Independent councilor in the Pljevlja Municipal Assembly (MA), Saša Ječmenica, assessed that a "circus show" was staged again in that city, almost identical to the one from last year, with the same actors and the same scenario, but as he says with "slightly cheaper tickets".
"And here comes another circus passing through our small town. Somehow at the same time as last year. Same circus performers, same repertoire," Ječmenica said in a statement he called "The Boiler Room Circus."
He ironically adds that it is possible that the discount on "tickets" was introduced because the audience had already seen the same play once, but also because, as he says, it was an attempt to help the Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG).
"And it could be that the discount on tickets was given to help the endangered and unjustly shamed EPCG," says Ječmenica.
He says that it is clear to everyone in Montenegro that the EPCG management "placed itself above the law" when, as he claims, on November 30, 2025, it voluntarily put the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant into operation.
"The management of this non-institutional company put the largest polluter in Montenegro into operation without following legal procedures, which endangered the health and lives of the local population," the councilor stated.
He adds that the decision was made because, as he claims, megawatt-hours of electricity were assessed as more valuable than the health of citizens at that moment.
He recalls that there has been pollution before, but that the situation is particularly controversial now because EPCG previously announced that it had invested around 100 million euros in the ecological reconstruction of the thermal power plant.
"54,5 million euros have been allocated for actual ecological reconstruction, as stated by the Government in the newly adopted NECP, while the rest relates to subsequently contracted 'sub-projects'," says Ječmenica.
He particularly questions the fact that, according to him, these subprojects were contracted without revised main projects and construction permits.
"It's about 'gentlemen's agreements' with the Chinese," Ječmenica says, quoting Miro Vračar.
After the deadline for ecological reconstruction expired, he claims, sub-projects were implemented that were not mentioned in the reports to the Government for 2023 and 2024.
"The investigation into whether the boiler burns coal and whether the 252-meter-high chimney is passing smoke through it has been going on for 30 days," said Ječmenica.
He adds that the citizens of Pljevlja, as he says, have "completely convinced" that these systems are functioning.
"Those two 'sub-projects' worked well enough to choke us in December," he pointed out.
Ječmenica states that key facilities, for which the reconstruction was carried out, remained disconnected or were installed outside the project.
"Plants for desulfurization, denitrification, wastewater treatment and noise reduction lie unconnected next to the TPP facility," the statement said.
He adds that some facilities were installed contrary to the building permit and without supporting documentation.
Ječmenica cites the reference to the phased construction as the main manipulation by EPCG.
"The phase must be determined by the building permit itself, and this was never done in this case," he says.
He points out that EPCG only requested an interpretation of the permit from the relevant ministry the day after the illegal commissioning of the thermal power plant.
"They tried to interpret the permit in a way that it did not say that they could put the facility into operation 'in installments'," Ječmenica said.
He points out that the State Secretary's interpretation states everything, except for one key document.
"One act is missing, the phase permit," he emphasizes.
Ječmenica says that the citizens of Pljevlja are not naive and will not accept, as he puts it, "the sale of fog."
"The people of Pljevlja are not so naive as to agree to this kind of fog sale, especially because that fog is excessively polluted," said Ječemenica.
He adds that everyone who participated in the illegal commissioning of the facility will have to bear responsibility.
"This fog will only have its value when the individual responsibility of all persons involved in this poorly managed project is established," Ječmenica points out.
It also warns that, if EU emission standards are not achieved, the same persons could be responsible for the eventual disconnection of the thermal power plant from the energy system.
"Then the jobs that have been warned these days that someone else is endangering them will be at risk," he concludes.
"Complete the ecological reconstruction as soon as possible, achieve the required parameters and enable the survival of Pljevlja as a healthy industrial center," said Ječmenica.
In a postscript to the statement, he wrote:
"The circus show has ended, but because of the fog we still haven't seen the main actors of this circus."
Bonus video:
