The company "EE Korita" will build solar panels on an area of 1,24 million square meters (124 hectares) in the town of the same name in Bijelo Polje, but will especially have to work on protecting the Sijarski stream and springs, eight ponds, two newly discovered flower species at this location, as well as the snow vole, which has not been seen in Montenegro for 40 years.
This, among other things, is stated in the Environmental Impact Assessment Study for this solar power plant, which the Environmental Protection Agency approved at the end of last year.
The solar power plant is planned on a total area of 505 hectares, about 40 kilometers from Bijelo Polje near the border with Serbia. At this location, there are unused older and newer facilities of the Moravac Farm, while the nearest inhabited village is Lazovići, about 1,7 kilometers away.
The company “EE Korita” was registered at the end of 2022, its founder is “EE Croatia APS”, while the investor for the 200 million euro project is the Danish “European Energy”. The power plant is planned to produce 331.306 gigawatt-hours annually.
Griffon vulture also seen
"On the site, there is a surface watercourse (Sijarski potok), which flows through part of the site affected by the project, and in one part there are eight ponds - maquis. The sources of the Sijarski spring, as well as the entire surface flow of the Sijarski potok, must not be endangered. The installation of solar panels across the stream is not planned, but their installation is planned at a minimum distance of ten meters from the stream. Adequate measures to protect the source and stream will be provided during construction. The installation of solar panels at maquis locations will also be avoided. During the research of small mammals, behind the old abandoned farm "Moravac", a very interesting species of vole Chionomys nivalis was found, which has not been registered in Montenegro for over 40 years. During construction, in the area where the vole species was found, construction work must not endanger the site in any way (rockfall, filling with soil, etc.)," the Study states.
The document also points out that the installation of solar panels requires the removal of vegetation and leveling of the terrain, which leads to the loss of plants necessary for the survival of insects and invertebrates, and therefore has consequences for amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. It adds that changes in nature can negatively affect birds, especially those that nest and feed on the ground.
It is precisely at this location that the Elaborate recorded the presence of the griffon vulture, which is classified as an extinct species according to the Red Book of Endangered Birds. In addition, more than 20 bird species with an unfavorable protection status according to various international and domestic conventions and laws were recorded. Some birds from the nearby Pešter Plateau use this area for hunting, but only three species meet the criteria for declaring an area important for birds, but they were not recorded at this location.
"Two new species for the flora of Montenegro have been discovered: Potentilla alba L. and Dracocephalum ruyschiana L., of which Dracocephalum is the second discovery on the Balkan Peninsula. The discovery of new species resulted in additional communication with the designer and investor. At the meeting, it was agreed that solar panels should be left out of the meadow where Dracocephalum was recorded, the second species was found in several locations, at least two of which will not be affected by project activities, and it is believed that this new species will survive in border areas and outside the project zone. The same applies to the species that are Balkan endemics and that were found at the project location Silene sendtneri, Knautia dinarica, Cerastium malyi and Hypochaeris maculata subspec.pelivanovicii...", the document states, noting that six species of insects of special importance were also recorded, which are protected at the state level.
However, there are no protected areas in this location within the meaning of the Nature Protection Act, of the infrastructure facilities there is only a power line leading to the farm, there are no landscapes and areas of historical, cultural or archaeological importance, protected objects and cultural and historical heritage assets, and only standard pollution is expected at the construction site.
70 workers will work on the preparatory works and road construction, while 300 workers will work on the project during the installation and construction of the panels.
240 MW power plant
In January last year, the Montenegrin Electricity Transmission System (CGES) and the company "EE Korita" signed a contract on the construction of infrastructure for connecting a new solar power plant to the transmission system.
The document was signed in Podgorica by the executive director of CGES Ivan Asanović and authorized on behalf of “EE Korita” Damir Banovec.
"The contract includes the planning, construction and integration of the power plant, which will have a capacity of 240 megawatts. This initiative is part of our strategy aimed at increasing the share of clean energy in total electricity production in Montenegro, thereby supporting global sustainable development goals and contributing to environmental protection," CGES said at the time.
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