EPCG to invest EUR 67 million in hydropower, analysis for wind farm underway

Power utility Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) plans to invest EUR 170 million in the next five years, out of which EUR 40 million in the revitalization of two hydropower plants (HPPs), Piva and Perućica, and EUR 27 million in diverting a part of the Zeta river into the Perućica hydropower system. Around EUR 60 million will be devoted to the ecological reconstruction of the coal-fired power plant Pljevlja unit 1 and the reclamation of the existing slag and ash dumpsite.

The Montenegrin company has also started preliminary analyses for the construction of the 50 MW Gvozd wind farm on Krnovo.

“The Nikšić municipality is currently working on a site study and once the analysis has been completed, we will conclude whether it is a project for EPCG or not,” Executive Director at EPCG Igor Noveljić told daily newspaper Pobjeda.

According to him, the construction of the Krnovo wind farm is significant for the development of the country’s power system and to serve as a successful example of improving the business environment and promoting Montenegro as an investment destination.

Two major HPPs are of great importance for EPCG, as is the development of investment and technical documentation for the construction of HPP Komarnica, which will cost EUR 1.6 million.

“The second phase of the reconstruction of HPP Perućica and HPP Piva will extend their life expectancy, and EPCG will retain the majority portfolio of electricity generation from renewable sources. High operational readiness and safety of the generation will be secured, as well as distributed control system for units, facilities, and plants as a whole. It will be possible to run power plants remotely from the supervisory management center,” he noted.

Both HPPs will be fully capable of providing auxiliary and system services for Montenegro’s electricity system, such as secondary and tertiary regulation.

New unit for HPP Perućica

HPP Perućica will get new, 58.5 MW unit, its eighth in a row, which will cost EUR 23 million. Negotiations are underway with consulting company Lahmeyer International on the preparation of tender documents for the installation of the eighth unit and technical documentation for the construction.

“This year a location study on diverting part of the Zeta river into the Perućica hydropower system should be adopted, with the elimination of all the ecological challenges that were raised,” Noveljić said.

The second phase of the HPP Perućica revitalization includes the reconstruction and modernization of hydromechanical and electrical equipment in units A5, A6 and A7, the reconstruction of the Opačica and Moštanica channels, as well as the distributed control system. The signing of the EUR 29 million loan agreement with German development bankKfWis expected in the fourth quarter of this year, and the revitalization of the units A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 is also expected.

As part of the HPP Piva revitalization, a contract worth EUR 9 million for the modernization of all units will be signed next month. In the second phase, procurement of modern equipment for monitoring dams and sanitation of injection curtains is planned, as well as capital overhaul of two units during 2019 and 2021.