UNESCO is asking Bosnian institutions to decide on the construction of HPP Buk Bijela

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The project of hydro power plants in the upper course of the Drina in Bosnia and Herzegovina envisages the construction of three hydroelectric power plants, Buk Bijela, Foča and Paunci.

In a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the director of the UNESCO Center for Cultural Heritage, Mechtild Rössler, asked BiH institutions to decide “on information on laying the foundation stone for the construction of a dam on the Drina downstream from Montenegro’s Durmitor National Park.” BiH is called upon to respect the international convention “and not to take any measures that could endanger the cultural or natural heritage in the states signatories to the convention”.

Namely, in Foča, a municipality in the east of BiH, on May 17th, the cornerstone was laid for the construction of the Buk Bijela hydroelectric power plant on the Drina River, the construction of which will be financed by the power companies of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. entity of Republika Srpska in the amount of 220 million euros. The cornerstone was laid by the Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabić and the Prime Minister of RS Radovan Višković, and in the joint venture Hidroenergetski sistem “Gornja Drina”, Elektroprivreda Srbije will have a 51 percent share, and Elektroprivreda RS 49 percent.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina will take measures within its competence and acquaint other competent institutions with the requirements of UNESCO. BiH must respect international obligations and this is another indicator that such projects cannot be realized without the consent of state institutions, “said Minister Turković on that occasion.

RS Prime Minister Radovan Višković said Bosnia and Herzegovina was not in charge of building the Buk Bijela hydropower plant. Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note to the Republic of Serbia, whose company is the investor in the announced project together with the company owned by one of the entities in BiH.

The construction of HPP Buk-Bijela is before the Constitutional Court of BiH after 24 parliamentarians initiated proceedings at the end of last year, asking that judicial institution to invalidate the decision of Republika Srpska on granting a concession for the construction of hydroelectric power plants on the Upper Drina. The appeal states that decisions regarding state property such as rivers at international borders can only be made at the BiH level.

Source: slobodnaevropa.org

 

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