The government adopted a contract that formalizes the destruction of Komarnica, and such moves are a continuation of the bad decisions of previous governments, which wastes a large resource, invests a lot of money, and gets very little energy, said a group of non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
In the statement signed by the civic initiative Save the Komarnica, the KOD Organization, the Montenegrin Society of Ecologists, the Society of Young Ecologists Nikšić, the Center for the Protection and Study of Birds, Ecopatriotism, Nikta, Zrcalo, KANA, legalizeuj.me and Nature Lovers Montenegro, it is stated that Prime Minister Dritan Abazović two months ago, he told the citizens that the Government would not allow the destruction of Komarnica.
"Nevertheless, two days ago, the opposite decision was made, the Government adopted a contract officializing the destruction of Komarnica", said those organizations.
According to them, such moves by the Government are a continuation of the bad decisions of the previous Government, which wastes a large resource, invests a lot of money, and gets very little energy.
"That's how we continue to wander because we still don't know what our strategic energy goals are," said a statement from several organizations.
Those organizations said that knowledge costs money, and ignorance costs even more.
"At the Komarnica protest camp, the prime minister asked us why we were protesting. We are protesting precisely that such decisions would not happen because such a decision approves an unprofitable hydroelectric power plant, and blocks all other healthy projects that can be developed in Komarnica", said those NGOs.
As they said, the approval of the hydroelectric power plant is not only disputed because of a healthy environment, it is also disputed energetically and economically.
"We continue to be enslaved by outdated technologies, practices and projects that are 50 years old and more. We are dependent on electricity, but on the contrary, we are even more dependent on preserved nature," the announcement states.
Those NGOs said that there are numerous solutions that can be used to get more electricity with less investment.
They called on the Government to seriously address the issues of the energy sector of Montenegro and, as they stated, to stop experimenting with risky and unreliable projects.
"If we strive for energy independence, we should have a secure base, in terms of synchronized planning documents that should be a link between nature conservation and energy independence, which will avoid future collisions and get projects of essential public interest," the statement added.
As stated, if the project were to be realized, we would borrow at least 300 million euros, and energy analysts estimate that it would cost as much as 600 million euros.
"At the same time, they would have a maximum of seven percent of the current electricity production, and at the same time, they would lose the natural monument. Electricity from the power plant would start to be produced in ten years at the earliest, that is, around 2033," the announcement says.
The group of NGOs that signed the statement said that the project will not bring people back to Šavnik and Plužine, and the reservoir itself would have a negative impact on the tourist season in Žabljak and Šavnik due to the decrease in snowfall.
They said that they are not declaratively against new energy facilities, but they are against projects "because of which we fall into debt slavery, because with the Komarnica HPP built, we will certainly not have energy independence, and due to the large debt, we would not be able to start other large energy projects".
"If the money planned for HPP Komarnica was invested in modern energy sources, we would have more electricity, more jobs, and preserved nature for the same money," the announcement states.
The organizations said that they believe that the representatives of the Government are themselves aware of this.
"Especially bearing in mind that the prime minister is a representative of the European Greens, so it is to be expected that he will follow the principles on which the European Union rests, whose priority is not the construction of new ones, but the reconstruction and improvement of existing hydropower facilities," the announcement states.
The organizations said that the HPP Komarnica issue can be seen as a test of the Government's readiness to take responsibility and show whether it can make us part of the European community, or return it decades back.
"Citizens gathered around the idea of preserving Komarnica will continue with activities that force the sustainable use of the river, and the smart use of the total energy potential of Montenegro," the announcement said.
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