AKCIONARSKO DRUSTVO ELEKTROMREZA SRBIJE BEOGRAD

Their core work

Elektromreža Srbije (EMS) is Serbia's national electricity transmission system operator, responsible for operating and developing the high-voltage transmission grid that carries electricity across Serbia and connects it to neighboring countries. In H2020 projects, they contributed real-world TSO operational knowledge — grid balancing data, cross-border interconnection expertise, and hands-on experience integrating variable renewable energy sources into a national transmission network. Their participation brings something most research partners cannot: live access to a functioning Southeastern European grid and the regulatory and operational perspective of a national system operator. They sit at the intersection of physical infrastructure and energy market design, making them relevant for both technical grid projects and market-mechanism research.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

EMS entered H2020 in 2017 through CROSSBOW with a focus on the physical challenge of managing cross-border flows of variable renewables and coordinating storage — a hardware and operations problem typical of early energy transition work in Eastern Europe. By 2019, TRINITY shifted the emphasis toward market intelligence: how transmission operators interact with market operators (NEMOs), how smart market technologies can optimize flows at regional borders, and how transmission enhancement can be achieved through market design rather than purely infrastructure investment. The trajectory is clear — from physical grid integration of renewables toward market-aware, digitally coordinated grid management — which mirrors the broader European shift from build-out to optimization.

EMS is moving from operational grid management toward the intersection of transmission infrastructure and electricity market design, making them an increasingly relevant partner for projects combining energy systems engineering with market regulation and digitalization.

How they like to work

EMS has participated exclusively as a consortium partner rather than a project coordinator, which is typical for national TSOs — they bring real infrastructure and operational credibility but let research institutions lead the agenda. Both their projects ran in relatively large consortia (42 unique partners across 15 countries combined), suggesting they are comfortable operating as one specialized node in a wide network rather than anchoring small, tightly coupled teams. For potential partners, this means EMS is an accessible, experienced consortium contributor who adds grid-operator legitimacy without competing for project leadership.

EMS has built connections with 42 unique partners across 15 countries through just two projects — an unusually wide reach for so few participations, reflecting the large pan-European consortia typical of energy infrastructure projects. Their network has a clear Eastern and Southeastern European orientation, consistent with their role in regional grid interconnection.

What sets them apart

EMS is one of the very few Western Balkans transmission system operators with direct H2020 project experience, giving them a rare combination of EU-project credibility and access to a non-EU but ENTSO-E-connected grid. For consortia needing a real national TSO from Southeastern Europe — to test cross-border mechanisms, validate market models against an actual grid, or satisfy geographic diversity requirements — EMS fills a gap that no research institute can. Their dual presence in both physical RES-storage integration and emerging market technology work means they can contribute across the technical-regulatory spectrum of energy transition projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CROSSBOW
  The largest investment in EMS's H2020 portfolio at EUR 1.16M, this project tackled one of the most complex operational challenges in Southeastern Europe — coordinating variable renewables and storage across national grids — and ran for five years (2017–2022), giving EMS sustained exposure to transnational energy management research.
• TRINITY
  Marks EMS's pivot into market-technology territory by introducing NEMO interaction and intelligent market mechanisms for transmission enhancement, signaling that their EU research engagement is evolving beyond pure grid operations.