The Action for Social Justice (ASP) announced that it is today submitting comments on the changes to the planning document for the Industrial Zone of the Aluminum Plant Podgorica (KAP), stating that the planning document foresees a huge jump in the index for the planned construction, and that it does not contain even a minimum estimate of economic benefits, as well as that there is no total cost of the planned investments, and that the projections for the increase in the number of employees are flat.
"The public debate for this planning document, which is incomplete and incomplete, was initiated by the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property. The debate ends today. The zone of this planning document also includes two well-known red mud basins, as well as the KAP solid waste landfill, on which harmful products resulting from the production of aluminum in the once leading Podgorica factory have been deposited for years, which then, through a low price in bankruptcy proceedings, became the property of Veselin Pejović from Nikšić and his Uniprom group," the ASP statement states.
The NGO added that the document states: "The construction of solar power plants KAP with a capacity of 33,75 MW and KAP II with a capacity of 12,9 MW is planned. Given that there are already facilities at the locations for the construction of solar power plants, their removal is necessary. The ownership of the plots on which the power plants will be built is registered with Uniprom KAP and Uniprom Progress."
ASP said that no investment costs were stated, while the planned occupancy range of Uniprom's solar power plants is around 78 thousand square meters.
"Although the red mud basins and solid waste landfill cover over half a million square meters covered by the plan, this document also does not contain an estimate of the necessary investments in them, but rather indicates that they are an ecological black spot and that rehabilitation, remediation and recultivation are needed. After that, scientific research could be conducted, but the plan leaves room for the location to be used for renewable energy sources, such as solar power plants, in the future," ASP said.
They state that the planning document leaves room for the construction of wastewater plants at KAP, because so far they end up in Morača.
"At the former location of the separation of the 'Crnagoraput' company, along the main road from Podgorica to Bar, the plan allows for central business facilities (catering facilities, shopping malls, office buildings...), but there is no investment estimate here either, it only states that the aim is to recultivate the degraded area in order to increase its value. The document states that the existing development index is 0.07, and its increase to 0.32 is planned. It also states that the current number of employees within KAP is around 1,7 thousand, but this is not supported by any source. The plan envisages the employment of 3.832 people, but it is completely unclear how this figure was arrived at. On a few scant pages called 'economic analysis', an estimate of the annual income from wages for the projected 3.832 employees is given, which is calculated on an average salary of one thousand euros, so the income tax would be around 400 thousand. At the same time, the income listed as income includes value added tax, profit tax, income from fees for construction land, but without their assessments," the statement said.
ASP said that while investment parameters are completely absent, the planning document provides the amount of necessary investments in public infrastructure (which is largely the responsibility of public authorities), so the cost for traffic, hydrotechnical, electrical, and landscape infrastructure is estimated at 60 million.
"All of this makes the document incomplete and flawed, while it is unacceptable for the plan to quote certain data on the state of flora or fauna at the location from as far back as 2008 or 2009, which does not contribute to its quality and indicates that some of the data is outdated," said the ASP.
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