Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina to undertake 3-year study on geothermal potential
The city of Bijeljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be evaluating its geothermal resource potential with support from Serbian research institutions.
The city of Bijeljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina has signed cooperation agreements with Serbian institutions for a 3-year scientific study to evaluate the geothermal potential in the city and possibilities for geothermal applications. The study period will commence from 2026 to 2028 and envisions the drilling of the first deep geothermal well.
Bijeljina Mayor Ljubiša Petrovic signed the cooperation agreement with Dejan Mileni?, professor of the Faculty of Mining and Geology at the University of Belgrade and president of the Serbian Geothermal Association, and with Ana Vranješ, also a professor at the Faculty of Mining and Geology in Belgrade and head of the Center for Renewable Water Energy Resources.
Professors Milenic and Vranješ will participate in the preparation of the scientific study “Geothermal potential of the territory of the city of Bijeljina and possibilities for multipurpose use, especially from the aspect of a geothermal district heating system”.
From 2026 to 2028, the professors will provide consulting services for the needs of the city of Bijeljina, the use of renewable energy sources (primarily geothermal energy), research and exploitation of geothermal energy in agreed research areas, analysis of selected locations for the purposes of geothermal use of groundwater and geothermal resources, defining a unique research methodology, developing work and activity timelines, developing project tasks, and geothermal tenders.
By 2027, the goal is to prepare project and technical documentation with accompanying techno-economic analyses and studies for the construction of the first deep exploratory well in the territory of Bijeljina. By 2028, a contractor will be selected through a tender for the drilling of the deep exploratory well.
“The cooperation that we have regulated today with an official contract is the beginning of a joint mission to improve the quality of the currently polluted air of Bijeljina in the coming years and try to partially or completely diversify heating from fossil fuels and switch the Bijeljina heating plant to geothermal energy,” commented Professor Milenic.
Mayor Petrovic described the cooperation agreement as the first step to a healthier environment and the beginning of a project that will be of enormous importance for the Semberija region. “We are witnessing the enormous pollution produced by the thermal power plant in Ugljevik, which is confirmed by the relevant expert institutions, which state that it is one of the largest polluters in Europe. On the other hand, using energy through a geothermal heating plant would mean practically eliminating pollution in the city’s territory,” added the Mayor.
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Source: City of Bijeljina
