Wood pellet factory opened in Vučje

The employer created eleven jobs to service a new factory near Nikšić in three shifts, Mina-Business reported. The wood pellet production facility on the Vučje plateau is the third of its kind in Montenegro.

Production capacity is 600 kilograms per hour. Private company Vučje Energy, owned by Ranko Jovović, was inaugurated by Petar Ivanović, minister of agriculture and rural development, and Nikšić officials, according to a report published by portal CdM.

Works on the 250 square metre factory began on June 8. Ivanović said the project was another step in rehabilitation of the wood processing industry, but also a significant step forward in linking tourism, agriculture and energy. He added that Montenegro was a small country that should primarily be focused on small and stable enterprises. The other wood pellet factories are located in Andrijevica and Pljevlja. The ministry should prepare a plan for concessions, in order to enable the conditions for those who work well and with long-term plans, Ivanović said.

The wood pellet factory will work within the company Kom komerc and will help, as Jovović said, in creating the preconditions for the development of Vučje as a tourist area. “This project is a new opportunity to make Vučje sustainable and to continue developing similar industries in this area of Montenegro. The investment was made in cooperation with the Investment and Development Fund (IRF) and with EUR 500,000 of its own funds, which make total of more than EUR 2 million with assets invested in Vučje so far”, he stressed.

According to him, the advantage of heating with pellets is primarily economic viability, because according energy power two kilos of this firewood equals a litre of oil. It is an environmentally clean fuel, generated from sawdust and waste through industrial processing and it is cheaper compared to other fuels, Jovović underscored. He added that Kom komerc would work with the ministry on the planned afforestation and tree cutting.

The factory will also produce wood chips for bigger systems, such as hospitals and schools, and this kind of fuel will be even cheaper, according to the owners.