The latest information about the problems in the construction of the converter station in Lastva Grbaljska, as part of the overall project of construction of undersea cable between Montenegro and Italy, show how unserious and shallow were preparation for the realization of the entire project, which the Government proclaims as one of its priorities, and whose total worth is estimated at over 700 million euros.
In that sense, the latest excuses sound naive that due to the poor initial project, actually due to the fact that the land on which the converter station will be build in Lastva Grbaljska is very soft, now is needed additional 14 million euros, even though it was originally estimated that the construction of the station will cost 22 million.
The latest development does not surprise at all, since quality studies were not provided on time, and proper assessments of the economic and environmental justification of building an undersea cable between two countries, which it should be expected new problems in its realization.
We remind that the Montenegrin public, despite great interest, until today is still deprived of numerous information about this project, which is especially unacceptable when it comes to the fact that one of its parts is the construction of a transmission system from the Montenegrin coast to Pljevlja, which will cost at least 100 million euros, and which will be financed by Montenegrin citizens.
Beside that, it is planned that the transmission line passes through two national parks, which are protected areas, while just the converter station in Lastva Grbaljska, at the location where it is going to be built,will cause permanent changes in that area.
Also, a public hearing on Detailed Spatial Plan and the Strategic Environmental Assessment, has not provided expected answers since that the documents that are presented to the public were had unacceptably poor quality, incomplete and with a serious of inaccurate information. During the debate it is initiated creation of additional studies, but their finalization came after the public debate.
All this speaks in favor of that that from the beginning there was no will to look with realistic and objective manner on all aspects of the project, especially its economic and ecological point of view, but that public debate served only as an excuse for a earlier assembled secret dealings in the offices of the Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
As a result of such approach and ignorance of public opinion today we are already late with the realization of this project in all its aspects. In fact, the construction of the converter station in October 2014 suppose to be completed, and domestic public is served with an explanation that the contractor still can not start with work due to bad initial design.
Finally, should we remind that recently as a result of “staging” of this process and lack of cooperation with Croatia we had to changed previously “estimated” part of the undersea cable route on which the local public still does not know anything, and that all is a hint of a series of new problems to be expected in the realization of the project of energy connecting between Montenegro and Italy.
MANS and Green Home
