Heating is a key source of air pollution in the north of the country

Household heating is a key source of air pollution in northern Montenegro.

According to data from the Draft Air Quality Management Strategy for the period 2026-2029, individual household combustion plants are responsible for the dominant share of emissions of suspended particles and benzo(a)pyrene, while electricity generation plants, including the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, contribute three to four percent to total emissions.

Experts warn that without systemic measures, especially in the household heating sector, Pljevlja and Bijelo Polje will remain among the cities with the most polluted air in Montenegro in the coming years.

"Household heating is a key sector in which action needs to be taken because it contributes dominantly to total emissions of relevant pollutants, namely 84 percent to PM2.5 emissions, 79 percent to PM10 emissions and 99 percent to the content of benzo(a)pyrene in suspended particles," the Draft Strategy states.

Precisely for this reason, Pljevlja and Bijelo Polje stand out as the cities with the most pronounced air pollution problem in the north.

Plants that produce electricity contribute three and four percent to PM2,5 and PM10 emissions, respectively, as much as road traffic.

The data shows that the north of the country continues to face serious air quality problems, with significant exceedances of the permitted concentrations of suspended particles PM10 and PM2.5, as well as target values ​​for benzo(a)pyrene, a carcinogenic substance found in these particles. The exceedances were registered at measuring stations in Pljevlja and Bijelo Polje.

According to the document, at the Gradina measuring point, which monitors air quality in rural areas, these pollutants are not measured, but the parameters monitored did not exceed the permitted values.

The climatic characteristics of the north further aggravate the situation. The region is characterized by long and cold winters, which is why the need for heating is significant throughout most of the year. Therefore, the highest exceedances of harmful particles and benzo(a)pyrene concentrations are recorded precisely in the winter period.

Pljevlja residents consume 80 percent of the coal used in the residential sector

In Pljevlja, air quality is also significantly affected by industrial sources of pollution, primarily the operation of the Thermal Power Plant and the Coal Mine. At the same time, a large number of households use solid fuels for heating. It is estimated that around 5.000 households in this city use individual wood and coal stoves, and the citizens of Pljevlja consume around 80 percent of the total amount of coal used in the residential sector in Montenegro.

The situation in Bijelo Polje is somewhat different, but also problematic. There, pollution is mainly linked to the urban core, where a large number of households and administrative buildings use solid fuels for heating, which significantly increases the concentration of harmful particles in the air.

Data from the State of the Environment report show that residents of the northern zone are largely exposed to exceedances of daily concentrations of PM10 particles. It is estimated that around 28,68 percent of the population was exposed to exceedances of the average daily concentration of these particles above the permitted values, while in the period from 2017 to 2020 the number of days with exceedances was more than 100 each year.

In 2024, the average annual concentration of PM10 particles in Pljevlja was 42,74 micrograms per cubic meter, while in Bijelo Polje it was 40,49, which is above or at the limit of the permitted value of 40 micrograms per cubic meter. An even more unfavorable situation was recorded for the finer PM2.5 particles. In Pljevlja, the average annual concentration was 32,76 micrograms per cubic meter, and in Bijelo Polje 30,78, which is significantly above the permitted limit of 20 micrograms per cubic meter.

The concentration of benzo(a)pyrene is of particular concern. During 2024, it amounted to 4,59 nanograms per cubic meter in Pljevlja, while in Bijelo Polje it reached 5,58, which is many times above the target value of 1 nanogram per cubic meter.

The northern air quality zone encompasses 13 municipalities and covers more than half of Montenegro's territory, while about a quarter of the country's population lives in this area. According to the 2023 census, 152.590 residents live in this zone, almost 40 percent of whom live in Pljevlja and Bijelo Polje, cities that are among the most exposed to the problem of pollution.

Energy efficiency and district heating

Therefore, improving energy efficiency and modernizing heating systems are proposed as key measures to reduce pollution.

The Household Energy Efficiency Subsidy Program currently has a budget of 8,8 million euros, of which 2,8 million euros are allocated to Pljevlja.

At the same time, a district heating project for Pljevlja is being planned, worth around 23 million euros, which envisages the construction of a district heating system using energy from a thermal power plant. It is expected that the implementation of this project could significantly reduce the number of individual furnaces and emissions of harmful substances into the air.

“The development of district heating in Pljevlja will follow the ecological reconstruction of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, while all preparatory work related to the connection to the heating system will be completed during the reconstruction. The citizens of Pljevlja use about 80 percent of the total coal used in the residential sector in the country for heating purposes. The air in Pljevlja during the winter season is burdened with pollutants that are mainly by-products of lignite combustion in individual, mostly inefficient furnaces in about 5.000 local households. The project includes the construction of a heat source, primary and secondary hot water networks. In the first phase, the construction of the primary hot water network will create conditions for supplying the 6 largest boiler houses in the city center. This will be done by unregulated steam discharge from the turbine block of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, with a capacity of 10 MW, immediately after the completion of the ecological reconstruction. In addition, the construction of 20 connections to the primary hot water pipe of the appropriate diameter for all consumption zones creates conditions for the second phase and regulated steam discharge from the turbine block of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant and further development of the city's heating plant with a heat consumption of 44 MW," the Draft Strategy states.

Since the heating system is obviously dependent on the operation of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, and in light of the planned cessation of the use of lignite and the decommissioning of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, the document's authors believe that it is necessary to find a long-term sustainable solution for heating the city.

"The first phase of district heating, which includes the construction of about 6,5 km of primary heating pipeline, is nearing completion. The second phase, which according to the National Energy Climate Plan should be completed by 2030, refers to the creation of conditions for the development of heating for all consumption zones of Pljevlja with capacities of up to 2x22 MW on the same heating pipeline already built in the first phase. The total budget for the project is 23 million euros. EPCG has provided 2,5 million euros. 8,3 million has already been allocated for phases I.1 and I.2. The local government will cover the costs of expropriation," the draft states.