedure for constructing production facilities, which will save time and money for investors in energy infrastructure.

Specifically, when it comes to building power plants, this law brings the following advantages:

- exemption from the obligation to obtain energy permits, as well as from the obligation to obtain a license to perform activities for production facilities with an installed capacity of less than 1 MW;

- introduction of a simplified procedure for connecting to the grid for facilities that produce electricity from renewable sources with an installed capacity of up to 23 kW and are used for the own needs of end customers;

- exemption from the obligation to obtain an act of conformity of project documentation, which was assessed as a superfluous step that took investors a lot of time in practice.

Also, this law provides for the introduction of a certification system for installers of solar power plants and wind power plants with an installed capacity of up to 23 kW.

In this way, investors will have a single point of contact, an authorized person to manage affairs related to the installation and commissioning of the production facility, without the need for a larger number of competent authorities to be involved in the process.

This provision creates the necessary prerequisites for changes in regulations in the field of construction, according to which the construction of small solar power plants and wind power plants would be considered as the installation of equipment, i.e., exempt from the obligation to obtain urban planning, building, and usage permits, all with the aim of stimulating the construction of production facilities that use renewable energy sources.

The proposed solutions significantly relieve administrative procedures and facilitate the construction of production facilities that use renewable energy sources, especially when it comes to solar power plants and wind power plants of small installed capacity, which are usually built by citizens.

The drafting of this law is the result of joint work by the Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry, domestic and international institutions and experts who acted with the technical support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) BiH Energy Sector Assistance Project (USAID EPA).