For the purposes of running the new plant, expansion of an open pit mine Drmno from 9 to 12 tons of coal annually is planned.
On 20 November 2013, Elektroprivreda Srbije, "Tеrmoеlеktranе i kopovi" Kostolac and Chinese corporation CMEC signed an agreement on construction.
Zhang Chun, president and CEO of CMEC said that the new thermal power plant will have a positive impact on the environment, because it will comply with the emissions requirements of the European Union scheduled for 2018.
[2] This is justified by the Serbian government on the basis of Public procurement act, article 2, which says that projects signed under inter-state agreements with other states do not need tender processes.
[9][10] Given the fact that during floods RB Kolubara suffered huge damages,[11] losing Kostolac would mean another big hit for Serbia’s energy production.