Nikšić plans to begin development of a €16.7 million regional waste-management centre in early 2027, with the project set to transform part of the former Željezara steelworks complex into a major environmental infrastructure facility. The municipality has secured the project location, while state power utility EPCG will provide the former Livnica and Čeličana halls to the government for a 30-year period without compensation.
The site arrangement removes a key constraint for the project and enables preparations to advance toward construction and procurement of equipment. The facility is among the main investments within Montenegro’s broader Waste Management Reform Project, which is supported by a €40 million World Bank loan approved in 2026.
The planned centre is expected to provide waste-management services for more than 75,000 residents, with capacity for waste sorting, recycling, composting and treatment. The investment is intended to reduce reliance on disposal and bring municipal waste management closer to EU requirements as Montenegro progresses with negotiations under Chapter 27 – Environment and Climate Change. The use of the former steelworks site also gives the project a brownfield redevelopment component, introducing new environmental infrastructure at an industrial location that has undergone major restructuring.
The development is expected to involve civil works, mechanical and electrical equipment, waste-treatment technology, logistics, environmental monitoring and project supervision. The facility could also support activity by recycling and secondary-material businesses if adequate volumes of separately collected waste become available. The project forms part of a broader change in Montenegro’s waste-management system, with EU accession requirements encouraging municipalities to develop regional treatment facilities instead of relying primarily on local disposal sites.
For Nikšić, the investment links environmental infrastructure with redevelopment of the former industrial complex and public investment, while its implementation will depend on the timing of construction and the development of collection and waste-separation systems needed to supply the facility.
