Residents vow to keep battling small hydropower plant Meteh
Residents in Plav in northern Montenegro recently again blocked the start of construction on the Meteh small hydropower plant (SHPP) on the Komarača river. They insist that the construction permit was unlawfully issued to the investor, construction firm Normal Company owned by businessman Žarko Burić, warning that the investor has no right to resume the […]
Experts warn small hydropower plants destroying natural resources for negligible amounts of electricity
After local residents jumped up clamoring against the construction of small hydropower plants (SHPPs) across Serbia, experts have joined the protest too… Ratko Ristić, dean of the Belgrade university’s Faculty of Forestry, Željko Tomanović, dean of the Faculty of Biology, Dejan Filipović, dean of the Faculty of Geography, Dušan Polomčić, dean of the Faculty of […]
Thousands rally against small hydropower plants on Mt. Stara Planina
An “ecological autonomy” of Mt. Stara Planina will be declared if the authorities fail to put a moratorium on all small hydropower plants (SHPPs) there in the next few days, according to the organizer of a protest that gathered thousands of people in Pirot on September 2, including environmental activists, mountaineers, associations’ representatives, university professors, […]
Citizen initiative organizing protest in Pirot against construction of SHPPs in protected areas
A citizen initiative to Defend the Rivers of Mt. Stara Planina is organizing an environmental protest in Pirot in southeastern Serbia to begin at 5 pm on Sunday, September 2, over its two demands – that 58 small hydropower plants (SHPPs) be struck from the Pirot municipality’s spatial plan and to put a moratorium on […]
Tendering procedure launched to lease locations for 18 SHPPs
Public water management company Srbijavode has launched a tendering procedure to lease locations for the construction of 18 small hydropower plants (SHPPs). A single bid can refer to only one of the offered 18 locations for the construction of SHPPs. The deadline to file bids is September 21. The largest number of locations, six in […]
Two more weeks left for comments on EU-backed principles, list of sustainable hydropower projects in Western Balkans
The extended deadline to provide comments on the draft Principles for Sustainable Hydropower in the Western Balkans and on the draft Indicative List of Projects associated with the Regional Strategy for Sustainable Hydropower in the Western Balkans, an EU-funded study, expires on August 31. The draft list contains the existing and potential greenfield hydropower projects that may receive financial […]
Minister to seek changes to nature protection law over small hydropower plants
Serbian Minister of Environmental Protection Goran Trivan has announced an initiative to change the country’s nature protection law to avert the construction of small hydropower plants (HPP) in protected areas, after his recent attempt to pull approval for the Pakleštica small HPP, threatening to hurt biodiversity in the Visočica river basin, was quashed by a […]
Bids sought for three small hydropower plants
The Ministry of Industry, Energy, and Mining of Republika Srpska has launched tenders for concessions to build and operate three small hydropower plants. One invitation refers to two small hydropower plants (HPP) on the Bjelava river that would have a total installed capacity of 2.523 MW and an annual output of 10.19 GWh of electricity. […]