Investors in Vranduk brief locals on project schedule

People from the community living in the vicinity of the location of future hydropower plant Vranduk convened with investors, contractors and the representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in the refurbished social centre after works started at the end of last month.

The meeting, held on August 3, was organized to lay out information on the plans for the four years of construction of the facility in central Bosnia, Zenica Blog reported. The contractors are building access roads while the schedule for reduced transportation capacity is being devised to deal with the issue of narrow space.

Project officials noted the management plant for the protected monument complex of Stari grad – old town of Vranduk has been produced. They said a public call has been placed to reach agreements for the property marked for expropriation. The investors stated conditions for urban planning permit still need to be met.

The first filling of the reservoir should occur in May of 2019, while the main road will be blocked during the construction of the dam. Preparation activities were initiated in February and the project should be complete by November 11, 2019. The reservoir will be six kilometres long and the 19-metre high dam will be 120 metres long.

Representatives of community councils presented a dozen demands concerning infrastructure. They asked for roads, sewage, a water supply system, a fishing canal, and safety and pathways for pedestrians at the construction site. Locals also claimed damages for the rehabilitation of affected infrastructure and demanded for some of the planned community projects to be implemented as agreed.

Anes Kazagić, project lead from state-controlled utility Elektroprivreda Bosne i Hercegovine d. d., said officials from the City of Zenica, the local authority, were invited to the meeting, but that nobody came.