Environment Energy Mining Watch SEE|News|Nature and local communities in Montenegro will be endangered due to construction of HPP Komarnica

Nature and local communities in Montenegro will be endangered due to construction of HPP Komarnica

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Several environmental organizations from Montenegro, such as Green Home and Ozone, have expressed concern over the announced project, as more than 17 dams should be built according to the original plan, flooding a huge area from which the population would have to move and migrate, but it would also lead to the possible loss of certain species and a huge impact on flora and fauna. All that caused concern in the Serbian power utility company – Elektroprivreda Srbije.

Judging by the Concession Plan for the use of watercourses for the construction of hydroelectric power plants for 2020, the state of Montenegro intends to start the construction of only one hydroelectric power plant on the river Komarnica this year. This is a decision from a recent session of the government of the neighboring country, which would not be unusual, nor would it concern anyone in Serbia, if in this case the fact that the conceptual solution, according to the Agreement on Business and Technical Cooperation, was made in cooperation with EPCG and Serbian public company Elektroprivreda Srbije, without whose consent there will be nothing from this project.

The HPP project in Komarnica dates back to 1972 and has been launched several times, but not much has been advanced. Montenegro sees its great interest here, especially now that the submarine cable to Italy is in use, but without a Serbian partner, there will be nothing from that business. More precisely, if EPS withdraws from the project, it will valorize its investment through the founding share in the future HPP Komarnica, but if EPCG unilaterally terminates the contract, it will have to compensate PE EPS and it is not small sums of money – a well-informed source close to EPCG and EPS points out. The reason for concern, as he states, is the unclear strategy regarding potential environmental problems and the huge opposition of the Montenegrin public – especially the population of the municipalities of Plužine and Šavnik.

The clear attitudes of Montenegrin environmental associations on this topic say that the construction of HPPs would significantly damage the environment, and the survival of the natural pearl of Montenegro and Europe, the Nevidio canyon, is also in question. Environmentalists claim that the artificial accumulation would endanger the survival of birds, numerous plant species and wildlife.

With the construction of a 168 MW hydroelectric power plant with a dam over 170 meters high and an estimated investment value of 246 million euros, most of the rivers Komarnica and Pridvorica will be turned into an artificial lake that will stretch for 14 kilometers in the direction of Nevidio canyon and as much as 17 km. in the direction of Savnik.

From the hydrogeological aspect, there are doubts and still unresolved issues regarding the area that would be flooded, the emigration of these people, but also the flora and fauna, so it is unclear why Montenegro, after 50 years, has just decided to speed up work on to this project – adds our interlocutor.

The answer to this question may need to be sought in the fact that Montenegro is guided exclusively by interest in this business, ie that politics has also got its fingers in the pie. It is clear that this type of electricity production will bring great benefits to small Montenegro because it is estimated that the annual income will be over 40 million euros, and a huge plus for the ruling party because it will complete a project that is as old as fifty years. What the Montenegrin government is obviously not interested in is the fate of as many as 1,030 inhabitants, who would have to leave their homes, but also the sinking of the Jelovica monastery.

In the project of building such a dam, we are talking about flooding huge areas, which means the loss of nationally and internationally important plant and animal species and habitats, but also a unique landscape and canyon complex of special value – the position of the association “Green Home” from Montenegro was stated earlier.

The environmental association “Green Home” clearly stated that they were worried about the announced project of building the HPP “Komarnica” due to the impact on the environment. Each dam has a greater or lesser negative impact on flora and fauna. For that reason, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism should clearly consider all the positive and negative sides of this project and define measures to mitigate the negative impacts that must undoubtedly happen – they said from this association, alluding to the document on strategic environmental assessment.

Source: novosti.rs

 

 

 

 

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