The Environmental Protection Agency has granted environmental approval for the construction of the solar power plant “Vraćenovići” in the town of the same name in Nikšić, which plans to install 192.000 solar panels on an area of 1,28 million square meters. After obtaining permits and documentation, the construction of the project, which is being developed by “Agenos Energy”, is expected to last a year.
The Agency gave its approval to the Environmental Impact Assessment Study for this solar power plant at the end of March.
According to that document, the project is planned on land that is not in protection zones or in conflict with ecological state or international networks, while the annual production of up to 170 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity is expected, depending on weather conditions.
The nearest house will be 60 meters away from the solar power plant, while 16 transformer stations and a 1,5 kilometer long road will also be built.
During the preparation of the terrain and the construction of the solar power plant, there will be a loss of vegetation and natural habitats, especially in the area of access paths, panels, poles, transformer stations and technical zones, while the biodiversity study showed the presence of grassland "Natura 2000" habitats, thickets of medunc and cer, and grass-xerophilous communities.
"Natura 2000" is an international ecological network on the territory of the European Union (EU), and Montenegro, in the process of joining that alliance, must establish these protected areas.
"Approximately 845.000 square meters, or 63 percent of the area, of which 575.000 square meters are between the panels, will retain their natural appearance. In that part of the terrain, the existing low vegetation, grass vegetation and natural relief forms will be preserved, which contributes to the preservation of the landscape character of the area, the infiltration of surface water and the reduction of erosion processes. Since the solar power plant does not generate chemical or other harmful emissions during the exploitation phase, no negative impacts on flora and fauna are expected. It can be concluded that the presence of four endemic plant species of the Balkan Peninsula has been confirmed, which have a wide distribution and stable, numerically significant populations in the territory of Montenegro," the documentation states.
Eight invertebrate species of particular importance were also observed at this site, some of which are protected by national regulations, while some of the others, of European importance, are endangered, and are listed in the annexes to the EU Habitats Directive, the Bern Convention, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CETIS).
It is emphasized that there are temporary ponds and wells at the site of the solar power plant, but that there was no water in them during the research, so no amphibians were registered, while in the wider area a larger number of natural ponds, traditional watering holes and village wells were recorded.
It also states that construction will not take place in wetlands or coastal areas, that there are no watercourses or river mouths nearby, or agricultural land or culturally and historically protected land, and that the impacts of the project will be minimal, short-lived, and can be eliminated. No systematic measurements of environmental segments have been made at this location, but minimal pollution typical of construction sites is expected.
The pylons of the Nikšić-Bileća transmission line with a voltage of 110 kilovolts (kV) also pass through this location, so the project will be connected to this network. It is emphasized that the connection contract was already signed in July 2024 with the Montenegrin Transmission System (CGES), so both the technical and legal basis for the work has been defined.
The government issued the urban planning and technical requirements for the development of technical documentation for this project in August 2023.
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