If Elektroprivreda had fulfilled the obligations assumed before the construction of the thermal power plant in Pljevlja, the people of Pljevlja would have had district heating for 35 years, claim MANS, referring to the contract from 1974, concluded between the Montenegrin energy company and the Municipality of Pljevlja. Elektroprivreda, however, interprets this contract differently.
"From the above-mentioned details of the aforementioned contract, it can be seen that EPCG's obligation is to provide investment and technical documentation for the heating of the municipality of Pljevlja, which exists in all our plans. In the description of its activity, EPCG does not have the option of dealing with heating, and the practice is that it is mostly dealt with by special , in most cases, local companies," EPCG announced.
Ines Mrdović from MANS says that the obligation to heat Pljevlja is "undoubtedly an obligation of EPCG".
"And it is truly a paradoxical situation today that the EP, which has almost 300 million euros in private banks, will not pay for the heating, even though it is an obligation that is 35 years old..."
The EP will allocate about 40 million euros for the environmental rehabilitation of the first block of the thermal power plant and the heating plant, while the heating will cost the Government and the Municipality 23 million euros. In the Ministry of Economy, they say that this amount is not final.
"It is important to note that the EPCG budget provided all the necessary funds for the part of the project related to the environmental reconstruction of the TEP for this year as well, while the other necessary funds will be provided in a timely manner depending on the actual value of the investment," the Ministry of Economy announced.
The heating of Pljevlja is not only a financial but also an environmental issue, which can also be related to finances, MANS notes.
"That the polluter is the one who pays. So, the EP, that is, its TE, which predominantly pollutes the air and the environment in Pljevlja, and the EP is the one who should pay for that heating".
Due to the fact that heating will be largely financed from loans, it will probably represent a blow to the pockets of Pljevljak.
"We believe that this price will be very expensive for the citizens of Pljevlja, especially considering that it is a rather poor environment, and that there will probably be some kind of subsidy for that price," Mrdović said.
At the end of December, the Government and Elektroprivreda promised that the rehabilitation of the thermal power plant and the heating of the city would be completed by 2021.
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