Mijović: The operation of Thermal Power Plant Pljevlja is already illegal

The economic analyst believes that the Termoelektrana cannot get a license to operate from the European Union even after the delayed and insufficiently fundamental ecological reconstruction, so due to the continuation of the implementation of that project, Montenegro will unnecessarily suffer damages of 150 to 200 million

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Minister wrote to EC in August: TE Pljevlja, Photo: Biljana Matijasevic
Minister wrote to EC in August: TE Pljevlja, Photo: Biljana Matijasevic
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

The Energy Community (EC) has still not responded to the request of the Ministry of Energy to help Montenegro achieve its national energy and climate goals by 2030 in a sustainable manner.

This was officially confirmed by the government department headed by the minister Saša Mujović who sent a letter to the director of the Energy Community in mid-August Artur Lorkovski.

"We still haven't received an answer from Lorkovski," said the Ministry of Energy.

In the letter, the minister reminded that Montenegro is obliged to reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent compared to the reference year 1990.

"The measured level of emissions at the end of 2022 was 3.307 kt CO2 e, and the defined goal by 2030 implies the need for a reduction of approximately 887 kt CO2 e (about 27 percent). The goal is difficult to achieve and would imply radical moves, such as a significant reduction in the number of working hours of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, replacement of conventional cars with electric cars in the amount of about 50 percent or action on the non-energy sector - agriculture", the Ministry of Energy explained earlier.

Economic analyst Dejan Mijović for "Vijesti" claims that Minister Mujović missed both the address and the arguments when he turned to the Secretariat of the Energy Community for help in recognizing sinkhole emissions for Montenegro in order to more easily fulfill its obligation to reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030% by 55 percent compared to the reference year 1990.

"Recognition, not help from the world community, i.e. from the highest bodies of the European Union and the United Nations, our country can only gain if it proves that its level of sink emissions has been underestimated so far, and not because the minister and his government would avoid the radical measures that all countries, including Montenegro, must undertake for the survival of life on the planet. By the way, they would be much less drastic today if the minister's and previous governments had been more responsible and timely initiated the necessary actions that they committed to a long time ago. At the same time, the minister's reference to the argument that with such measures, among others, the number of working hours of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant would have to be significantly reduced is completely ridiculous and meaningless, because the Ministerial Council of the Energy Community ruled on December 14, 2023 that its operation is already illegal due to completely other reasons", assessed Mijović.

According to him, the Pljevlja thermal power plant was not thoroughly reconstructed within the deadline, as was done by thermal power plants from other countries - members of the EU and EC, which violated the EU Directives and the Treaty on the Establishment of the Energy Community, and therefore it cannot and will not receive either from the EU or EC work permit.

"He cannot get that permission even after the belated and insufficiently thorough ecological reconstruction, so due to the continuation of the implementation of that project despite the stated clear decision of the Council of Ministers of the EC and the EU, Montenegro will only needlessly suffer a huge damage of 150-200 million euros. Because of this and the fact that they are still wasting our money unnecessarily on a project that will not extend the operation of the Thermoelectric Power Plant, I will file a complaint against the Minister and the management of the Electric Power Industry (EPCG) about the violation of public interest to the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, whose jurisdiction it is, in the hope that that institution will recent personnel changes to seriously address this matter. Instead of snowballing into something that the world does not recognize, the minister and his government had to devote all their energy to a just transition and the construction of new power plants, for which they would surely receive help. We drew their attention to this, as with the previous sets, countless times, so their current whining about how difficult and impossible it is is in vain, it's time to pay the bills for incompetence, inaction and huge damage," Mijović said.

"News" from the Energy Community did not answer questions about whether they would accept Minister Mujović's request.

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