On December 13, the Transfer of Control (TOC) handover ceremony for the Kostolac B Power Plant Project, constructed by CMEC Group headquarters (CMEC), was held in Serbia. The event was attended by Dubravka Đedović Handanović, Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy; Li Ming, Chinese Ambassador to Serbia; Fang Yanshui, Deputy Party Secretary and General Manager of CMEC Group; Dušan Živković, CEO of Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), Serbia’s national power company, who all delivered speeches at the ceremony. Also present was Bao Shunqing, counselor from the Chinese Embassy in Serbia.

Minister Đedović Handanović emphasized that the official handover marked a historic moment for Serbia's energy sector, ending nearly 35 years of "winter" without significant capacity construction. With an additional installed capacity of 350 MW, which accounts for 5% of Serbia's total electricity supply, the plant injects new momentum into Serbia’s energy system, showcasing the remarkable achievements of China-Serbia cooperation in the energy field. She expressed sincere gratitude to CMEC for overcoming numerous challenges during the project’s construction and highlighted that this successful handover is the result of close collaboration between Chinese and Serbian enterprises.

Ambassador Li Ming stated that the Kostolac B Power Plant project exemplifies the implementation of important consensus reached by the leaders of China and Serbia, and it stands as a hallmark achievement of the joint implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Beyond its significance in enhancing Serbia’s energy security, the project has injected new impetus into the country’s industrial development and livelihood improvements. Since the grid connection of Unit B3, the plant has contributed over 900 million kWh of electricity to Serbia, effectively alleviating the country’s power supply pressure. The Kostolac B Power Plant has become a new model of friendly cooperation between China and Serbia. Going forward, China will work with Serbia to deepen cooperation in the energy sector, further elevating bilateral economic and trade relations, and contribute more to building a community with a shared future for both countries.

Fang Yanshui thanked the governments of China and Serbia, as well as all participating units and partners for their support. He noted that since its grid connection, the plant has operated stably with efficiency exceeding contractual agreements, and emission standards surpassing the latest European criteria, setting a benchmark for the successful application of Chinese design, technology, and equipment in Europe. Despite challenges such as standard conversion, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, CMEC Group demonstrated the image of a responsible large Chinese state-owned enterprise through practical actions and outstanding results. The project will significantly contribute to Serbia’s energy security, power supply, socio-economic development, and improvement of people’s livelihoods, standing as another monument to the “steel-like friendship” between the two countries.

Following the ceremony, approximately 30 representatives from both Chinese and Serbian sides toured the operational Unit B3 on-site.