In early June, the CENER 21 team held local trainings in the selected region – Zenica-Doboj Canton and Central Bosnia Canton. The trainings were titled “Opportunities for the development of the concept of smart grids in the electricity sector of the Region - Zenica-Doboj Canton and Central Bosnia Canton”. The main goal of the trainings was to develop knowledge about the concept of smart grids and to connect the main stakeholders from the energy sector.

On 9th and 10th June, 2022, the CENER 21 team held their local STRIDE trainings in Zenica and Travnik entitled, “Opportunities for the development of the concept of smart grids in the electricity sector of the region - Zenica-Doboj Canton and Central Bosnia Canton”. The trainings were intended for all representatives of key stakeholders from the energy sector in Zenica-Doboj and Central Bosnia Canton.

The objectives of the trainings were focused on providing guidance to stakeholders on efficient and sustainable development of the electricity system in terms of decentralisation, digitalisation, decarbonisation and democratisation by introducing the concept of "smart grids" and strengthening the capacity of key actors in the energy sector – especially surrounding the possibility of introducing smart energy management in order to achieve environmental, economic and social benefits.

The main topics of the training were, amongst others:

• Presentation of the Interreg Danube STRIDE project and its goals;
• Presentation of research results on the current state of the energy sector in the selected region and the potential for the integration of smart grids in the region;
• Introduction to the concept of smart grids and their importance in sustainable development;
• Energy and energy policies in the EU;
• Smart technologies in distribution networks;
• Energy transition and motivation for smart grid development and implementation / Advanced grids: Introduction and technologies;
• Major RES projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the selected region;
• Practical application of advanced software solutions in smart energy efficiency networks;
• Sustainable heat supply for "smarter" cities.

The main participants of the trainings were the representatives of the competent ministries at the cantonal level (territorial division of BiH); representatives of local self-government units – cities and municipalities; public companies for production, transmission and distribution of energy; development agencies, academic experts in the field of energy and representatives of small and medium enterprises.

The workshop in Zenica gathered 30 participants from all sectors, and the workshop in Travnik hosted 19 participants.

Participants showed significant interest in the topic, actively participating in the discussions. Local trainings have contributed to raising awareness of the importance of investing in the continuous development of the energy sector in order to achieve energy security, efficiency and independence, as well as to meet the goals of a climate-neutral Europe.