(Podgorica, July 23. 2013.) – The draft of Energy Strategy of Montenegrin is based on a completely irrational data to the Ministry of Economy, still the most consistent advocate of the energy lobby in Montenegro, and the additional assurance for that is provided through the National Power Supply Company of Montenegro (EPCG)for the previous year.
Data delivered by EPCG to the Regulatory energy agency show that the company in November and December last year failed to import even a kilowatt of electricity.
It is exactly this period that matches with the period when the EPCG terminated the obligation to deliver electricity to the Aluminum Plant, when the state took over the job Montenegrobonus.
According to the Strategy draft, deficit in electricity is one of the key reasons for the construction of new energy sources in Montenegro, while the future needs are based on unrealisticaly presented economic growth that does not comply with the ideas of the Government, even less to those who come from the addresses of a respectable financial institutions.
In addition, the document completely ignores the scenario in which KAP is “removed” from local sources, but instead creates a situation where by 2020 this factory operates at full capacity. According to the Strategy “with full steam ahead” will work and the rest of the factory, and that is why is necessary to provide a greater amount of energy. These projections are advocated in the moment when KAP went bankrupt, with the questionable production volume that will be continued in the future.
These facts, as well as official data EPCG completely confute the Ministry of economy and their projections of future electricity deficits one of the key reasons for the construction of new energy sources.
Green Home and MANS previously sent official comments on the address of the Ministry of economy requesting that this institution finalize Strategy document using a realistic and accurate data, and return in to a public hearing. Comments that are submitted to the ministry are made by renowned expert Peter Nelson who was engaged in the regional project “Programme for South East Europe Sustainable Energy Policy (SEP SEE)” which together with organizations Green Home and MANS rounds up 17 organizations from the region led by SEE Change Net from Sarajevo.
The comments that have been submitted to the Ministry show lack of key strategies and concrete recommendations for its improvement. However, while making comments, consultant Nelson discovered that the Ministry of economy during the public hearing contrary to the law replaced document that was offered to the citizens for their comments.
After we publicly announced this facts, the Ministry of economy sent an official letter to our consultant condemning his public appearance to the media and expressed concerns about its independence. In the letter signed by Deputy Minister Miodrag Canovic, Peter Nelson was openly criticized for giving an interview to the daily press, which, as explained by the Ministry “gives the right” to question its independence.
This was the only answer to more than 50 pages of written comments by Green Home and MANS submitted to the Ministry of Economy a month ago. We believe that this relationship by Ministry toward the participants in the public debate is absolutely unacceptable, but unfortunately reveals how much is this institution dedicated to participatory development policies that are of major importance for Montenegro.
Also, this kind of response by the Ministry shows that in this institution are not very advanced in building democratic capacities compared to those shown during the development of the Spatial Plan of Montenegro and the previous version of Strategy of energy, when the responsible individuals, headed by Canovic already proven as enemies of the public interest and the most vocal advocates of the energy lobby in Montenegro.
Green Home and MANS have already presented the content of the comments to the European Commission in Montenegro, from whose funds the development of the Strategy of energy is financed and pointed to a disturbing behavior of Montenegrin officials.
We call on the Ministry of economy to leave cheap tricks, stopgap and superfluous attacks on internationally recognized consultants and to give professional answers to all key and critical comments that we already provided. The point is that the creation of the final version of the strategy must take into account the real data and the situation in which Montenegro is in fact, not putting profit interests of foreign and domestic energy tycoons ahead of the public interest and the future of the citizens of Montenegro.
Green Home and MANS
