Montenegro to set coal phaseout deadline in national energy and climate plan – prime minister

Montenegro is preparing a new energy strategy, which will put priority on renewable energy sources in order to achieve climate neutrality, while the country’s national energy and climate plan (NECP), which is also being drafted, will set a deadline for a coal phaseout.

Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić said the Government of Montenegro is committed to making renewables a cornerstone of the energy sector development. Zero emissions in the energy sector by 2030, an initiative of opposition party Pokret za Promjene, is something that must be strived for, considering it is in line with the policy of the European Union.

It would be irresponsible to say that Montenegro will achieve net-zero emissions by 2030

As a candidate country, Montenegro has accepted an obligation to harmonize its energy sector with the EU’s policy of reducing and eventually bringing CO2 emissions to zero. A new energy strategy is being developed, which will give priority to renewable sources in order to gradually reduce emissions to zero, Krivokapić said in the parliament.

He also said that one must be extremely careful with making promises, because it would be easiest for the prime minister to announce in 2021 that the government will achieve zero emissions by 2030, but that would be both irresponsible and incorrect.

Closing TPP Pljevlja would mean a 20-25% increase in the price of electricity

At this moment, a shutdown of coal-fired power plant Pljevlja would greatly increase power imports, push up prices for citizens and companies by 20-25%, bring about 1,200 layoffs, decrease the country’s GDP, and reduce state budget revenues.

For us, therefore, the key question regarding CO2 is how to replace the 225 MW TPP Pljevlja, which provides large quantities of electricity and secures stability of the entire system, but is also a major CO2 emitter, Krivokapic said.

Now is the crucial moment to make a decision to start the energy transition

Krivokapić also said that now is the crucial moment for making a decision to start the energy transition, given that Montenegro is already drafting its national energy and climate plan, which will set a deadline for a coal phaseout in line with the principle of just transition.

A decision to accept 2030 as the year when emissions will be zero must be carefully analyzed, he said.

Krivokapić announced that the construction of new capacities is expected in the coming period, such as hydropower plant (HPP) Komarnica, solar power plant Briska gora, and wind farms Gvozd and Brajići, while tendering for solar power plant Velje brdo is being prepared.