The studies that have been done show that the construction of the Komarnica hydroelectric plant will not endanger the plant and animal life in that area, said Nikola Rovčanin, director of the Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG).
He also said that the construction of a hydroelectric power plant would mean a lot for the citizens and the state in a financial sense.
Looking at the current prices of electricity, it would produce about 34 million EUR per year, which is a significant amount at this moment, without talking about other financial benefits when it comes to the municipalities of Šavnik and Plužine – said Rovčanin.
Civic and environmental activists who oppose the turbines on the Komarnica River organized a protest educational camp under the slogan “Think clearly” in order to send a message that they will not allow the construction of a hydroelectric power plant on the river of the same name.
Andrijana Mićanović, a biologist from the Montenegrin Society of Ecologists, said that they are aware that they are at the beginning of the fight, and that EPCG “is pushing the project for reasons known to them”. She said that they will try not only to prevent that project, but also to prove with facts “that in the time we live in, it is not a good idea”.
We will show what Komarnica and this region can offer the world without it being a hydroelectric power plant. It is sad that this river was mentioned only in terms of the construction of a hydroelectric power plant. Nature is the greatest resource of Montenegro and we should not allow a canyon like this to be lost… It is an extremely valuable canyon and it is crazy to sacrifice it – said Mićanović.
She added that the river is a public good and that its fate cannot be decided only by the residents of Piva and Šavnik.
That decision should be made by professionals. It is not a good idea for the residents of Piva and Šavnik to make the decision – Mićanović said.
Rovčanin said that he understands the activities of ecologists and that “their task is to show the exclusively ecological side”, and that on the other hand “we have an economic interest, and so are energy projects”.
When it comes to the Komarnica project, it is a historical project that has been developing for decades and in the end there is an escalation and deepening of the problem from the environmental aspect. The preparation of technical documentation is in progress, the conceptual solution has been completed, the study on the impact on the environment is approximately the final stage of this process and we are waiting for approval on that study. The report received a large number of comments and objections from the commission of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the deadline for their elimination is 850 days. This is where comments and remarks are related to plant and animal life, we have different research and studies – said Rovčanin.
He added that there is no continuation of the project without obtaining consent to the elaboration. What we have is the complete ecological sustainability of this project – he said. He also stated that as far as ecology is concerned, all the research on the plant and animal world has shown that no plant or animal species will be endangered because their habitat is upstream from the reservoir itself.
During its development, this project changed its technical solutions several times – so the initial elevation was 828 meters above sea level, then due to the protection of Šavnik, it was lowered to 818, then due to the protection of the mouth of the Bukovica and Bijela rivers to 816, and finally to 811 due to protection Nevidio canyon.
Rovčanin added that a new flow turbine was added as a technical solution to ensure a better flow.
He also pointed out that when it comes to ecology, the Komarnice project is “the most ecologically sustainable project” compared to all other hydropower plants in the field of hydropower.
Studies show that there is no threat to plant and animal life in that area. The Commission has set a deadline for the elimination of irregularities of up to 850 days, and the moment the Environmental Protection Agency gives its consent, then the second phase of the procedure starts – that is, negotiations with financial institutions and the announcement of an international tender for the procurement of equipment and the execution of works on the hydroelectric power plant itself – Rovčanin said. .
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