Montenegro mulls gas-fired power plant to replace TPP Pljevlja

Montenegro is considering options to replace the Pljevlja thermal power plant when it ceases to generate electricity, and one solution is to build a gas-fired power plant near the city of Bar in the Adriatic Sea.

Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić estimated it would not be profitable to produce electricity in coal-fired power plants for a long time after 2030. It must be said, he added.

Montenegro must start implementing all energy solutions that would replace electricity production in TPP Pljevlja, Krivokapić stated at a meeting with the management of state-owned power utility Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) in Nikšić.

Montenegro will close TPP Pljevlja no later than 2035

The 225 MW Pljevlja unit produces almost 40% of Montenegro’s electricity. The Energy Community Secretariat launched an infringement procedure against Montenegro in April for continuing to operate TPP Pljevlja despite the expiry of the plant’s opt-out period. Montenegro is planning an ecological reconstruction of TPP Pljevlja, and in the meantime the government announced coal would be phased out in 2035.

Prime Minister Krivokapić, who recently stated that TPP Pljevlja would probably stop working in 2030, outlined solutions to compensate for its output.

There is no time to lose – Krivokapić

The Ionian Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) project, a gas link that would run from Prijepolje in Serbia via Pljevlja, and a gas power plant near the coastal city of Bar are just some of the solutions the country needs to develop, he said.

Montenegro must create an energy system with several options, local media reported.

Prime Minister Krivokapić said it is important for all energy investments to be developed in line with European Union standards so that it wouldn’t be possible for financing to be secured without eligible projects.

EPCG will start the construction of the Gvozd wind farm in September

There will be money for green energy projects, Krivokapić said.

The President of the Board of Directors of EPCG Milutin Đukanović said the construction of the Gvozd wind farm, with a capacity of 50 MW, is expected to begin in September, and that the revised project for HPP Komarnica should be completed by the end of October.