15.11.2023.

Valjevo barracks connected to district heating system

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević visited the “Field Marshal Živojin Mišić” barracks in Valjevo today, where a thermal power system was put into operation today as part of the project to connect to the city's district heating system.

Minister Vučević was accompanied on the tour by the Minister of Environmental Protection, Irena Vujović, and the Mayor of Valjevo, Lazar Gojković. In a meeting that preceded the tour, they were informed about the degree of implementation of the project and the effects of switching to a new type of heating, as the former solid-fuel thermal power plant was replaced by a more energy efficient and environmentally friendly solution by switching to the city heating network.

Minister Vučević thanked the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the city of Valjevo for their joint effort to find an efficient solution for heating the "Field Marshal Živojin Mišić" barracks in Valjevo, where the Training Command’s 2nd Training Centre is located.

- Congratulations to everyone, the Training Command, the Serbian Armed Forces and everyone working in this barracks, future generations, the soldiers who will come for training in this beautiful city, beautiful district, our beautiful Serbia, as well as to the city of Valjevo, where they will have much better conditions and will be able to use all the facilities in the barracks. This is the best example of how we can address problems more easily, faster and better when we have the same goal and determination, which should be taken for granted, but was not taken for granted for many years in the previous period of time - Minister Vučević said.

Speaking about the importance of the cooperation between institutions at all levels, the Minister of Defence particularly highlighted the importance of the project to connect the “Krušik” factory to the gas-based district heating.

- Another thing I would like to emphasize, and it concerns the Ministry of Defence and the city of Valjevo, but also the assistance and support of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, with which we have very good cooperation, is the importance of connecting the "Krušik" factory to the gas-based district heating, since this factory is the biggest air polluter in Valjevo, and probably in this part of the Kolubara district. This motivates us and you to join forces to solve this problem once and for all in the coming period, and I am talking about a short period of time. It is a priority in terms of environmental protection and economy, but also a priority for both the Ministry of Defence and "Krušik". It is especially important with respect to the new facilities that "Krušik" will receive, thanks to the support of the state, so that new production facilities and new production lines would be installed and utilized in the factory itself, and so that we would be able to produce even more modern weapons and military equipment, and so that the deadlines would be shorter and market prices more competitive - that's why this factory needs to be connected to the gas-based district heating system - stressed Minister Vučević.

Minister Vučević singled out three important aspects of the gasification project in Valjevo.

- We will protect the environment in the city of Valjevo and this part of the Kolubara district, reduce costs and of course improve our production and, I would say, our defence capabilities as well. These three things are a priority if you are well-intentioned and if you love your country and all its citizens. Once again, thank you all for your support, and since I was once a mayor myself, I know how important these things are - stressed Minister Vučević.

According to him, we have finally matured enough as a society to solve all problems relating to environmental protection in a much better and more efficient way. He also expressed his delight at the fact that the barracks of the Serbian Armed forces are being fixed.

Minister Vujović expressed her satisfaction at the fact that the environmentally unacceptable energy source, which has been used in Valjevo since 1979, becomes “a thing of the past” today.

- The Ministry of Environmental Protection has subsidized, through open competition, the installation of heat pipes and steam pipeline in the barracks, which was preceded by the replacement of Valjevo’s city heating plant, in which more than RSD 100 million were invested last year, while this investment is worth more than RSD 30 million. I would also like to note that more than 16,000 square metres are currently being heated using a more environmentally friendly energy source, and we are not stopping there - Minister Vujović said.

According to her, air quality and the quality of the entire environment in Valjevo has significantly improved. She thanked Minister Vučević and the Ministry of Defence for joining forces with the Ministry of Environmental Protection to solve the air pollution problem together.

The mayor of Valjevo, Lazar Gojković, said that this was an important day for Valjevo, bearing in mind the tendency to shut down all the city’s boiler plants powered by environmentally unacceptable energy sources.

- Today we connected the "Field Marshal Živojin Mišić" barracks and another boiler plant in the very city centre to the district heating system, and that is extremely important for us - said the Mayor of Valjevo.

He thanked the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Environmental Protection for supporting the aforementioned project, which is of great importance for the city.

In order to reduce the emission of harmful gases and particulate matter, to improve air quality and protect the environment in the city of Valjevo, the implementation of the project to connect the "Field Maršal Živojin Mišić" barracks to the PUC "Toplana - Valjevo" district heating system was launched in 2021.

The Minister of Defence was accompanied on the tour by the Commander of the Training Command Major General Željko Petrović, chief secretaries to the cabinets of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence Žarko Mićin and Brigadier General Goran Momčilović, Commander of the Second Training Centre Colonel Saša Stojiljković, representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the director of the Krušik Holding Corporation, Jovanka Andrić.