According to the Serbian Economist, the Chinese industrial group TBEA considers Serbia as a potential site for the location of transformer production with export orientation to the European market. The talks between Serbian authorities and the company’s management in Tianjin have gone beyond the previous dialogue and moved to a more concrete discussion of the industrial project.
They are discussing the possibility of opening a production plant in Serbia, which will focus not only on the assembly of equipment, but also on deeper localisation – with technology transfer, development of a local chain of suppliers and integration of the workforce.
TBEA’s interest in Serbia can be explained by several factors. Firstly, the country provides proximity to EU markets without the full burden of costs typical of the EU itself. Secondly, growing logistics links and a free trade agreement with China make Serbia a convenient platform for both supplying components and exporting finished products.
The general situation in Europe also adds a special significance to the project. Demand for transformers and network equipment is growing against the backdrop of the integration of renewable energy, electrification and modernisation of transmission networks, while the lack of production capacity is already becoming one of the constraints on infrastructure programmes. Against this background, the possible arrival of a new plant in Serbia could partially relieve European supply chains.
For Serbia, such a project would mean not just an inflow of investments, but a deeper inclusion in the European energy industry.
TBEA is one of China’s largest industrial groups in the field of high-voltage equipment, transformers and energy infrastructure. The company operates in the power transmission and distribution, power engineering, solar energy and industrial equipment segments and is one of the key solution providers for major grid and power projects in China and beyond.