The Center for Ecotoxicological Testing (CETI) has recently measured pollutants emitted from the chimneys of the boiler house in Skerlićeva Street, which heats apartments and business premises in the center of Pljevlja. The results of the analysis will be known on December 12, and based on them, a decision will be made whether the boiler house can continue to operate or whether its operation will be prohibited.
The boiler house on Skerlićeva has been the subject of harsh criticism for years, and according to previous reports, it burns a large amount of coal every day, which has resulted in exceeding the permitted levels of pollutants emitted from the chimney, attached to one of the residential buildings.
Director of “Heating” Vlade Tošić expects that the measurement results will be much better than in previous years and will show a significant reduction in pollutants.
He says that for the first time, measurements were taken on a vertical chimney, while previously they were done on a horizontal chimney, practically at the very exit from the boilers.
"I expect good results, because the state and the municipality have invested several hundred thousand euros in the boiler room and distribution network in the previous period. We have installed multicyclones and flue gas fans, with the aim of achieving better combustion, which results in reduced emissions of harmful substances in the air. By installing flue gases, we no longer have problems with raising the temperature, and coal consumption has also been reduced. For most of the day, we operate with two boilers instead of three. We used to consume 2,4 thousand tons of coal per year, and now we have reduced consumption to around 1,5 thousand tons," said Tošić.
He believes that it would be crazy to close the boiler room in the middle of winter, because citizens in the city center would be left without heating.
"I hope that this year they will be understanding and will not allow the boiler room to be closed for a single day. Closing the boiler room would create major problems for residents, as many buildings in Pljevlja do not have the option of heating with solid fuel nor are they technically adapted for heating with electricity," said Tošić.
The heating season in Pljevlja officially began in early October after the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development annulled the decision of the Environmental Protection Agency from July this year, which prohibited the operation of the city boiler house on Skerlićeva Street.
On December 26th of last year, the Environmental Inspection banned "Grijanje" from carrying out the activity of producing and delivering heat energy because the analyses conducted by CETI showed that the concentrations of powdery substances, carbon monoxide and arsenic were above tolerance limits.
"Grijanje" then approached the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development with a proposal to postpone the execution of the environmental inspector's decision, and after their urgency, the environmental inspector extended the deadline for executing the decision until May 15, when the ban on the boiler room's operation came into effect again.
The tenants of the building on Skerlićeva Street are categorical that they do not want a boiler room in their building. At a meeting of the tenants' assembly in mid-July, they all signed a request for a permanent ban on its operation.
Rade Potpara, a resident of one of the buildings, about 50 meters away from the heating plant chimney, contacted the institutions, stating that, through a request for free access to information, he had come across correspondence between the environmental inspection and director Tošić.
This correspondence, he claims, shows that on October 1, 2025, "by email, without a formal decision or resolution," the continuation of the heating plant's operation was approved based on a letter from the director of "Grijanje", even though the heating season began only two weeks later.
Potpara states that the company has not taken "any measures to reduce pollutants."
He also claims that "Grijanje" has had its request for an extension of the environmental inspection's decision, which banned the operation of the heating plant, rejected by the environmental inspector's decision of September 18, 2024.
"Grijanje", he points out, was also denied an appeal to the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development, which meant that all previous decisions remained in effect.
They announced that they would take all available legal steps before the Environmental Crime Department of the State Prosecutor's Office "in order to protect the lives and health of citizens."
Bonus video:
