If the Montenegrin Parliament passes amendments to the Energy Law, currently under review, it will resolve the issue of connecting new renewable energy sources to the transmission grid by introducing operational limitations.
The proposal has been put forward by members of the ruling Movement for Europe Now (PES), Vasilije Čarapić and Uglješa Urošević.
A significant change is outlined in Article 1 of the proposal, stating: “The transmission system operator may offer the applicant a connection with limited approved capacity or provide a connection subject to operational constraints. If the applicant chooses a connection with operational constraints, the transmission system operator is not obligated to pay a monetary fee for the applied constraints.”
Montenegro faces a challenge with more issued urban-technical conditions for new energy sources (solar, wind farms) than the realistic capacities of the transmission and distribution system.
The Montenegrin Electric Transmission System (CGES) previously emphasized the necessity of strengthening the transmission grid, a process that may span over a decade, to accommodate over 30 new solar and wind farms granted urban-technical conditions in recent years. This endeavor demands investments exceeding hundreds of millions of euros.
The rationale for the proposed amendments to the Law elucidates that Article 1 empowers the applicant with the choice of accepting a connection with limited approved capacity or one subject to operational constraints.
- Article 2 of the proposal delineates the data to be included in the contract, extending beyond what has been listed thus far in Article 175 to encompass ‘missing infrastructure and/or operational constraints,’ should such a contract be pertinent – as stated in the rationale.
