The energy connection between Lastva and Brezna will reduce losses in the transmission network by over half a million EUR per year, the Montenegrin Electric Transmission System (CGES) announced, adding that the project enabled more reliable operation of the system.
Director of the Sector for Development and Investments, Dragan Perunović, recalled that on January 19, CGES put into operation the energy connection between Lastva and Brezna.
According to Perunović, it is a complex and combined pipeline consisting of an underground and an above-ground part, with a length of just over 100 kilometers.
He explained to the Mina-business agency that this is part of a wider project, that is, the construction of a transmission line to Pljevlja, which is part of the Trans-Balkan Corridor project at the European level, for which, among other things, CGES received a grant of EUR 25 million from the European Union.
Perunović said that the idea is to connect the Apennine peninsula with the Balkan peninsula all the way to Romania, which would create an energy highway.
– The commissioning of this project of significant length will enable more reliable operation of the system. As a result, the wind power plant on Krnovo, which until now was connected by one connection to Nikšić, will get a more reliable connection with a low probability of outages – said Perunović.
He said that energy will be delivered from Krnovo, and partially even from the Perućica hydroelectric power plant, to Lastva through that connection and that it will be a direct interconnection to Italy and other neighbors.
Speaking about the benefits of that project, Perunović said that the financial benefit is already obvious.
Perunović stated that the energy that will go this way will have significantly less losses in the transmission network. He stated that the losses in the transmission network are small, at the European level – below two percent.
– Additionally, with this project we will reduce losses by around three gigawatt hours per year, which with current electricity prices is over half a million EUR per year – specified Perunović.
According to him, it is also a benefit that the direction towards Nikšić and Podgorica, which the energy used until now, and which was heavily loaded, will be relaxed.
– It will enable additional connections of renewable sources of electricity in this region. It will open a new perspective towards the green transition and the connection of renewable sources and in general the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which is the goal of the energy transition – said Perunović.
Answering the question whether benefits have already been recorded, Perunović said that the transmission line, which directly connects coastal and production nodes, has resulted in more reliable operation of the system.
– Winter is passing and we have already overcome these severe weather conditions without significant problems – said Perunović.
Speaking about future projects, Perunović announced that CGES continues with the intensive investment cycle that has been on the table since the company was founded.
CGES, as he added, apart from investing in the Montenegrin network, invests in new interconnections, and plans to continue the interconnection with Italy, as well as with all countries bordering Montenegro.
– The five-year work plan – the investment cycle will amount to over 150 million EUR, this is necessary to enable the further development of the energy sector and especially to enable the connection of renewable sources that require a strong network to be able to function with their oscillatory production during the year – explained Perunović .
Perunović appealed to the state authorities to help in the implementation of similar projects, because without them there is no real energy transition.
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