The ecological reconstruction of the Pljevlja thermal power plant (TE) is progressing according to plan and 75% of construction work has been completed. Work on the heating project will start next week, and the procedure for issuing urban planning and technical conditions for the construction of a small hydroelectric power plant in Otilovići has also been initiated.
These are multi-million dollar projects that are of great importance for the electric power system, Pljevlja, but also the whole of Montenegro. This was announced by the Executive Director of the Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG) and the Minister of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism, Ana Novaković Đurović yesterday in Pljevlja.
Works on the ecological reconstruction of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant are progressing according to the planned dynamics, so we are already talking about 75% of completed construction works on six plants. It is expected that the work on the remaining two plants will start in the near future, and now we can say with certainty that this project will be completed within the planned period, which is 2025 – said Novaković Đurović.
Speaking about the heating project, she recalled that the Government, at the proposal of Elektroprivreda, declared this a project of public interest, which made it possible to speed up administrative procedures.
We are already talking about the first phase of the implementation of this project, with a certain time frame that we can have the project for the second phase by the end of summer or the beginning of autumn. As particularly important, I would emphasize that the ecological reconstruction and heating projects are synchronized and that they can be fully implemented by 2025 – she stated.
She also said that the Government has initiated the procedure for issuing urban planning and technical conditions for the project to build a small hydropower plant on the reservoir near Lake Otilović.
Of course, the final decision will depend on the opinion of all the institutions that are in the process of obtaining it, but I also think that we will have final information regarding this project very soon – concluded Novaković Đurović.
The director of Elektroprivreda, Nikola Rovčanin, also said that the work on ecological reconstruction is progressing and that we will have a complete plant in 2025.
This is perhaps one of the most valuable projects being realized in Montenegro at the moment, given that the value of the works is around EUR 72-73 million including VAT. The equipment that arrived is worth around 8.6 million, while the value of the next tranche will be around 15 million EUR. It is indeed a serious project on which the first part of the local workforce from Pljevlja will be engaged in the coming days. According to the investor’s promise, more than 200 people will be hired in different stages, which is very important for Pljevlja, considering the structure of unemployed people – said Rovčanin.
According to him, preparatory and first works on the heating project are expected already next week.
We will prepare the route when it comes to Pliješ hill. The first phase is financed by the electricity company with EUR 2.5 million, and the second and third phases are planned in the budget.
As we have already heard, the synchronization of these two investments is particularly important, where we will have ecological reconstruction at full capacity in accordance with all European Union directives when it comes to nitrogen, sulfur and powdery substances, as well as that finally, after 40 years, we will certainly solve the problem of air pollution in Pljevlja with the heating project. This means that the citizens of Pljevlja will be breathing at full capacity from 2025 – said Rovčanin. He also announced the construction of the small hydroelectric power plant Otilovići, which, according to calculations, will cost from 4.5 to 5 million EUR.
We lose about 1.8 million EUR of spilled water and electricity annually. There is already a dam here, and according to some calculations, the Otilovići hydroelectric plant is sufficient to cover about 75% of the consumption needs of Žabljak. It is a small power plant, but it is important for our energy sector and for Pljevlja – concluded Rovčanin.
