Economic analyst and former member of the Board of the Electric Industry of Montenegro (EPCG) Dejan Mijović submitted to the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK) another supplement to the application for violation of public interest.
He said that the management and administration of EPCG admitted for the first time in yesterday's announcement that they do not intend to harmonize the operation of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant with European rules.
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"I am sending you another supplement to the report on the violation of public interest, and for this purpose I am attaching the latest announcement of the Electric Power Company of Montenegro. In this regard, I ask you to ignore inappropriate insults and insinuations about my bad intentions and to pay attention to point 5 at the end of the text, which reads: "ecological reconstruction cannot increase efficiency (Pljevlja thermal power plant) nor is it carried out for that reason. It, by definition, reduces efficiency, due to the increase of the power plant's own consumption for new plants. The goal is only that efficiency does not fall below the lower defined limit, and that is for us 31.5%.'' The Directive on Industrial Emissions, which stipulates that the energy efficiency of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant must be raised to the level valid for the construction of new thermal power plants of a minimum of 38% - 40%," states Mijović in his address to the Agency.
The leaders of Elektroprivreda, he adds, were obliged to apply that rule because they did not reconstruct the thermal power plant before the expiration of the 20 permitted working hours.
"They knew that they had to do it because the Environmental Protection Agency of Montenegro drew their attention to this obligation in a timely manner when approving the temporary work permit. Therefore, upon completion of the reconstruction in 2026, EPCG will not be able to obtain approval for the operation of the thermal power plant from Energetska community and the European Union, nor a work permit from our Environmental Protection Agency. The thermal power plant will therefore not be able to produce and sell electricity, so Elektroprivreda will invest 70 million euros of its own funds in this project in vain. In addition, it will import expensive imported electricity energy while the thermal power plant is shut down during construction, which will cost EPCG, the state and the citizens several tens of millions of euros in addition. I repeat, the alternative is not to close the thermal power plant or to operate illegally. It can remain in operation for several years and without major investments until build a replacement facility. For this purpose, it is necessary for EPCG to receive proper consent from the Energy Community and the EU, which would determine its operating regime," adds Mijović.
He points out that it is not too late to do this and prevent "the enormous damage that can occur".
"From EPCG's announcement, however, it can be concluded that the executive director and the EPCG Board intend to continue to violate binding European and domestic laws, and thus the public interest, which points to the possibility of corruption. That is why I once again call on the Agency to on its own or in cooperation with other state bodies, call to account and prevent this harmful intention," concludes Mijović in the document submitted to KAS.
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