Montenegro’s wind sector is moving beyond its first two utility-scale projects as state-owned Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) expands its own wind generation capacity and new projects emerge across the country’s mountainous interior and coastal hinterland.
The country’s wind resources are concentrated along exposed mountain plateaus and corridors shaped by Mediterranean and continental weather systems. The Krnovo plateau near Nikšić has demonstrated the potential of high-altitude sites, while Možura, between Bar and Ulcinj, operates under a different wind regime influenced by the Adriatic and temperature differences between coastal and inland areas.
Wind has historically played a smaller role in a power system dominated by the Perućica and Piva hydropower plants and the Pljevlja lignite-fired plant. Low rainfall and reservoir levels can increase Montenegro’s dependence on electricity imports, particularly when regional prices are high. The country’s first two large wind farms are Krnovo, with 72 MW, and Možura, with 46 MW. EPCG’s 54.6 MW Gvozd project brings large-scale wind capacity to approximately 172.6 MW and marks the first major wind asset directly integrated into the utility’s generation portfolio.
Gvozd began operating in May 2026 and generated approximately 26 GWh during its first three months. EPCG estimated the output’s market value at around €2.43 million and said the additional generation reduced its electricity deficit by approximately 8.5% during the period. Annual production is expected to reach around 150 GWh. The project also provides additional domestic generation during periods when hydropower output is affected by dry conditions. While wind does not eliminate weather-related risks, it provides another generation source when reservoir production is constrained.
EPCG prepares Gvozd II expansion
EPCG plans to develop Gvozd II, a further 21 MW project with turbine manufacturer Nordex under a contract valued at approximately €26 million. The combined Gvozd complex would reach about 75.6 MW, with expected annual production exceeding 210 GWh. Both Gvozd phases have received financing support from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Additional wind areas have also been identified in Montenegro’s spatial planning documents. These include Bijela, with indicated capacity of around 94 MW, Korita at approximately 79 MW, and Brajići, where earlier planning assumptions envisaged around 100.8 MW. Those capacities remain subject to project development, environmental assessments, permitting, grid studies and final investment decisions.
Grid integration becomes a key constraint
Further wind development will depend on Montenegro’s ability to integrate variable renewable generation into the electricity system. Transmission capacity, grid connection points, forecasting, balancing resources and the management of periods of high simultaneous renewable production will increasingly influence project economics.
Montenegro’s hydropower capacity could provide balancing flexibility, while connections with neighbouring electricity markets and the submarine interconnector to Italy provide access to a wider regional power market. These assets will need to operate alongside transmission investments and increasingly sophisticated electricity-market systems. As a result, wind projects increasingly require assessment of grid availability, congestion, balancing exposure, production profiles, merchant electricity prices, corporate PPAs and potentially battery storage, in addition to turbine capacity, expected output and construction costs.
Infrastructure and environmental requirements
Many prospective wind locations are in sparsely populated mountain and plateau areas. Projects can require new or upgraded access roads, strengthened bridges, turbine foundations and extensions of electricity infrastructure. These investments can also affect surrounding rural economies through improved roads, electricity and telecommunications infrastructure, while local contractors can participate in construction, transport, security and maintenance services. Permanent employment is expected to be more limited than construction activity, making skilled technical jobs, land arrangements, municipal taxes and fees, infrastructure investment and indirect business activity important elements of local economic effects.
Benefit-sharing arrangements can therefore include upgraded local infrastructure, municipal revenues, employment opportunities, community projects and agreements with landowners. Environmental requirements remain significant because some attractive wind areas overlap with locations important for biodiversity, tourism, traditional agriculture or cultural values. Development requires environmental impact assessments, bird and bat studies, noise modelling, landscape assessments and consultation with local communities.
Krnovo and Možura established utility-scale wind generation in Montenegro, while Gvozd has added wind directly to EPCG’s generation portfolio and demonstrated its role in reducing exposure to hydrological variability and electricity imports.
Further expansion will depend on managing grid capacity, environmental requirements, permitting, financing and local acceptance. Combined with hydropower, expanding solar generation, stronger transmission connections and eventually storage, additional wind capacity could contribute to a substantially more diversified electricity system. With approximately 172.6 MW of large-scale wind capacity established or entering operation and further projects under preparation, Montenegro is moving from developing its first wind farms toward determining the scale of wind’s role in its future electricity system.
