60 MILLION EUROS FOR ECOLOGICAL RECONSTRUCTION OF THE FIRST UNIT OF THERMAL POWER PLANT AND RECLAMATION OF THE MALJEVAC LANDFILL

Elektroprivreda Crne Gore and STEAG Energy Services signed in the Thermal Power Plant Pljevlja the contract worth €664.260 in order to develop the Preliminary Design on ecological reconstruction of the thermal power plant 'Pljevlja'.   

'The Project on ecological reconstruction of the existing unit of TPP Pljevlja represents the beginning of a five-year investment cycle worth approximately €175 million, which will ensure full operating readiness, safety and reliability in operation of generating facilities of EPCG. Arrival of the renowned German company in Montenegro is a serious guarantor that the planned reconstruction of the Unit I will be performed in line with the up-to-date standards and technologies, thus ensuring stable and safe operation of the thermal power plant within next couple of years', said Igor Noveljić, EPCG's CEO, on the occasion of signing the contract.

Mr Ulrich Sigel, Managing Director of STEAG Energy Services, a renowned German company specialized in the area of energy and one of the largest electricity generators in Germany, said on the occasion of signing the contract: 'TPP Pljevlja is a very important segment of the Montenegrin energy system that guarantees safe and reliable supply with electricity. Rehabilitation and revitalization projects have been one of our main focuses. We help our clients to reduce emission and increase efficiency of the power plants worldwide. We are sure that we are a good partner for EPCG in the  process to meet current and future EU-requirements’.

Development of the Preliminary Design will result in ecological reconstruction worth €40 million, which includes construction of a desulphurisation system, the system for reduction of nitrogen oxide, construction of the modern waste water system and improvement of operation of the existing electrostatic precipitator. Upon completion of the reconstruction, Pljevlja's first Unit will be able to operate for at least 20 years, in compliance with new directives governing limit values on emission of pollutants.

Ecological reconstruction of the first Unit of TPP Pljevla also includes reclamation of the Maljevac ash and slag landfill, and EPCG plans to appropriate approximately €19 million within next four years.

'The Project on Maljevac landfill reclamation, where ash and slag form TPP Pljevlja are disposed, should be implemented from 2018 until 2023, until when EPCG plans to utilize this site. The entire cost pertaining to reclamation will be borne by EPCG, and a portion of money, around four million euros, will be provided from the loan granted by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development', said Igor Noveljić, CEO of EPCG.

Darko Radunović, the Minister of finance, Pavle Radulović, the Minister of sustainable development and tourism and Igor Noveljić, Chief Executive Officer of EPCG signed a 4M€ worth Contract in Pljevlja.

On the occasion of contract signing the Minister of finance Darko Radunović highlighted: „Main design of Pljevlja location reclamation shall be carried out according to a new reclamation concept, prepared by EPCG, in relation to continuation of Maljevac landfill exploitation during the remaining lifetime of TPP Unit I, which implies continued disposal, as a cassette system of disposal, followed by phase reclamation of cassettes till the moment of complete reclamation of this location, fully adhering to ecological standards as well as standards of safety and life quality.”

Minister of sustainable development and tourism, Pavle Radulović said that environmental impact of the reconstructed and modern facility could not be compared to the impact of the existing TPP Unit. After the ecological reconstruction i.e. starting from 2023 TPP Pljevlja would operate according to EU standards.

„Since the only long term solution to the problem referring to air pollution in Pljevlja is district heating of Pljevlja, it is of extreme importance that the existing Unit of TPP Pljavlja has technical possibilities to be a source for construction of a district heating system. District heating of Pljevlja will permanently resolve a perennial problem of a bad air quality in Pljevlja basin and adherence to limit values determined by Directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe and Law on air protection will be achieved.”  

In the previous ten years, EPCG has made significant investments in reconstruction of the existing TPP Unit I, which is at the moment one of the most modern in the region and as being such represents a backbone to stable and secure electricity supply.