In the past five years, consumers have paid almost 32 million euros in subsidies for the electricity produced in small hydropower plants (MHP) and the Krnovo Wind Power Plant.
These are the data of the Montenegrin electricity market operator (COTEE), which buys electricity from MHE and Krnovo.
They refer to the period from the middle of 2014, when the first MHP started operating, until the middle of this year, when 13 MHP, the Krnovo Wind Power Plant and the first small solar power plant were in operation.
Producers of electricity from these so-called renewable energy sources are entitled to preferential electricity prices for a period of 12 years.
Until the middle of this year, the preferential price was paid by consumers through their electricity bills.
Since then, the Government has been paying part of the subsidies from the budget.
The budget is the treasury of all citizens, so it means that citizens actually continue to finance that part of the subsidies.
Of the 32 million paid subsidies, 13 million euros were paid to the owners of MHE.
The Beran company "Hidroenergija Montenegro", which manages six HPPs, received over seven million euros.
Its owners are Ranko Radović from Podgorica and the company "Hemera Capital" of Oleg Obradović, who is on the indictment in the "Telekom" affair.
The Podgorica company "Kronor", which has two MHPs, was paid almost three million.
According to the latest data from the Central Register of Business Entities, that company is majority owned by "Kroling" from Danilovgrad, whose founder is Željko Mišković.
About 1,6 million went to the Podgorica company "Synergy" for subsidies from two MHPs.
Its ownership is connected with several natural persons and companies.
The company "Igma Energy" from Andrijevica received 1,3 million euros from two HPPs. Behind that company is Igor Mašović, brother of the mayor of Andrijevica.
Since last year, the HPP owned by the company "Nord Energy" has also been in operation. It received less than 100 subsidies.
Its majority owner is "Veletex" from Podgorica, whose founder is the president of the Chamber of Commerce Vlastimir Golubović.
And while the consumers pay them subsidies, the owners of MHE are obliged to pay the concession fee.
She is negligible. Although they earned 13 million for subsidies in five years, data from the Tax Administration say that in the same period, the owners of MHP set aside 1,6 million euros for the concession fee.
And when it comes to the Krnovo Wind Power Plant, which started operating three years ago, consumers paid 18,8 million euros for subsidies to its owners.
The real owners of the company are hidden behind off shore companies.
According to the Constitution, Montenegro is a state of social justice.
However, the Government did not explain why it enabled the owners of MHPs and wind farms to receive significant subsidies at the expense of all consumers, including the socially disadvantaged.
If there was an obligation to pay subsidies, the Government could form a social fund from which, for example, it would support the establishment and operation of day care centers for children and adults with developmental disabilities, or homes for elderly or socially vulnerable families.
For the sake of illustration, at the end of last year in Montenegro, there were day centers for children and adults with developmental disabilities in only 13 municipalities, out of a total of 24 local governments.
And the existing day care centers have insufficient capacity.
The NGO Action for Social Justice received data on subsidies paid and concession fees paid from COTEE and the Tax Administration, using the Law on Free Access to Information.
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