Panels at the Steelworks without a green permit

The Electric Power Company (EPCG) will not have to obtain environmental approval for the construction of a solar power plant on the roof and around the buildings of the Nikšić-based "Željezara", through which almost 61.000 panels will be installed.

The decision that they will not need an Environmental Impact Assessment for this project was made by the Environmental Protection Agency in early June. The agency decided in March last year that EPCG did not need a green permit for this project, but the new request expanded the scope of construction plots.

According to the documentation, 4,2 thousand panels have already been installed in the hall of the local "Vučionica", while economic analyses indicate that installing the rest would be profitable. The terrain is, as it says, flat or with low vegetation, while there are no registered immovable cultural assets or remains that would indicate archaeological sites at this location. EPCG plans to produce 46.63 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually from these sources.

"The construction of the "Željezara" photovoltaic power plant is planned on the land within the premises of the "Željezara Nikšić" factory and on the roofs of the buildings of the aforementioned factory. One part of the panels will be mounted on the roofs of existing buildings, another part on the land, and the third part vertically on the facade of existing buildings. The plots and buildings on which the construction of the aforementioned solar power plant is planned are owned by EPCG. The free roof areas amount to 177.106 square meters, on which 34.243 photovoltaic modules can be installed relatively quickly. A total of 60.856 panels can be installed with the installed modules," the documentation states.

It is stated that no negative impact on the environment is expected during the panel operation phase, but also that no part of the system will produce harmful substances and affect the environment during operation.

In mid-April, EPCG also announced a tender for the preparation of a study on the condition of the structure for the construction of the solar power plant "Željezara", and the job is worth around 66.000 euros excluding VAT. This job went yesterday to the Bijelo Polje company "Optimusproject", which was selected as the most favorable with a bid of 64.999 euros excluding VAT.

The Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property issued urban and technical requirements for the development of technical documentation at the end of October 2025.