Government to terminate contracts for small hydropower plants on six Montenegrin rivers

The Government of Montenegro has decided to terminate contracts for the construction of 10 small hydropower plants (SHPPs) on six rivers in the municipalities of Bijelo Polje, Plav, Andrijevica, and Šavnik.

The decision to terminate the contracts was made at a government session held in Pljevlja. Prime Minister Duško Marković said that the construction of SHPPs undoubtedly provided a new incentive for investment in electricity generation. However, there have also been failures in development activities that could harm nature, he added.

In some cases, this concept of development would miss its goal – to improve the quality of life and the development of local communities, which cannot be separated from the preservation of nature and environment in these areas, he said.

That is why the Ministry of Economy has been tasked with starting negotiations on the consensual termination of contracts for the construction of small hydropower plants on the Bistrica in Bijelo Polje, the Murinska, Komarača and Đurička in Plav, Trepačka in Andrijevica, and Bukovica in Šavnik.

He also said that in the coming period, the government will determine its position in relation to other projects with similar problems.

In May this year, NGO Green Home filed a petition backed by 6,300 signatures to the Parliament of Montenegro to ban the construction of small hydropower plants. The petition was signed by residents of Podgorica, Nikšić, Plav, Berane, and Šavnik.

Albania’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy announced in April that it will terminate 17 concession contracts for hydropower projects.