TOGETHER TOWARDS THE CLEANER ENVIRONMENT IN PLJEVLJA

Solution of the present ecological issues aimed at creating conditions for healthier and more comfortable life of Pljevlja residents was the subject of the meeting attended by Nikola Rovčanin, EPCG Chief Executive Officer, Bojan Đordan, the Executive Officer of FU Generation, Ivan Mrvaljević, the Executive Officer of the Directorate for Development and Milorad Mitrović, the Executive Officer of NGO Breznica, representatives of the sports and fishing club Lipljen and representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency of Montenegro.

The participants paid special attention to the implementation of the project on continuation of utilization and phase reclamation of the ash and slag landfill Maljevac of TPP Pljevlja, by repeating strong determination of EPCG to continue greening of this area planned to be refined by various vegetation and seedlings and ultimately turned into a place comfortable for relaxation and recreation. It was therefore confirmed that EPCG, in cooperation with the contractors and the Environmental Protection Agency of Montenegro, is entirely dedicated to the fulfillment of the commitments taken and very motivated to entirely comply with all the provisions contained in the contract.

It was reiterated that, so far, two thirds of the ash and slag landfill were finished, works executed to reclamate the Casette 2 were completed, the landslide downstream the facility was rehabilitated and the Paleški Creek relocated. Also, the pump station to drain water from the landfill is constructed as well as the transformer station and other electrical infrastructure for this facility. What is left to be completed is reclamation of the cassette I, which is currently not exploited, and reclamation of the cassette III, upon expiry of its lifetime.

Given that some of the seedlings planted on the landfill dried up under the influence of high temperatures and lack of a rainfall, EPCG representatives promised to replace them in the autumn by the new ones, having in mind that autumn is the period most suitable for planting, in compliance with the project implementation contract.

It should be noted that cca €20 mil. worth of business includes technical and biological land reclamation. Greening of this area has begun in mid-August last year by sowing grass and planting eight thousand seedlings of cypress, maple and sumac of some 45 thousands in total, as envisaged by the project.

It was also stated that relocation of the Paleški Creek will result in a quality solution of the problem of pollution of the Vezišnjica River and the Ćehotina River, thus creating preconditions for better valorization of this area through development of a tourist industry and sport fishing.

The local environmental activists were interested in the current status of the project on ecological retrofiting of the existing thermal-energy unit, ecological retrofiting expected to start soon. They expressed particular satisfaction with the recent decision made by EPCG Board of Directors concerning beginning of the implementation of the project 'District Heating of Pljevlja - towards Clean and Warm Pljevlja', after more than four decades of waiting.