Security of Power Systems in the Coupled Environmental and Energy Transition—Relevance of the Example of Serbia for BRI

The chapter discusses the concept of a coupled environmental and energy transition (CEET). The concept involves the use of fossil fuels provided that there is an appropriate natural CO2 sink, which allows for the production of electricity without increasing the CO2 content. Forests are considered a natural CO2 sink. The importance of this concept for ensuring the sustainable development of underdeveloped and developing countries, as well as for the security of the power system, is highlighted. An analytical model for determining the competitiveness of a coupled environmental and energy transition compared to other transition trajectories is presented. The case of the Serbian power system is examined using hypothetical transition trajectories, including wind power plants, wind power plants combined with pump-hydro energy storage systems, wind power plants with CEET, wind power plants with CEET combined with CCS technology, and nuclear power plants. Some of the variants have additional options, such as continued use of existing lignite-fired power plants and new ones, as well as utilizing 50% of the capacity of existing forests and using only new forests. The obtained results point out the possible achievements in the fields of power systems’ competitiveness and energy security, which can be obtained with the proposed concept of coupled environmental and energy transition. The applicability of the coupled environmental and energy transition in the BRI is also discussed.