A century-old utility brings their digital transformation vision to life
Serbia has stepped up and taken important decisions about its energy future. As the country advances its Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), the distribution system operator ElektroDistribucija Srbije (EDS) is undertaking a multi-year transformation to modernize its grid, add more renewables to the mix, and strengthen service reliability across urban and rural regions. With Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ ADMS and EcoStruxure™ DERMS at the core, they’rebringing a smart blend of hardware modernization and energy management software. That’s the magic combo they believe lays the foundation for an economy increasingly powered by electricity.
Reshaping a legacy grid into one that’s ready for tomorrow
EDS manages one of Southeast Europe’s largest distribution networks: 37,000 substations connected by 168,000 kilometers of lines, delivering electricity to more than 3.8 million customers. This vast infrastructure, built and expanded over generations, has reliably powered the country’s growth. Yet, like many legacy grids, it faces new demands: integrating variable renewable energy resources at scale, reducing technical and non-technical losses, protecting reliability in remote regions, and unlocking real-time visibility to improve operations and customer experience.
To face these challenges, EDS and Schneider Electric have created a five-year modernization program. The approach is digital-first and data-driven. It’s designed to upgrade substations, connect assets, and orchestrate the distribution grid with advanced network management. It’s not merely about new equipment; it’s about enabling the grid to sense, analyze, and act in real time.
No better time than now to tackle Serbia’s energy transition goals
Serbia’s National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) sets ambitious targets for 2030, including 45% of clean energy generation and a significant increase in the share of renewables in gross final electricity consumption. Achieving those goals requires a grid capable of managing two-way power flows and high DER penetration while maintaining stability and resilience. Modernization by EDS is a strategic enabler. It positions the grid to connect more solar and wind projects, withstand extreme weather, and perform as needed to balance lower-carbon energy mix.
The digital mastermind behind the scenes
At the heart of the transformation is a software stack built on EcoStruxure™, Schneider Electric’s open, interoperable, IoT-enabled architecture for safer, more reliable, efficient, and sustainable operations.
EcoStruxure ADMS (Advanced Distribution Management System) brings real-time situational awareness, outage management, switching optimization, and voltage/VAR control. With ADMS, operators like EDS can visualize the network, predict impacts, and optimize actions that keep power flowing and customers satisfied, even as the grid becomes more dynamic.
EcoStruxure DERMS (Distributed Energy Resource Management System) provides the intelligence to manage high levels of renewable penetration and distributed assets. DERMS enables forecasting, optimization, and control of solar, wind, storage, and flexible loads, so the grid can absorb more clean energy without compromising stability. Together, ADMS and DERMS help EDS minimize losses, shorten outages, and balance the network, especially in areas where legacy constraints and growing demand intersect.
Benefits and outcomes expected by EDS
As this multi-phase program progresses, EDS anticipates measurable operational and sustainability benefits, including:
- Network loss reduction of 10–15%
- Outage reduction of approximately 20%
- The ability to develop conditioned based maintenance increasing operational team efficicencies
- Improved capability to integrate distributed renewable energy resources
- Stronger energy security and service quality for 3.8 million customers
- A scalable foundation aligned to Serbia’s 2030 clean energy targets
Beyond technology, partnerships matter
In addition to grid modernization with digitalized electrical equipment and smart grid management software, the EDS – Schneider Electric partnership introduces energy performance contracting as a mechanism to foster continuous improvement. Real-time insights from connected assets and ADMS/DERMS analytics will inform operational KPIs and guide targeted investments. This model supports knowledge transfer, addresses workforce challenges, and helps sustain a long-term focus on reliability, efficiency, and customer outcomes.
The opinion of EDS grid leaders
Dragoslav Cicović, Contract Representative at EDS’s Planning & Investment Directorate, commented on the transformation.
“Schneider Electric’s Customer Project Experts were awere a natural solution. Implementation of this project will strengthen Serbia’s distribution network by reconstructing and developing substations. At the same time, the application of adequate software packages will lead to the integration of many operational and technical processes”.
His perspective captures the dual nature of the program: physical grid upgrades combined with advanced software orchestration, ensuring that EDS can manage today’s realities and tomorrow’s ambitions.
Responsible grid transformation, step-by-step
Modernization is not a single event; it’s a journey. EDS’s program is structured to deliver incremental value as capabilities come online: better outage management early on, deeper DER optimization as renewable penetration grows, and continuous loss mitigation as analytics mature. Each phase builds confidence and capacity, preparing the grid to support more clean energy, more electrification, and more digital services for customers.
As Serbia advances toward 2030, EDS’s leadership demonstrates how pragmatic digitalization can accelerate the country’s energy goals. The combination of innovative software, modern equipment, and performance partnership is a framework that other utilities can replicate to scale renewables and strengthen reliability, no matter their starting point.
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