The completion of the energy cable between Montenegro and Italy has been postponed because the Italian company Terna is evaluating the financial feasibility of installing a second cable with a capacity of 500 MW.
In the report on Terna's operations for the past year, it was stated that the laying of the land part and the construction of converters in Italy and Montenegro are in progress. "The installation of the second core of the submarine cable has been delayed and is subject to an assessment of financial feasibility," the report says.
The contracted capacity of the submarine cable, and thus Terna's contractual obligation, is 1000 MW. Until now, Terna has not fulfilled its part of the agreement on laying the 1000 MW cable, that is, it has laid the 500 MW cable.
According to unofficial information from "Vijesti", Terna is reassessing the cost-effectiveness of the cable because there is nothing from the second block of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, and there are also no major energy facilities, so if there is not enough electricity, the second line will not be needed.
Terna did not answer the questions of "Vijesti" as to why the installation of the second cable core was delayed and whether the reason was the delay in the construction of the second TE block. The Montenegrin Electric Transmission System (CGES) explains that the planned dynamics of activities related to the fulfillment of the assumptions that should enable transmission system operators to properly valorize the invested funds are monitored during the implementation of the investment, as well as the realization of those assumptions.
"Since certain activities related to the construction of new sources of electricity and electricity transmission infrastructure in the region, i.e. the establishment of a regional electricity market, have not been implemented, the dynamics of the realization of part of the project has been adapted to that fact, i.e. to those conditions," CGES told "Vijesti" .
The agreement on connecting Italy and Montenegro with an energy cable was signed in mid-November 2010. The total value of the project is over 800 million euros, and the completion of the works is planned by the end of 2018. The contract documents related to the project were signed by the Italian company Terna, the Ministry of Economy and CGES.
The CGES states that the capacity obligations, which are in accordance with the intergovernmental agreement between Montenegro and Italy, have not changed. They add that the construction of the infrastructure needed to ensure the transfer of the contracted capacity is extremely demanding from both the technical and financial aspects.
"According to the defined deadlines, the construction of the infrastructure with the help of which the power systems of Italy, on the one hand, and of Montenegro and the region, on the other, will be connected through the submarine cable, is scheduled for 2018. By implementing these activities, one core of the submarine cable will be connected to the electric power system of Montenegro at the 400 and 110 kV voltage level by introducing the existing transmission lines (DV 400 kV,,Podgorica-Trebinje" and DV 110 kV,,Budva-Tivat"), according to the "input - exit" system in TS Lastva. they said from CGES.
They state that the dynamic plan for the remaining part of the activities related to the submarine cable (laying the second core of the cable) and for the electricity transmission infrastructure is in line with the plans for the development of the electricity network in the region and the establishment of the electricity market.
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