The Presevo Valley is more economically depressed and underdeveloped than the rest of Serbia. With a large ethnic Albanian population, it was particularly affected by the Kosovo crisis and the ethnic, political, and economic instability of the 1990’s.

USAID is mobilizing citizens in Serbia to improve the quality of their lives and is promoting economic development. USAID helped fund the construction of the 110/10 kV “Presevo” Transformer Station in Presevo, a project selected as a priority by the local communities. The total cost of the project was $2.5 million - USAID provided $1.5 million, the Government of Serbia provided $600,000, and the Electric Power Company of Serbia provided $400,000.

The project not only improves the electrical distribution network and electricity supply for citizens in Presevo, it is powering economic growth. “The construction of the Transformer Station is the most important and the biggest project in Presevo Municipality. All other building construction is dependant on electrical power, and would not be possible without this important project,” states Mayor Riza Halimi.