Montenegro is willing to continue all joint initiatives and initiated projects with Serbia, said Minister of Energy and Mining Admir Šahmanović at a meeting with his Serbian counterpart Dubravka Đedović Handanović.
Šahmanović, who is on a two-day visit to Belgrade, expressed interest in part of the process and successful results that Serbia has achieved in the energy transition and stimulating the private sector through the implementation of auctions for the award of market premiums for renewable energy sources.
"Montenegro is willing to continue all joint initiatives and initiated projects with Serbia. We have 45 major projects in the energy sector, which are in various stages of implementation, and I believe that the auctions will give momentum to their implementation, following your process, which has been implemented extremely successfully," Šahmanović said.
As announced by the Montenegrin Ministry of Energy and Mining, Đedović Handanović discussed with Šahmanović possibilities for cooperation aimed at exploiting common resources in the hydro sector, transferring knowledge and experience in conducting auctions for market premiums for renewable energy sources, and implementing infrastructure projects in the energy sector connecting the two countries.
The joint conclusion is that the two countries have so far coordinated and shared positions within the Energy Community and agreed to continue such practice.
"We have successfully conducted two rounds of auctions for RES, but we should not forget the state of the network and the investments that are necessary in the transmission system to maintain system stability," said Đedović Handanović.
She stated that construction of the third section of the first phase of the Trans-Balkan Corridor will begin this year, after which part of the route and power lines between Bajina Bašta, the state border of Montenegro and the state border of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) will be built.
Šahmanović and Đedović Handanović agreed that the Trans-Balkan corridor would connect the electricity systems of Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"Countries in the region need to take a common position on the issue of carbon emissions taxation, given the similar situation in the energy sector," Šahmanović pointed out.
Šahmanović and Đedović Handanović concluded that Serbia and the countries in the region cannot be expected to achieve in three years what took EU members, which are dependent on coal, many years.
"Access to European funds is necessary to meet the requirements related to carbon emissions pricing and CBAM, a mechanism for cross-border carbon price harmonisation," assessed the relevant ministers of Montenegro and Serbia.
Šahmanović spoke about Montenegro's plans to intensify dialogue with Italy regarding the implementation of the second strand of the submarine cable project to Italy, thereby enhancing the resilience and stability of the country's energy system.
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