The company for the production of explosives, chemicals and military equipment "Poliex" from Berane has submitted an amended application to the Environmental Protection Agency stating that it plans to build a facility for the production and assembly of drones within its complex in the town of Polica near Berane.
The request was submitted so that the Agency could decide on the need to prepare an environmental impact assessment study, while the public hearing on the request will last until November 6. The documentation can be viewed at the Agency's headquarters in Podgorica or at the Secretariat for Communal Affairs of the Municipality of Berane.
Capacity expansion facility
"On cadastral plot number 2931 KO Polica, within the PUP "Berane" in Berane, with an urban plot area of 149.103,00 square meters, and at the request of the investor 'Poliex' ad- Berane, the construction of a facility serving as a warehouse space with an accompanying production sector - production of drone parts and drone assembly is planned. The facility being built serves the factory's production cycle and as such represents an expansion of the factory's capacity. The purpose of the facility is a storage-warehouse facility with an accompanying production sector," the description of the facility states.
Drones are unmanned aircraft that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.
The factory was founded in 1983 as part of the former Yugoslav state military industry, with the primary purpose of producing plastic explosives. It was privatized in early 2015, when the majority state-owned share package was sold for 138,5 thousand euros, with an investment obligation of half a million euros, to a consortium consisting of the Serbian state-owned company “Prva Iskra - Namenska” and Slavko Vujisić from Podgorica. Vujisić was the director of the company from the period when it was state-owned immediately before privatization. He now owns 82,8 percent of the shares, and the state-owned Serbian military factory “Prva Iskra - Namenska” still has 0,52 percent ownership. The remaining 17 percent of the shares are owned by several individuals, current and former employees, and buyers of shares on the stock exchange.
According to the company's website, they are engaged in the production of military chemical agents, commercial and military explosives, hand grenades, thermobaric weapons, drone grenades, explosives and rocket fuel, as well as various services such as demining, explosives disposal, and research activities in the military industry.
In a report submitted to the Tax Administration, Poliex showed that it had revenues of 12,7 million euros last year, about five and a half million more than the year before. It generated a net profit of 4,2 million euros, while in 2023 it amounted to 1,5 million euros.
They won't be armed.
The "Poliexa" document sent to the Agency states that the facility, for which environmental approvals are being sought, will not be armed with drones, and that there will be no damage to the environment because there are no populated areas or important habitats nearby.
The ground floor of the building is defined as a warehouse, while production will be carried out on the first floor of the building without new chemical substances.
"The floor of the facility is organized as a production sector generally for the purpose of manufacturing and assembling drones (not arming) equipped with CNC machines for metal and plastic processing as well as 3D printers for lightweight components (plastics, etc.). These machines also serve the rest of the factory as support for general production. The equipment planned to be placed on this floor is: machines for plastic processing, for the production of electronic components, as well as for the assembly and connection work itself," the document states.
It was also stated that the factory area extends over 72 hectares (720 thousand square meters), that there are no residential buildings nearby, and that the entrance to the complex is controlled.
They claim to care about the environment
"There is no surface water present at the site, and a small stream flows in the vicinity of the project site. The groundwater level is deep, so it cannot be endangered by the implementation of the project in question. A brief description of the flora and fauna in this area will be provided in the subsection describing the flora and fauna in the remainder of this chapter. The water supply network from the facility is connected to the water supply network in a water meter shaft located in the immediate vicinity of the facility, from where it is connected to the city water supply network. The fecal sewage network from the facility is led to a revision shaft, from where it is further led to a septic tank. For the purposes of stormwater evacuation, it is planned to collect stormwater from roof surfaces by draining down the sheet metal, through horizontal and vertical gutters, drainage grates to an absorption well. A grease and oil separator is planned before the discharge of stormwater into the absorption well," the document states.
They also point out that no NATURA 2000 habitats have been recognized at the location, and that there are no landscapes and areas of historical, cultural or archaeological importance.
Residents of the surrounding villages protested this summer, claiming that Poliex was polluting the environment. The environmental inspection confirmed at the time that the company did not have an integrated permit from the Environmental Protection Agency, which was in the process of being issued, and that it had fined the factory three times in the past two years.
The auditor of “Poliex” has already refrained from giving an opinion on the annual financial statements in three consecutive audits because he did not receive documentation from the company prepared in accordance with accounting standards and was unable to determine the accuracy of several items due to various irregularities he discovered. That is, he stated that based on the data received, he could not confirm their accuracy, and they relate to the value of inventories, tangible investments, advances, receivables and loans.
In May, the government adopted a document on joint production of drones with the US for Ukraine
In May this year, the Government adopted a document - Information on the signing of a letter of intent for investment in the production of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) with the American company "By Light professional IT".
Two military equipment companies, "Tara Aerospace" from Mojkovac and "Poliex" from Berane, were listed as possible domestic partners.
The government said at the time that the goal of the project was to strengthen the domestic defense industry, and that it would "improve the capabilities of the Montenegrin Army in relation to NATO, support the defense needs of Ukraine, as well as Montenegro's position as a trusted supplier of the most modern defense equipment on the global market." It was also stated that the first batch of drones would be donated to Ukraine.
The letter of intent was then signed by Deputy Prime Minister Nik Đeljošaj and the director of the American company Robert J. Donahue.
The document itself did not later announce when production would begin or whether the state would participate financially. It stated that the agreement would be supported by the US administration with up to $15 million, from a program intended for the Montenegrin Army.
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