The cost of fuel for the operation of the generator, the lack of work on the overhaul of the cable car and other preparatory works, financial losses based on the planned profit for the operation of the restaurant, coffee bar, tubing and panoramic cable car ride... these are the problems faced by the state enterprise "Skijališta Crne Gore" ” due to the cessation of electricity supply since the beginning of November.
The electricity went out at the beginning of November due to the breaking of cables on a private plot, which cut off the power supply to the facilities of the Radio Broadcasting Center (RDC), the Army at Zekova Glava and the Jezerine tunnel.
The RDC told "Vijesta" that they had a cost of around 20.000 euros for the facility's aggregate power supply and that for now everything is working smoothly, but that if the problem persists they cannot guarantee it, while the Ministry of Defense told "Vijesta" that there was no damage to the facilities and equipment of the Army in Bjelasica, and that in the procurement of fuel they foresee a reserve in case of a power outage.
The crews of the Montenegrin Electric Distribution System (CEDIS) have finished repairing broken faults on a private plot, within the mountain center Kolašin 1450, but that company also needs to solve the problem of a pole on a private plot in the village of Mušovića Rijeka, which caught fire about 10 days ago, which announced to start this week.
The pole is part of the transmission line from Kolašin to the village, that is, part of the network that supplies some of the facilities in Bjelasica from the substation (TS) of Jezerina. The owner of the plot on which the pole is located, who is in a multi-year court dispute with CEDIS, does not allow access to his property, so it has not been possible to replace that part of the infrastructure until now. The repair of the broken power lines in Bjelasica on December 5 was provided with the assistance of the police, which was the Government's decision. The plan is for the police to assist CEDIS during the repair of transmission lines.
Financial losses
The ski resort told "Vijesti" that the damage they are suffering, due to the lack of electricity since the beginning of November, when the power lines on Bjelasica were torn, is large and multiple. They claim that from November 6 to the end of last week, they used more than 3.500 liters of diesel fuel to operate the generator. At yesterday's price, that is a cost of 4.800 euros.
"In this way, we were trying to prevent additional damage in terms of heating the building and for the needs of the restaurant's operation, all in a reduced capacity. Due to the lack of electricity supply, the Ski Center Kolašin 1600 could not prepare adequately for the winter season - overhaul of the cable car and other preparatory works...", the company says.
They explain that the devices, which work with the help of generators, are in good condition, while they cannot know about the others until they receive electricity and perform their testing. The fact that the supply of electricity was interrupted, the ski resorts say, also caused "significant financial losses, in terms of the planned profit through the operation of the restaurant, coffee bar, tubing and panoramic cable car ride".
"The lack of electricity supply significantly disrupted the functioning of the Ski Center "Kolašin1600", as well as the preparation of the winter season. All works that were not done in the planned period, that is during November, will be completed as soon as possible. We will do this work under our own direction, but also with the help of other institutions and partners, all with the aim of starting the winter season as soon as possible, that is, as soon as the necessary conditions are met", said the Ski Resort.
The daily consumption of oil for the aggregate supply of RDC facilities is 400 liters. As they explain in RDC, for the period from the interruption of the electricity supply until December 6, it is a cost of 15.000 and 20.000 euros. For now, they say, uninterrupted work has been ensured, but if the supply problem persists, they cannot guarantee that.
Smooth operation thanks to stock
"Thanks to the oil stocks we have at the mentioned location, we have ensured the smooth operation of the RDC equipment and the equipment of the service users. In the event that the power outage lasts, we will not be able to avoid problems related to the operation of the equipment installed at the facility in Bjelasica. Also, it will not be possible to provide normal working conditions to our employees, who are engaged at the facility 24 hours a day", concludes the RDC.
The facilities and equipment of the Army in Bjelasica were damaged due to a lack of electricity, the Ministry of Defense said. They claim, "the conditions for the stay and work of the servants at the facility have not deteriorated significantly".
"Our members are professionals trained to carry out tasks even in circumstances that are not ideal, whereby all necessary resources and measures are taken to ensure smooth work and stay in the field.
The use of aggregates in this case does not represent an obstacle to the quality performance of tasks at the Bjelasica connection hub", the Ministry of Defense said.
The procurement of petroleum derivatives is carried out for all units, commands and facilities collectively, so petroleum derivatives (Eurodiesel and fuel oil) were also procured through the mentioned contracts for the needs of the connection hub at Zekova Glava. That is why there is no precise answer about unforeseen costs due to aggregate supply.
"In accordance with the prescribed procedures, which define the work at the stationary hubs of the connection, the work of the hub service is foreseen even in the situation where there is currently a lack of power supply from the distribution system. In this sense, increased fuel consumption is foreseen in the event of a lack of electricity supply to the hub from the distribution system, so the hub is supplied with spare amounts of Eurodiesel and fuel oil for the smooth and continuous operation of the hub for a long period of time", said the department.
The fight for property rights has been going on for eight years
The owner of the plot where the transmission line needs to be repaired, Milo Grujić, told "Vijesti" that the troubles he has with CEDIS, that is, the problems due to the pole on his property, have been going on for a long time.
According to him, there are many long-ago and unfulfilled promises that he received from that company. As he claims, at the beginning of 2016, she promised him that in the following three-year period, the complete overhead line would be replaced by an underground cable. In the meantime, he claims, several times the wires from the pole were broken in the immediate vicinity of the family house and auxiliary buildings, leaving the ground and fruits under voltage, endangering people's lives and property.
"At the end of April 2021, CEDIS informed me in writing about its renewed project for the underground cabling of the Breza-Mušovića Rijeka transmission line, which, as they said, "is included in the budget and the preparation of documentation for obtaining urban planning and technical conditions is in progress". In the same letter, they also told me that, after that, they will proceed with the preparation of project documentation and the resolution of property-legal relations, which is the dominant factor for the dynamics of the investment in question. That year, the court in Kolašin rejected the proposal by which CEDIS requested a temporary measure to "provide access to pole positions 71 and 72 without delay", says Grujić.
He explains that the lawsuit filed against him due to "disturbance of property" was withdrawn in 2023, as well as that the Basic Court in Kolašin accepted his lawsuit in the first instance, which was initiated to regulate property relations with CEDIS.
"That procedure is ongoing, however, CEDIS and the Government are trying to use legal violence using the "puff-puff" method, with the illegal assistance of the police, to compensate for their long-term inaction, which is why this year's winter tourist season is also suffering. They are trying to trample over the Constitution of Montenegro, the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which guarantee my property rights, which continue to be violated by the partitocrats who captured the state and CEDIS," said Grujić.
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