Still no decision on concession for wind farm Podveležje 2

After Elektroprivreda BiH said the Government of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton agreed with the initiative from another legal entity to get concession rights for the construction of wind power plant Podveležje 2, officials clarified the procedure was launched in 2013 and that the concession still hasn’t been awarded.

Minister of Economy of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Željko Laketić clarified in a written statement for Balkan Green Energy News that the cantonal government still hasn’t awarded the concession for the construction of wind farm Podveležje 2. State-owned coal and power producer Elektroprivreda Bosne i Hercegovine (EPBiH) earlier said, as reported by local media, that another legal entity’s initiative has been endorsed.

The company in question is Energy 3 from Mostar, but the process is still ongoing, Laketić stressed.

EPBiH never asked for concession

The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared in 2010 that the construction of wind power plants Podveležje 1 and Podveležje 2 is in the public interest, and told EPBiH to prepare and implement the projects before the end of 2013.

The state-controlled enterprise never initiated the procedure for a concession for Podveležje 2, Laketić pointed out. He added that his ministry launched the procedure for awarding the concession in December 2013, after Energy 3 submitted a proposal.

Podveležje 2 is envisaged for 24 MW in capacity

The Government of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton reached the assessment phase, according to Laketić.

The site is near Mostar. Wind power plant Podveležje 2 is envisaged for 24 MW in capacity. Still, old projects usually get upgraded as more powerful turbines have hit the market in the meantime.

The Federation of BiH consists of ten cantons. It is one of the two entities making up Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the other one is the Republic of Srpska.

Energy 3 is working on Pločno wind farm project

EPBiH operates the Podveležje wind power plant in the same area. It completed the 48 MW facility last year and it is also planning to install a solar park of the same name.

Energy 3 is developing the Pločno wind farm project as well, at a location also near Mostar. It won the concession in 2017, but it is still waiting for numerous permits. The unit is planned at 48 MW.

Energy 3 is majority owned by Nordic Power Partners from Denmark. The company was founded by European Energy, based near Copenhagen, and the Danish Climate Investment Fund, which operates as a public-private partnership.