Luka Petrović named acting GM of power utility ERS – vacancy announcement ahead for post of general manager

Luka Petrović, who has so far served as mayor of Trebinje, was named acting general manager of Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske (ERS), the power utility of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s entity Republika Srpska, on November 16, after Radmila Čičković resigned the post citing personal reasons, according to a press release from ERS.

Luka Petrović was appointed to the post by the supervisory board of Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske.

“At today’s session, we instructed the company’s managing board to form a commission as soon as possible to conduct the handover and adopted a decision to publish a vacancy announcement for the post of general manager,” said ERS supervisory board deputy chairman Nebojša Rikalo.

ERS’ executive directors will remain in their posts for the time being, according to the press release.

Radmila Čičković assumed the post of acting general manager of ERS in April this year, after her predecessor, Željko Kovačević, and other managing board members resigned over the company’s loss in 2017.

ERS makes profit of EUR 28.6 million in H1 2018

In August this year, Čičković said that ERS made a profit of BAM 56 million (around EUR 28.6 million) in the first half of 2018.

All production and distribution units of ERS, the power utility of Bosnian Serb entity Republika Srpska, except the Gacko coal mining and thermal power plant complex, operated in the black in H1, according to Čičković.

In H1, ERS sold 1,687.7 GWh of electricity worth around EUR 66 million on the market, investing about EUR 38 million in new facilities and the modernization and reconstruction of the existing ones.

“The most important thing is that we managed, through a series of measures and activities, to mend a very difficult situation we found, which was caused by poor water levels last year, when the need for considerable electricity imports arose, causing a loss and arrears to suppliers and creditors,” Čičković said in August.

Electricity production in January-June stood at 3,534.55 GWh, up 23.69% from the plan.

The Republika Srpska government recently passed a decision on the adoption of ERS’s electricity balance for 2019 and a decision on the adoption of ERS’ electricity balance for 2019-2021, projecting significant balance surpluses in the observed period.