The transmission line that should supply electricity to the future "Bijela" wind farm near Šavnik will be approximately 18,2 kilometers long and will pass through the third protection zone of the "Dragišnica and Komarnica" nature park and through the protective belt of the "Durmitor" National Park.
The Environmental Impact Assessment Study for this wind farm states that the transmission line poles will not be near the Komarnica riverbed, but that its canyon is already included in the list of "Emerald" areas in Montenegro, as well as being a potential "Natura 2000" area.
This project by the Podgorica-based company "Vjetro Park Bijela" plans to clear and level a total area of 140.000 square meters, 70 percent of which is trees and the rest is bushes. This is stated in the study that the company submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency for consideration, and it is emphasized that the project will follow normal levels of pollution seen at construction sites and that there will be no impact on the local population.
The “Bijela” wind farm is planned to be located ten kilometers from Šavnik, on an area of 330.000 square meters, where wind turbines, a transmission line and a substation (TS) will be built. According to the project, it will have 17 wind turbines, each of which will be 115 meters high, while its estimated annual electricity production is around 334,898 gigawatt hours.
"Of the protected areas, only the transmission line route intersects the III protection zone of the Dragišnica and Komarnica Nature Park and the protective belt of the Durmitor National Park. The transmission line route passes through the protected area of the nature park in two places: when it crosses the Komarnica near the Nevidio Canyon and on the Riđine Hill. The Komarnica River Canyon is included in the Emerald Area list in Montenegro and is a potential Natura 2000 area. The route intersects two rivers, the Bukovica and the Komarnica. Although in this part these rivers pass through a deep canyon and the transmission line poles are positioned in such a way that they are far from the riverbed itself, it should be said that these are waters that flow constantly and that their regenerative capacity is large," it is written in the Study prepared by the companies "Medix" and "E3 consulting".
The company “Vjetro park Bijela” was registered in October 2022, and its founder is the British company “Alcazar energy partners II Holdco limited”. According to data from the Central Register of Business Entities, its executive director is Enrico Casari Explained and the authorized representative Miguel Antonio Higuera Diaz.
Resolved property and legal relations
It is emphasized that "Vjetro park Bijela" has already signed a thirty-year lease agreement for all privately owned plots, thus resolving the property and legal relations for this project, but also that this is a sparsely populated area, where there is no forest vegetation. It is emphasized that there are only a few buildings in the vicinity of the future wind farm, namely a katun, and that the nearest one is about 250 meters away.
The planned transmission line has a power of 110 kV and will connect the future TS “Bijela” with the existing TS “Brezna”, while its route will go mostly through meadows and forests. According to the project, it will have 65 poles and will run from the village of Malinsko to Brezan. It is emphasized that the nearest water source is about 400 meters away from the transmission line, and the nearest object is 14 meters away.
"There are no areas or areas of historical, cultural or archaeological importance at the project site or in its vicinity. There are no protected objects or cultural and historical heritage assets in the area of the location and route of the connecting transmission line. About twenty bird species with unfavourable protection status according to various international and domestic criteria were identified in the researched area of the wind farm. Some of the planned activities in the project area due to the construction of the wind generator, transformer station and service roads, the construction of the transmission line that will lead from Cvijetino brdo on the Bijela plateau to Brezanski lug, will have an impact on the wildlife of this area, primarily due to the fragmentation and degradation of 174 habitats, changes in its quality, direct killing of species, pollution, and the impact of noise and vibrations," it writes...
It is emphasized that there are no wetlands or coastal areas, river mouths, agricultural land, or springs or surface flows in the vicinity, except for 17 ponds or watering holes. It is also added that there will be no impact on human health because the area is uninhabited, but that, in accordance with domestic and international obligations on the protection of endangered species, mandatory monitoring of bird mortality due to collisions with wind turbines and nesting of raptors is proposed.
It is reported that about 50 workers will be involved in the preparatory work on the project, while 100 workers will be employed later in the installation of the wind turbine poles. The start of construction will depend on obtaining a building permit and selecting a contractor, but it is emphasized that the operating life of the wind farm is at least 25 years. It is planned that each wind turbine will occupy about 3.000 square meters, while this location would be reached via roads that would connect to the Šavnik-Žabljak highway.
The government gave the green light for urban planning and technical conditions for this project in July 2023.
Comments are accepted until May 12th.
Public discussion and submission of comments and opinions to the Environmental Protection Agency on the Study for the “Bijela” wind farm will be possible until May 12th.
Public forums will be organized in Šavnik on May 7th, as well as in Plužine the day after.
The company "Vjetro Park Bijela" submitted a request for a decision on the need to prepare the Study at the beginning of December last year, while the Agency decided at the end of that month that the Podgorica company would have to prepare the document.
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