Municipality of Medijana Hosts STRONG Gathering
The City Municipality of Medijana was the latest stop yesterday for a series of important discussions aimed at boosting citizen-led energy projects in Serbia. This marked the third meeting within the STRONG – Strengthening the Role of Municipalities in Citizen-Led Energy Initiatives in Serbia project, an initiative implemented by the PET with the vital support of the European Climate Foundation (ECF). Earlier successful meetings in Vranje and Pirot set the stage for this gathering.
The focus of the Niš discussion? A groundbreaking local example - the Magdon residential complex, recognized as the first multi-apartment building in Serbia to generate its own power and become a "prosumer" thanks to a solar power plant.
Held in the assembly hall of the City Municipality of Medijana, the meeting brought together a diverse group. From the municipality, attendees included Mladen Đurić, the President of the City Municipality of Medijana, and Marko Aleksovski, its Deputy President, alongside other key members of the municipal administration working on development and energy projects. Representing PET were Tanja Popovicki, Bojan Gajić, Goran Vučković, and Marko Nedeljković. Crucially, the civic initiative was powerfully represented by residents of the Magdon housing community, led by Vesna Rajski, the building manager and driving force behind this pioneering citizen-driven energy project.
While thousands of Serbian households and businesses are already prosumers, Magdon stands out. It's the first time a whole apartment building has gone this route, showing what's possible when neighbors team up. They've installed 149 solar panels (that's 74.5 kWp of power!) and even have plans for three electric vehicle chargers. It's a real-life example of how apartment blocks can get involved in the energy shift.
The discussion also touched on Magdon's next big step - formally becoming an "energy community." This is crucial for both legal and organizational reasons. Participants also talked about how the City Municipality of Medijana could actively jump in to support similar projects, whether by offering technical help or even joining as a partner in future citizen energy communities.
