Energy from renewable sources from sustainable locations in the municipality of Nikšić alone could supply more than 200.000 Montenegrin households, it was announced today in Podgorica at the presentation of the results of the study "Mapping the potential of solar and wind in the territory of the municipality of Nikšić", the preparation of which was led by the organizations Eko-team and "The Nature Conservancy" in cooperation with the Municipality of Nikšić.
"Mitigating the negative consequences of climate change and keeping global warming to 1,5°C are challenges facing the whole world. The first step on that path is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In this regard, Montenegro has already committed itself to in 2030, to increase the share of renewable energy sources to 50% in its gross energy consumption and to gradually abolish the use of coal", said the NGO Eco-team.
The announcement states that if the space for the energy transition from coal to renewable energy sources, in this case solar and wind, which require significant space, is not carefully determined, a quick transition can cause conflicts and cause damage to endangered nature and contribute to the biodiversity crisis, or else endanger cultural and social values of an area.
"In order to avoid potential conflicts, 'The Nature Conservancy' has developed a smart mapping approach, which includes four steps to find optimal locations for wind and solar development, with the least potential impact on nature and people," said the NGO Eco-team.
It was pointed out that following this approach, the study identified areas with the least conflict potential, and at the same time with medium or high development potential, which resulted in a total sustainable area of approximately 4 km² for wind energy and 50 km² for solar energy.
"The potential capacity is estimated to be around 40 MW of wind and an impressive 2,7 GW of solar," they added in the statement.
This NGO said that together, these two sources could produce about 1400 GWh of electricity - which is almost the value of the record production in the Pljevlja thermal power plant in 2020, and which, they say, by itself accounted for about half of the total electricity produced. in Montenegro in that year.
"Also, this would cover the total consumption of the residential sector in 2022 (1375 GWh), which accounts for 380.000 users, including over 200.000 households," they added.
"Nikšić, the territorially largest municipality, was the subject of our study by which we want to help Montenegro catch up with the countries of the European Union, which, within the framework of the 'REPowerEU' plan, are required to designate as soon as possible the so-called areas for the accelerated development of renewable energy sources" , says Diana Milev Čavor, from the Eco-team, and adds: "The estimate we reached, that only one third of suitable locations can replace the entire production of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, is a clear sign that these are data on which Montenegro can develop strategy for its rapid and responsible green transition".
"The result of this pilot study confirmed that Nikšić has real potential for the development of low-conflict renewable energy sources. The study can further be used to determine new locations, both by potential investors and by authorities responsible for spatial planning, which is why we made it publicly available," said Igor Vejnović, from "The Nature Conservancy", and emphasized: "We have proven that this approach is feasible, necessary and timely. That is why our next step will be to apply the experiences gained through this pilot research to the entire territory of Montenegro".
The contribution of local experts and actors was crucial, the statement said, as well as the fact that more than 40 people from different groups, including local communities and independent experts, as well as municipal and government institutions, were consulted during the preparation of the study.
"The results of these consultations were taken into account in the study in order to ensure that it will be relevant and applicable as a product," the announcement concludes.
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