Montenegro to bring in international partner for HPP Komarnica project

Montenegro’s state-owned power utility Elektroprivreda Crne Gore plans to include an international partner in the development of the Komarnica hydropower project. The company cited the experiences of Norway, Austria, and France. The plant, with a proposed capacity of 172 MW, is expected to have an annual production of around 213 GWh.

Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) has four hydropower plants in the pipeline: Komarnica, Kruševo, Ćehotina, and Sutorina. The Komarnica and Kruševo projects have made the most progress, but challenges remain. Environmental organizations oppose the Komarnica project, while in September last year, President of EPCG’s Board of Directors Milutin Đukanović noted that the project has been on hold for two years.

Importantly, Kruševo and Ćehotina have been mentioned as investments that could be implemented within a partnership with French state-owned power utility EDF.

EPCG now told Vijesti that it has temporarily withdrawn the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the Komarnica project because the Environmental Protection Agency of Montenegro set a short deadline to revise it.

EPCG intends to prepare a study on the project’s impact on Durmitor National Park, a UNESCO site

The plan is to include a renowned international partner, in cooperation with the Government of Montenegro, to ensure transparent and professional project implementation, particularly considering the experiences and best practices of countries like Austria, France, and Norway, according to EPCG, which claimed the three countries have successfully aligned environmental standards with energy development.

In addition to supplementing the EIA report, the company plans to conduct a study on HPP Komarnica’s impact on Durmitor National Park, a UNESCO site, in line with the international organization’s methodology. EPCG also intends to prepare the required environmental studies in a way that would match the rules of one of international financial institutions.

EPCG expressed the belief that, due to the differing views on hydropower plant construction, not only in Montenegro but worldwide, the best solution is to implement the projects together with a reputable international partner, and in cooperation with the government. The utility said it would prove its commitment to transparency and adherence to all European Union standards.

If Austria, France, and Norway could achieve compromise, so can Montenegro

EPCG expects to make a decision on the project and continue the process later this year.

The company pointed out that countries such as Austria, France, and Norway succeeded in finding a compromise between environmental protection, development, and necessary investments. Since they did it, EPCG sees no reason why Montenegro could not do the same in cooperation with companies from these countries.

Turning to the benefits of HPPs, EPCG recalled that they ensure the technical reliability and stability of the power system and integration of a significant number of planned solar power plants and wind farms.

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April 6, 2025

by AEA in News

Montenegro labels 15 energy projects as infrastructure priorities

The most valuable priority infrastructure projects in the energy sector of Montenegro are the Komarnica and Kruševo hydropower plants, the Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor and the Ionian-Adriatic pipeline.

The Government of Montenegro has adopted a list of priority infrastructure projects for the energy sector to fulfill the final criteria of chapter 21 – Trans-European Network, of the country’s negotiations on the accession to the European Union.

The list consists of 15 projects with a total estimated value of around EUR 1.38 billion, according to the announcement.

The EU will use list to consider financial support from the Western Balkans Investment Framework

The list was updated in line with the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) methodology. In line with priorities defined at the state level, the list is for the European Commission to select projects for financial support from the scheme.

WBIF is the main mechanism for the EU’s financial support in the region in the period from 2024 to 2027, the government noted.

The following projects are on the list:

HPP Komarnica – EUR 315 million
Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline for natural gas (IAP) – EUR 210 million
interconnection Italy – Montenegro – Serbia – Bosnia and Herzegovina (Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor) – EUR 163 million
HPP Kruševo – EUR 160 million
energy efficiency in public and residential buildings – EUR 104 million
improving the quality of power supply in tourist regions – EUR 78 million
creation of conditions for the integration of renewables and the construction of a new power interconnection – EUR 73.6 million
solar power project Solari 10,000+ – EUR 66 million
Slano floating solar power plant – EUR 60 million
Krupac photovoltaic plant – EUR 40 million
smart grid and smart metering system for electricity distribution system operator CEDIS – EUR 35 million
A8 unit at HPP Perućica – EUR 24 million
smart grid program of electricity transmission system operator CGES – EUR 21 million
decarbonization – EUR 21 million
reconstruction of oil storage tanks – EUR 10 million.

Montenegro also has a list of priority infrastructure projects, including energy. It was introduced in 2018 and updated in the meantime.

Compared to the list from 2021, the Gvozd wind farm and the ecological reconstruction of the Pljevlja thermal power plant were erased, while the following projects were added: HPP Kruševo, Krupac solar power plant, decarbonization and the reconstruction of oil storage tanks.

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April 6, 2025

by AEA in News

Montenegro’s EPCG to install 200 MW of solar power plants

Power utility Elektroprivreda Crne Gore plans to install solar power plants with a total capacity of 200 MW over the next three years, CEO Ivan Bulatović announced.

State-owned power company Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) intends to start production at the Gvozd wind farm by the end of the year and connect photovoltaic plants with a total capacity of 200 MW to the grid over the next three years.

With small rooftop solar systems of an overall 70 MW already online, Montenegro is a leader in the region in the development of the prosumer concept, Bulatović claimed and added that by the end of the year the capacity would reach 100 MW.

He also pointed to the importance of the Kruševo hydropower project, which is being developed in cooperation with French partners. In December last year, EPCG signed a contract for project design. The company’s partner in the endeavor is EDF.

Montenegro’s grid is relatively well developed thanks to the investments made in former Yugoslavia

Bulatović underlined that the problem of insufficient development of the transmission system is not a case only in Montenegro, but in the entire region and Europe. Simply, the grid wasn’t prepared for the sudden introduction of renewable energy, according to him.

The utility’s chief recalled that investors in Montenegro have the opportunity in the country’s legal framework to build a grid connection themselves.

The Montenegrin network, as he emphasized, is relatively well developed thanks to investments from former Yugoslavia, Bulatović noted.

Everything is ready for the installation of the second line of the submarine electricity interconnection to Italy

Turning to the undersea interconnection with Italy, he said the second cable is expected to be laid as the required infrastructure has been built on both sides. The first link has 600 MW.

Another cable to Italy and the planned new interconnections are creating transmission capacities enabling Montenegro and the entire region a better connection with the European electricity market, according to Bulatović.

The construction of the Trans-Balkan Corridor is underway and interconnectors with Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina are in the pipeline, he stressed at the Trebinje Energy Summit.

The development of the transmission system will continue in line with the needs of investors and for electricity production, Bulatović asserted.

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