MP and President of the Municipal Committee of Democratic Montenegro in Pljevlja, Nikola Rovčanin, believes that at this moment there is no more important issue for the state and its institutions than solving the problems of Pljevlja, emphasizing that everything else must be put on the back burner.
"There is no more important problem for the state and all institutions than the problem of Pljevlja. Everything else is completely irrelevant at this moment," Rovčanin said in a statement, pointing to "decades of neglect of this city" and the consequences that, as he says, were left by previous political elites.
He believes that the state budget should not include more important allocations than those intended for Pljevlja, and that the scale of the problem is such that it leaves no room for delays or gradual solutions.
Rovčanin pointed out that for 2026 and 2027, it is necessary to provide at least 200 million euros, both for investments and for subsidies to citizens.
"There is no waiting and no solution in installments. We have to do everything immediately. In addition, all the funds that the Eco Fund receives from polluters from Pljevlja must be returned to the people of Pljevlja, down to the last cent," said Rovčanin, announcing that he would also seek the redirection of part of the budget funds from other items to this city.
He particularly emphasized that every environmental protection measure must be accompanied by social security for citizens.
If, as he says, the use of coal is banned, citizens must be provided with subsidies for alternative forms of heating from the state budget, while in the case of boiler rooms being closed, workers must first be offered alternative jobs in the energy sector.
As one of the solutions for improving air quality, Rovčanin mentioned the construction of a ventilation tunnel, emphasizing that such a project must be implemented without delay, regardless of the cost.
Rovčanin said that the ecological disaster in Pljevlja has been going on for almost half a century, and that serious steps towards solving it have only been taken in the last four years. According to him, the problems are so complex that, due to decades of neglect, they cannot be solved in the short term.
"Pljevlja had to have a heating system resolved back in 1982, which was a condition for the commissioning of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant under an integrated permit. It is sad that citizens have suffered the consequences of negligence and disinterest for decades," said Rovčanin.
He stressed that he was proud that, together with his colleagues, he launched the district heating project in 2021, secured full funding in the amount of around ten million euros and implemented the first phase of the project, but, as he said, he was also sad that the work began with a delay of almost 40 years. He expressed his belief that the goal would be achieved by the next heating season.
Rovčanin also said that subsidies were introduced on electricity bills during the heating season in 2022 and 2023, to encourage citizens to heat their households with electricity instead of coal, and expressed confidence that these measures would continue.
Speaking about the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, he said that the ecological reconstruction of that plant should have been completed 15 years ago, but that implementation only began in the period from 2021 to 2025. According to him, all purification systems are on the verge of being put into operation in the next month or two.
"I am happy about that, but as a citizen I remain sad because the problems were not resolved in a timely manner," said Rovčanin.
He also recalled the multi-year programs of installing thermal facades and subsidizing pellet stoves, which, he says, have changed the visual appearance of the city and improved the energy efficiency of households.
He assessed that Pljevlja would be energy efficient today if such programs had been started 15 years ago, instead of which, as he states, significant funds have been directed towards the private owner of the Podgorica Aluminum Plant (KAP) for years.
Finally, Rovčanin said that environmental problems are only part of the overall challenges facing Pljevlja, and that the coming years require huge investments in the economy and a just transition.
"Pljevlja has given the state more than five billion euros in the last three decades. It is time for at least 20 percent of that money to be returned to this city," concluded Rovčanin.
The Executive Director of the Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG) Zdravko Dragaš announced earlier today that he has decided that EPCG will reduce the price of active energy for all households in Pljevlja by 50 percent in the next three months.
"In light of the latest information about the drastic increase in air pollution in Pljevlja, I would like to begin by emphasizing that we at the company are aware of the problem that affects the quality of life in Pljevlja, as well as the health of our fellow citizens. In order to help the citizens of Pljevlja in this difficult situation, I have decided that EPCG will reduce the price of active energy for all households in Pljevlja by 50 percent in the next three months," said Dragaš.
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The Mayor of the Municipality of Pljevlja, Dario Vraneš, yesterday asked those responsible at the Ministry of Energy and Mining and EPCG to approve electricity subsidies for the citizens of Pljevlja during the winter in the amount of at least 50 percent, given that the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant significantly affects air pollution in Pljevlja.
News outlets reported today that Pljevlja is suffocating in one of the worst waves of air pollution in history, after being exposed to alarmingly high concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the air in recent days, many times above the permitted values, which is why the Pljevlja thermal power plant has once again been identified as the main culprit.
The extent of the pollution that can seriously endanger human health is best evidenced by the fact that in Pljevlja yesterday, in one hour, the SO2 concentration recorded was many times higher than in all other Montenegrin cities...
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SO2 is a gas that is among the most dangerous air pollutants, and the highest values were measured at midnight on December 13 - 805 micrograms per cubic meter of air, which is an infamous record since measurements were taken in Pljevlja. The permitted daily limit concentration of S02 in Montenegro is 125 micrograms per cubic meter, and the hourly limit is 350. The S02 concentration significantly exceeds the warning threshold of 500 micrograms per cubic meter, which, according to current regulations, requires urgent state response and immediate public notification.
After yesterday's meeting of the municipal emergency team, the Mayor of Pljevlja, Dario Vraneš, said that he had been contacted by the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Milan Gazdić, and that he had confirmed that the main cause of the current pollution was the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, which recently started operating after ecological reconstruction.
Vraneš also revealed at the time that the Pljevlja TPP, after its ecological reconstruction, is operating without a desulfurization plant, which is one of the key reasons why the project was implemented.
"Yesterday's meteorological situation further worsened the situation - thick fog rose high, so that the thermal power plant's chimney remained below that layer, and the desulfurization system has still not been put into operation. This means that the thermal power plant started operating without desulfurization, and this is the main cause of this pollution," Vranes said yesterday.
He then called on EPCG to, as he emphasized, "urgently stop the experiments on the citizens of Pljevlja," emphasizing that the situation in the city was unbearable.
Gazdić said today on Boje jutra on Television Vijesti that it is not true that the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that the Pljevlja TPP was the only cause of pollution.
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